AW4 Gear Shift Cable Routing

[HOrnbrod]

This question is for those with a column shift AW4 MJ. The column shift cable on mine enters the engine compartment through a hole in the firewall up where the manual transmission slave would be (see pic) on the left side on the booster, then makes a reverse bend down to the tranny tunnel where it attaches to the cable shift bracket. My question is does the cable run over the booster or under the booster going to the tranny after it enters the engine compartment? 

 

I didn't remember how the cable was routed before I did the 95/96 master/booster swap, so I slid the booster under the shift cable when installing. Although it shifts fine out of PARK into DRIVE or REVERSE, the cable seems much too tight with the larger circumference booster. I'm urious if I could get a bit more slack by running the cable under the booster instead of over the top.

 

[Strokermjcomanche]

Over .

 

[HOrnbrod]

Thanks Adam. The fat booster certainly tightens up the cable. Wish I could find a cable an inch longer because it's just a metter of time before it breaks. I know we've discussed this before, but I can't figure a way to lengthen it with the bracketry either.  :hmm:

[ComancheKid45]

I have mine routed under my larger booster and just replaced my cable recently actually. It is adjustable as well if needed

[HOrnbrod]

Details? Did you find you had more slack by running the cable under the booster?

[ComancheKid45]

I had plenty of slack when I installed my new cable earlier this year. I'm not sure if it was running over the booster when I swapped the OEM one out years back but it runs under it now and with it adjusted works great.

 

Here's a link on adjusting the cable

http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Transmission_and_Transfer_Case/Transmission_Automatic_Shifter_Adjustments.htm

[HOrnbrod]

Thanks for the link, but that setup at the tranny end is a lot different than my 91 column shift shift cable. I'm going to try removing the shift cable from the tranny, pulling it up in the engine compartment, then rerouting it back down under the booster. Hopefully that will provide a bit more slack. It looks like it should..........

[Dando]

Before I switched to the floor shift I had some problems with this too. I ended up swapping the transmission side bracket with one for a floor shift while still using the column shift cable and column. I routed mine over the booster. To be honest it was never perfect, but I'm no perfectionist. After the cable broke an hour from home on a construction site I promptly swapped to floor shift, I'm sure you probably want to stay column though.

[HOrnbrod]

Pulled the shift cable off the tranny and rerouted it under the booster today - plenty of slack now. The hardest part of it was removing the transmission bracket off the cable. It's different than the older models. It has two "ears" have to be squeezed at the same time while pushing the bracket off the cable and it took awhile to figure it out. The procedure isn't detailed in the FSM. Also there is no adjustment on the shift cable at all.

 

So the procedure for 91 and up column shift MJs (maybe the Renix models too - I don't know) when installing the bigger boosters is to route the cable under the booster when upgrading the front brakes. I took the time to measure the stock shift cable also. It's over an inch shorter end-to-end than the aftermarket replacement cables (55.5" vs. 57"), so that might have been the reason it was so tight.

 

[mikekaz1]

it just looked out of place above anyways. looks much cleaner under the booster