Towing or heavy hauling, AW4 vs the AX-15

[DirtyComanche]

So we all know that the factory felt the AW4 could handle a greater towing capacity than the AX-15, but does this actually hold true in the real world?

 

Has anyone had a clutch or other AX-15 failure while towing, or while driving around with the truck loaded up heavy?

 

I don't care about the other aspects of this.  I personally feel that the AX-15 has no reason to not be able to tow/haul the same as the AW4, meaning that you could reliably tow more than was safe due to other limitations.

[DirtyComanche]

I think I meant to post this in tech

[HOrnbrod]

Yep - moved.

[HOrnbrod]

Would have been nice if Jeep offered a beefed up torque converter with the AW4 as a factory option for the towing package. One that would better dissipate the extra heat generated by towing. The AW4 TC's were all the same throughout the XJ/MJ years.

[DirtyComanche]

2 hours ago, HOrnbrod said:

Would have been nice if Jeep offered a beefed up torque converter with the AW4 as a factory option for the towing package. One that would better dissipate the extra heat generated by towing. The AW4 TC's were all the same throughout the XJ/MJ years.

 

That and a HD clutch option (for the AX-15), if they really thought the clutch was the limiting factor.

[Jeep Driver]

Sometime back I read an article regarding heat Generation by an automatic, if I remember correctly the truck being tested was a Dodge Ram. 

Under load the torque converter was measured at over 320 degrees and the author stated 350° was not uncommon.

With an already taxed cooling system, my last choice for Towing would be the aw4, not to mention the inability to maintain first gear.

 

When I go small block Chevy I will be choosing the ax15.

[Jeep Driver]

For what it's worth

As you may know I pulled it 4000 pound trailer through the mountains with my MJ in an ax5 for a year, probably about 20,000 miles, the clutch Never slipped and I put it right back behind the new engine it was fine

[omega_rugal]

AX15 all the way...

[DesertRat1991]

Is it possible to retrofit an oil cooler to the AX-15?

[DirtyComanche]

13 minutes ago, DesertRat1991 said:

Is it possible to retrofit an oil cooler to the AX-15?

 

You could.  NPT adapters on the drain and fill along with an electric pump.

 

But why?  Have you hit it with an IR gun or put a temp probe in it and found there was a problem?  It's only fairly recent that consumer grade manual transmission trucks have oil coolers, and that's when combined with 400HP diesels that are rated to tow 24Klbs...

 

I'd put a HD transmission in long before considering modding up the AX-15.

[omega_rugal]

5 hours ago, DesertRat1991 said:

Is it possible to retrofit an oil cooler to the AX-15?

 

it`s a manual, why would you do that?

[FrankTheDog]

I pulled a VW Westfalia camper from Knoxville TN to Winsted CT with a 98 XJ with an AX15. VW plus dolly came in at a little over 5,000lbs. I didn’t know how much one weighed before I got Shanghai’d into the job.

The XJ had 240k on it when I did that pull and now it has 457k on that same clutch. 243k total on the clutch.

Luk gold clutch. With new master/slave at time of clutch change.

I would not feel comfortable pulling that kind of weight with an auto.

[HOrnbrod]

Off Topic:  Frank, what's the story on your avatar? An underwater Boston Terrier? 

[Swampy]

2 hours ago, HOrnbrod said:

Off Topic:  Frank, what's the story on your avatar? An underwater Boston Terrier? 

That may have to be a whole other topic in the pub.

 

But I far as I was concerned, especially with the 4banger jeeps, the manuals could tow more weight than the autos. I may be mistaken

[cruiser54]

The AW4 was used in the Toyota Celica Turbo and dump trucks in Japan. 

[omega_rugal]

On 5/10/2018 at 6:17 AM, cruiser54 said:

The AW4 was used in the Toyota Celica Turbo and dump trucks in Japan. 

 

isn`t that a better AW4?

[rokinn]

I don't imagine the transmission discerns much difference between towing and hauling.  Back in my farm boy days we had nothing but 5 speed manual transmissions for hauling 5000 lbs on a 1 ton dually or 10,000 to 12,000 lbs on a deuce & a half, which was usual the fare for hauling grain over pretty steep terrain (IIRC).  The more important thing I was taught to look out for was the isolated sharp rock.

[cruiser54]

11 hours ago, omega_rugal said:

 

isn`t that a better AW4?

Not really. Valved differently. 

[Crash]

The AX15 equipped vehicle were built more for economy. Yes, the AW4 is most likely rated at a higher HP capacity. Stock vs stock, I think the AW4 can definitely handle a larger load. 

Swap in some 3.55 or lower gears, and I think it's a solid runner. 

 

[Swampy]

so what would be tow rating on a 2.5l with an ax15? 2000lbs?