Pioneer Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 My jeep has an auto tranny in it and i want to swap over to a manual. what are some reliable, bolt in options? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 The AX-15 was used from 89 till like 99, then the NV-3500 came around. Both are good trannys, but the nv3500 is better (it's newer after all, so it should be). What year is your Comanche? Jeep on! --Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted September 21, 2005 Author Share Posted September 21, 2005 My Comanche is a 1991. do the AX-15 and NV-3500 bolt on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 They bolt to the engine and t-case just fine. I believe your transfercase is 23 spline input and the 89-90 AX-15s were 21 output, but I could have those numbers wrong. The later models are all 23 spline. After 94 the AX-15 went to an external slave cylinder type and they are more desireable (because if there is a problem or leak, you don't have to drop the entire drivetrain to fix it). The earlier trannys will bolt up to the later model bellhousings so for example, if you can get your hands on a 98 bellhousing and a 93 trans, they will bolt together and to the engine. There was a change in the master cylinder mount somewhere through the years and the later ones require some adaptation to bolt to the earlier Jeeps. You'll need the proper transmission mount along with all the other manual trans stuff. I think you may need to alter the driveshafts too (or get junkyard ones). I think the automatic is a tad longer then the manual trannys. Since they stopped making the MJ in 92, all this stuff will probably be coming from an XJ. The front driveshafts (given identical drivetrains) are the same as MJs, but the MJ has a much longer rear driveshaft. Try to avoid the trannys found in YJs and TJs as they are slightly different and can quickly complicate matters (I've got a 99 TJ trans in my 88 so it is possible, just a pain). I have to run to class so if I think of anything else later on, I'll let you know. Jeep on! --Pete P.S. If any of my ramblings don't make sense, just ask and I'll try to restructure the info or explain what I meant. The most important thing is to ask once you have specifics, like if you found the trans you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted September 22, 2005 Author Share Posted September 22, 2005 My comanche is also a longbed model so i imagine the driveshaft needs to be even longer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 Yup, longbed driveshafts are about 6 inches longer than shortbeds (which are about a foot longer than an XJ's). I needed a new shaft for my 88's 4wd conversion and ended up getting the 2wd shaft cut down. If you can't find a longbed/4.0l/stick rear shaft, 2wd shafts are much longer than 4wds so I'm betting you can get a 2wd shaft (shortbed or longbed) from the junkyard to have it cut down. I've heard from a couple people that the MJ shafts don't take to lengthening very well so grabbing another one and shortening it is preferable. Or there's always a new custom shaft, but that's like $300. I should probably mention that it's usually much simpler/cheaper to sell your current MJ and buy one with a stick. But if you're like me, you couldn't bear to part with the ol' girl and don't want to hear any of that. :D Jeep on! --Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now