My Cherokee is having the transfer case and transmission serviced as I type. I called the shop where it is at in town and the service writer informed me the tech had broken the dipstick/feed tube and welded the tube back together. Isn't there a way to remove the pan without breaking anything? This is supposed to be like one of the best repair shops here and it makes me a bit unsure now about them. I had a tranny feed tube break in my 56' Mercury several years ago by a stoned out mechanic guy at another trans shop that is no longer in business, and they made me pay for it as another feed tube had to be ordered. Just seams you shouldn't have to break anything to just change the tranny/filter!

 

The o-ring where the tube meets the pan seizes on older vehicles. This vehicle seems to have a large issue with this. Instead of trying to undo that one can unbolt the tube from the block and drop the tube with the pan. Also, the screens aren't very fine filters and not paper. There isn't as much benefit to changing the filter which means that there isn't much reason to drop the pan on these vehicles. It is considered acceptable to just replace the fluid on Cherokees with AW4 transmissions.

 

Thanks! I called the shop and told them he didn't have to remove the tranny pan, but they did find a filter kit for it so they are changing that anyway, and he welded the feed tube. I did request a tranny service, so they assumed I wanted to change the filter. Now I know to just tell them what you told me about unbolting the tube. Don't know why the guy didn't just do that in the first place! She said he knows about these Jeeps.

 

It is quite easy to drop the pan with the tube so many inches onto the ground when the Cherokee is on the ground. Unless you have a transmission jack to hold the pan close for he vehicle, then one would have to somewhat snake the tube completely away from the vehicle while attached to the pan when it is on a lift. Maybe that is why they didn't go that route.
The welding won't change much, especially if total height is the same so that the dipstick is at the same level. The next person to drop it will have to unbolt it from the block.

 

yes, you can remove the pan entirely, by undoing one bolt, dropping the pan down, and snaking the whole tube out from under the vehicle..I did this without a lift.

Separate the 2 halves of the tube with Stilson wrenches once its out

It did take me till my 2nd time to work out that was easier than batting to separate in situ

You dont even need to ever separate, just drop it down ~4" and filter can be done