Hi,
I have a 93 cherokee "country" 4.0 with an automatic transmission. I have no further knowlege of exactly what model trans. it is. I have only owned this jeep a couple of months and had to immediatley put another engine in it several days after I got it. (warped crank & rods, bearings spinning). The donor was a 97 4.0 sport engine, it runs great except I still need to tap a hole somewhere to install one of the 93 temp. sending sensors that controls the temp. guage.
Anyway, I have noticed that the transmission is incredibly hard shifting. I checked the fluid & it was a little low so I put some "Lucus trans. fix" in there to top it off. I can't tell much of a difference, it still sounds and feels like I'm being thrown forward by a gear every time I let of the gas. I've been told that most jeeps are just like that. Is this true?
I have also been told that Chrysler got the 4.0 inline 6 cylinder engine right, but still don't know what they are doing with the transmissions. This information comes from one of our largest local used engine/transmisson dealers.
What I really want to know is if you guys agree with him & if so, is there a high quality after market transmission available?

All replies are appreciated & I thank you for your time,

-Dan

 

The AW4 (the only automatic tranny ever offered in an XJ), is solid. Very reliable and desirable. The guy you talked to either didn't know crap, or was only talking about the manual transmissions (of which, really only the Peugeot BA5/10 is a piece of crap).

 

To my understanding, the grand cherokees had the tranny problems. The AW4 that's behind your 4.0 in your XJ is a pretty durable tranny. The clunk and jerk you're feeling is more likely U joints than a transmission.

 

Adjust your TV cable! This is usually the first thing I recommend when People mention trans problems on here. The AW4 is a strong trans and can take a beating. This adjustment can cause hard shifting if it isnt right..
I have posted this on a few other trans threads, and it has helped a couple people...


To adjust the TV cable you:
1: Push in and hold the release button
2: While holding in release button, push "conduit" in as far as it will go
3: Release button
4: Rotate throttle to WOT, some people do this with the gas pedal. Others do it from the engine compartment.
5: Hold at WOT for a few seconds, cable should ratchet out a click or two.
6: Your TV cable should now be properly adjusted, take it for a test ride.

Here is another post about it on NAXJA
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1015963

HELL NO! The guy obviously doesnt know what hes talking about, they will last a long time if you take care of them...
AFAIK though, they dont make an aftermarket trans. I may be wrong though.

 

Excellent food for thought ...

I will try the adjustment procedure this weekend.

Anyone agree with the possibility of it being a u-joint issue?

I feel a bit better about the reputation of the AW4 after your responses, and you guys are sure it's an AW4?

Thanks again for everyone's feedback, this is such a great forum. I look forward to contributing a concise post about my engine swap experience once I finish working all the sensor bugs out.. I wouldn't have made it without the many different threads I found here, or the replies I got to my intial posts.
-Dan

 

Oops, I forgot one question... at the risk of sounding stupid, does WOT stand for "Wide Open Throttle"?

 

Yes, it stands for Wide Open Throttle

 

I would definitely recommend replacing your u-joints. An old u-joint thats binding will do all kinds of funky things. They're cheap and easy to do(less than an hour of work) and a total cost of less than $35

yes WOT= Wide Open Throttle

 

Yes, its an AW4. Thats the only auto trans they used throughout the life of the 84-01 Cherokees.
AFAIK they did use a different trans in the ZJ at one point, but I dont know anything about Grands. Theres a reason I have an XJ! lol

 

The ZJ used an AW4 up until 93, then Jeep made an idiot move and switched to a much less reliable transmission behind the 4.0

and yes, you have the AW4. no ifs ands or buts about it

 

AW4 is AsainWerner4Spd