Unknown XJ

Hey guys and gals hope this finds you well and in good spirits. Through my exhausting search I'm thinking my aw4 died. Disconnected the tcm and it shifted better but the rpms were rather high though.
Pulled 2 codes relating to my torque converter solenoid (p740) and shift solenoid a (p0751).
My question is would it be worth it to replace the solenoids ($200+) and do a fill filter change and then drain and few more fills and drains then another filter change? Or would you change it out? Fluid was a little dark before all this happened but now it's black.....
Any help or advice would be appreciated.

macgyver35

Hard to say on replacing the solenoids, but I don't see how it could hurt.

Black fluid is a bad sign. Personally, rather then draining the pan 4 or 5 times, I prefer the "let the tranny pump do the work" method.

Disconnect the upper transmission line from the radiator. Push a 4-5 foot length of hose onto the fitting on the radiator and drop the other end in a 5 gallon bucket.
Tips: A length of old 5/8" garden hose works for this. Use a worm clamp to hold the hose on the fitting. Trust me, you don't want this coming loose. Place a 3" C- clamp or some other contraption on the rim of the bucket to hold the end of the hose a couple inches inside the top of the bucket. Again, you don't want this coming loose.

Stick a decent sized funnel in the fill tube for the tranny and arm yourself with 8-10 quarts of the proper ATF. Now you need a helper.

Have the helper start the engine and keep their foot on the brake. As soon as they do, your old black fluid will start coming out of the hose into the bucket. Your job is to pour new fluid down the fill hole at the same rate its coming out of the hose. Don't worry about being exact, just keep the funnel full. Keep watch of the fluid going into the bucket. It should start looking better. After your first gallon, have your friend, with e-brake and foot brake both applied, shift through the full range of gears, stopping for about a 4 count at each spot. Once he's at the bottom, he can put it in Park for the rest of the process. When you see nice red fluid coming out of the hose, stop filling the funnel and let it empty. About 5 seconds after it does, have your friend kill the engine.

Hook everything back up. You've just done a complete, or nearly complete change of your fluid, including all that sits in the torque converter! This method is a " forward flush" as apposed to a "reverse flush" that many shops do. The forward flush is far less likely to damage all the seals in the tranny and is gentler on things as it uses the tranny's own pump and normal operating pressures to do the flush!

Once you're done and everything is buttoned up, take it for about a 15 mile drive to get everything up to full hot. Check and top off your fluid as necessary.

Did this to my own 98 and it really made a difference in how it shifts. This method is also done all top side, so its easier to stay clean, doesn't require crawling under there on your back, or trying to change all the fluid 3 quarts at a time by draining the pan multiple times.

Unknown XJ

Thank you so much.....this is why I love this forum. Well sounds as if I've got some work to do. I cleared the code's last night and It seemed tp help but not for long.
On your 98 was the fluid questionable before you did this?

Unknown XJ

I reason that if I change my fluid and disconnect the tcm I should get my XJ back. But I also reason that this may be a band aid too.
Don't want to put anymore money into her than I need to.... In case my suspicious are correct. Anybody else want to chime in? Btw Macguyver35 thanks again.
The aw4 can take some abuse but lets hope this helps.

xj_pantytheif

Everything you ever wanted to know about AW4

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1053970


My original AW4 went bad somehow at about 160,000 miles. It would literally pour the fluid out of the front of the inspection plate almost instantly after putting some in.

Looked around the local JY's and found actually quite a few AW4 trans.

Picked one up off their shelf for $125, 30 day warranty, 78k miles, year 2001.

Was a straight bolt in plug and play procedure. After fluids, filters, and a t-case rebuild kit, I probably spent $200 total for a younger and smoother AW4. The AW4 is really a brute when it comes to transmissions, should last a long time with routine maintenance.

goodluck dude

Unknown XJ

The local pick n pull wants $400 for one here..... if they cost that much here I'd be all over that!
The price for a used aw4 us what lead to the original post. So I suppose you could say I'm doing a cost benefit analysis lol.

Unknown XJ

Here ,where I live ,everyone drives an XJ. So there's a lot of parts laying around. He would sell you tranny parts though..... just the whole thing....

macgyver35

Yeah, my fluid was brown and had a burnt smell. I bought the XJ last fall, and it sat for awhile. I put a new ATK longblock in it in November. Then, once the weather got warmer, I started noticing shifting issues and som erratic behavior. I changed the fluid in April and it's been much better since then. I don't know about disconnecting the TCM. I left mine alone.

There's also a great trick here:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/free-quick-fix-41821/

disguay

Here's my story. My transmission fluid was black and my transmission seemed to be on its way out. I blew about $200 in fluid changes, filters, solenoids, and all the easy fixes until I realized that I needed a new transmission. What I learned is that if you plan on keeping your xj for even another month, change your transmission because spending the $200 just to get it going is just a band aid fix and you will have to change your tranny soon anyways. I went ahead and did a little search near your area code and found that there are much cheaper transmissions out there and you can get one for under $300. http://car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi (you'll have to put in your info again because it doesn't transfer with a link)

xj_pantytheif

x2

Unknown XJ

That's what I wad wondering swap or try to fix it. Yeah I plan on keeping her forever. My issue was weather it was worth trying to fix or just nip it in the bud and swap it out. I've read sssssooooooo much about the aw4 over the past few days that I'm dreaming about it.
Hopped in her today to see if she would move and she did no problem..... But once she warmed up..... No go..... had to get the tac around 3000 rpm just to start to move....... Oddley enough it never went into limp mode either at any point. The saga continues.
Any one else have any stories experiences? And the free quick fix helped me in the past..... tried it again yesterday and nothing this time...... Even went and just pushed the conduit in as far as it would go and I was able to get her home. Thanks folks so far.

disguay

unknownxj, the transmission swap is really not all that hard. It was really difficult for me because I have long arms that are rigged up to my transmission crossmember that had to be removed and then I had to pull the front axle back into place which was a real PITA. Plus my front driveshaft wouldn't come off. As long as you have an atv jack or a transmission jack, you will be fine. I do have four points of advice though
1: Do NOT use a 12 point wrench on the 8mm driveshaft bolts or any of the bolts!
2: Spray the dick out of everything with PB Blaster or Liquid wrench if it's not coming loose.
3: When putting in the new transmission, lube up and clean the metal sleeves that connect the transmission to the engine otherwise you will NOT get them in.
4: Don't trash your new transmission because you have crap stuck in your transmission cooler. I used Kooler Kleen which pulled out all the deposits in my cooler.

Unknown XJ

How would you go about cleaning the transmission cooler? Any recommended lubricant for the sleeves? All sounds like good advice. I've got a decent 6 point set and a crappy 12 point lol. And a tool bag filled to hilt with odds and ends..... As far as the jack I've got a 3 ton floor jack could I use that? I don't see me being able to get my hands on a transmission or ATV jack though.
But in all seriousness I may have to remove the new one from the donor XJ. And I have considered even doing the swap myself. I'm no mechanic but my XJ makes me look like a genius lol.
But all that aside I've read tips on removal of the AW4 such as disconnect the tc, use a ratchet strap so there isn't any sudden movements Ect ect ect.... The only thing that I'm worried about I those stupid torx bolts. Read ALOT of complainants on those jewels lol.
Please ,by all means , keep the advice coming folks.

macgyver35

When I had to get those top two torx bolts out, I dropped the t-case a bit for extra clearance. Then I took the center console, shift linkage brackets, and trans tunnel cover off. This gave me a relatively straight shot at those two bolts.

Unknown XJ

Did you end up replacing your transmission Macgyver35? Cause I'm leaning towards that myself. Great info once again. From what I've read its not too involved I'm going to nose around on my XJ tomorrow sometime.