I have a 98 cherokee that has a 96 drive line swapped in, engine, trans, and transfer case. I'm wondering if I put a 97 ecu in it if I can control the transmission correctly. The sensors and output on the transmission itself changed in 98-01 models I believe. I was thinking I could go with a 97 ECU and just change the wiring harness for the trans to a 97 as well. Anyone done this with success.

 

i can't give you a definitive answer, from old research here are threads that can be useful.

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

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f13/9...-work-1332759/

what year is the computer? 98 or 96?

96 and 97 seem to be pretty similar and interchangeable so it could work, the big changes happened in 98 like you said, so as far as transmission and PCM/ECU goes it will be harder than just splicing wires i believe.

 

Thanks you Cane, I'll keep digging. I hate to swap out a perfectly good transmission if I can avoid it. I have a switch hooked to it now to get 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear. It is pretty crappy looking, and not ideal for a daily driver. The vehicle is a 98 with a 98 computer, I was thinking a 97 computer may work with the 96 drive line. In the info you shared it talked about 96-97 being close other than a connector on the transmission. 98-01 is a whole other ball game. Dennis