98 JeepJeep

Finally got around to working some more on the heep. Went to advance auto and ordered my Trans pan gasket. Removed the drain plug,drained the 4 qts of dirty oil from the trans. Removed all bolts from the pan. Broke the RTV seal to get the pan loose. could not for the life of me seperate the tube from the pan!!!! so i had to pull it down far enough to work on it. There are 2 magnets in the pan that need to be cleaned of the metal shaving. spent a hour or two cleaning the pan and gasket surface on trans. Got everything ready to install to find out that the Transmission pan gasket was wrong!!!! I just ended up using RTV which is how it was when i removed the pan. Added 4 fresh quarts of oil. Took jeep out for a test run..Much smoother shifts,can barely feel it shift now. Worth the 2 hours to change it. Sorry no pictures but my tips are as follows.

1. Remove the 13MM bolt holding the Dipstick tube from the bellhousing. Try to twist/wiggle the tube free from the pan,before pan removal.

2. A 1/4" socket set with a wobble is invaluable tool for removing rear pan bolts.

3. Fluid level needs to be checked in Neutral with engine at idle and on level ground.

4. The felpro TOS18685 Trans pan gasket Autozone's computer says will work WONT!!!! bolt hole are way OFF!!! Must be for a different AW4,RTV will work great

5. Take your time and have fun with it!

6. Prepare to get Pi$$ed everytime a little drop of trans fluid hits you in the face.

jpdocdave

imagine doing ones that don't have drain plugs. feels good when its done right?

i would've found the right gasket, i hate using rtv. many chrysler's use rtv on the trans now, minivans and cars. and it sucks, and they all leak.

also to check the fluid after you add some, it needs to run through the gears with engine running foot on the brake, and you can check it in park. doesn't hurt to check it after driving a little. and when the jeep is cold, not warmed up, the fluid should be toward the bottom of the level, it will expand when at running temp, and if you fill it to the top at first, it will be too full at operating temp.

98 JeepJeep

No leaks so far. I have mastered the skill of RTV. I think the reason it is so popular is Cost and if done right it will outlast a gasket. BUT!!!!!it SUCKS to remove a rtv'd part and clean it.
My dipstick states Check in Neutral with engine at idle. Max level when hot.
It does feel good to ge that out of that way. Im gonna drain it again in 3K and add a gallon of new fluid to insure ALL of the old is gone. I always reccomend to STAY AWAY from a flush on a High milage trans.

jpdocdave

i've been a mechanic for a while now, and that trans thing is basicall a myth. even if it hasn't been done for 150k, it would be better to do it. maybe transes in the 80's were different. i've yet to see, or know anyone who first hand has seen a trans go bad from flushing it. everytime its come up lately, everyone seems to agree its a myth not to service a hi mile trans. besides, if its gonna go its gonna go, if you service it, if it doesn't go, it will last longer.

but more importantly is the aw4 trans is gonna last forever anyway. they never ever go bad. i got a buddy that worked for jeep for 15 yrs, in the 90's to early 2000's, and he saw one aw4 go bad in 15 yrs, w/ over 200k on it. i love that trans.

i flushed and changed my pan and filter a few months apart to get all the fluid.

i definately agree on the cost issue. i still prefer a gasket, but the cheap ones that come in kits suck to, and i really hate cork.

98 JeepJeep

Me too it seems you have to over torque it to get a good seal. But this felpro gasket was a really nice rubber. I was stoked to use it but ooh well.

jpdocdave

ya, its always nice to open a box and see a decent part. even if its wrong

96 XJ Sport

Man, reading this is like deja vu...I had the same trouble getting the dipstick tube free from the pan, then had the same WRONG Felpro gasket from AZ. I think it's a packing problem with Felpro, myself. Went to Advance Auto and they had one with the correct rubber gasket which worked great, but I forgot what brand. Just looked on their website...must have been the Pro King brand.

Glad you were able to get it done anyway. It was a PITA and I said never again!

Mattpar

and always use the recommend Mopar ATF for the trans. A friend i know works at sears and they use some Dexron or something and add an additive it in,... He had a Ram come back with a slipping trans shortly after a service, and it was towed to the dealer cause sears doesnt do trans work, and turns out that additive crap didnt like the trans too well and roasted the trans,...

96 XJ Sport

Someone with lots more knowledge than me on fluids will jump in here, but these AW4s are an oddball in the Mopar world, I think. Dexron/Mercon III, nothing more, nothing less, as opposed to most Mopar that takes the stuff with the friction modifier in it. Someone jump in and say this better than me

whowey

The problem is that the Mopar ATF was NEVER to correct fluid for an AW-4... There was only that one TSB showing it as recommended.... But never one from the tranny maker or Toyota(the other user)...

jpdocdave

ya, not a chysler trans (thats why it lasts forever). newer chrysler jeep transes use atf+4. my shop uses valvoline max life atf, and we have a chart from valvoline, and it covers about 90% of transes, excluding cvt trans, and some european or hi line imports

and i don't understand why someone would have a place do a trans service, that doesn't do trans work. no offense to your friend, but i hate that inexperienced people are doing maintenance on things they don't konw anything about. ever since the jiffy lub wave, why are people letting places service their vehicles, that can do nothing more. don't you think someone that repairs and diagnoses problems will do better than kids that can only change fluid and filters? and then they wonder why it got screwed up. vehicles are getting way more complicated these days, and its the dealers trying to squeeze out independent repair with all the changes.

98 JeepJeep

I used dexron/merconIII as advised in my Owners manual. Its a Super common trans fluid and can even be bought at wal-mart.

Duke000088

Can somoene enlighten me on what the problem is with the dipstick and removing the pan? I plan on dropping my pan this weekend and have read multiple times about the dipstick hanging things up. I don't really understand the best way to handle this problem. Does the dipstick come off entirely?

jpdocdave

the dipstick is in two peices. an 18" peice or so stays with the pan, the rest stays in the jeep. the two peices don't like to come apart. spray some pb blaster where they meet, and do some twisting and pulling and it will come apart. a little heat on the bottom peice will help also to expand the bigger end.

96 XJ Sport

^^^ what he said, and also be sure and do that before you break the pan loose. I didn't and it was a lot harder getting leverage on it with everything hanging loose.