AX15 88 xj
This morning it was really cold out. I started my jeep to let it warm up
and the tranny was making some god awful noises that nobody would wanna hear from their vehicle.
Let it warm up then drove it grabbed a coffee I noticed it seemed hard to get all the way in 1rst and 3rd gear on my way to the shop. I pulled the plug on the tranny just to see what the fluid looked like and found this on the drain plug


So I since I gotta pull the tranny I might as well do a clutch slave conversion


one thing.. will a 6spd from a rubicon bolt up or is that just a fairytail?

First off, if you have a 88 5 speed that is factory, it is not a ax15, it is a Puegot B10/5. And it is going to explode. I have the same transmission in my 89 and feel like it is going to explode every day. Unless you have swapped your tranny, that is what you have. Search around on it and you will get tons of horror stories. Also, even if the rubicons 6 speed does bolt in, I wouldnt recommend it. My buddy has had a earlier rubicon with a 5 speed, and now has a 2004 with a 6 speed. He hates the 6 speed and after driving it I understand. They do not shift very well. They are ruff and if you like to drive fast and slam it into the next gear, it tries to grind and just doesnt shift well. He wishes he still had his 5 speed. If you havnt done a tranny swap and still have the stock puegot, then upgrade to a ax15. Thats what Im getting ready to do. I love the ax15, best tranny jeep ever made in my opinion. Also, if you are now unsure of what tranny you have, the puegot has a huge seem running down the middle of the tranny from the front to the back, where the case can split in half for rebuilding it. Thats the easiest way to identify it in my opinion..

Really? so it is a puegot it does have the seam down the middle.
it aways grinded going into 3rd now it's got clunking and bearing noises.
Guess I'll do a nice search for a ax15.
All this time I was guessing it was the ax15 in there.

Yeah puegots are truly a plague. Everyone says that when they are ready to go, you will know it. Im in the middle right now, not sure if its at that point or not. just some good news for you tho, you have a 231 also which is a plus, all you have to do to swap in to a ax 15 is switch the input shaft in the t case to 23 spline versus the 21 spline that is in there now. its not hard and other then that and using the ax 15's crossmember your good to go.

i have the same issue im looking into swaping in the new 6 speeds from the 06 and up wranglers i think that would be good with that extra gear for mpgs

Im fairly certain that the new 6 speeds give you a lower first gear, not a higher 6th, so basing on the final gear ratio of each transmission would base your mpg. I doubt you would get any better with a 6. And like I was saying before, they are **** trannies, the 5 speeds they were running before the 6 is alot nicer.

I can tell from the 2nd pic you posted you dont have an AX15. I love my AX15 even though most of syncos are really worn and the bearing whine like a witch, i can still slam it into get or dump the clutch and never get much metal in the oil. At somewhere around 260k i think its time for a rebuild.

I have a 23 spline case parts so I should be good there. As for the tranny I'm gonna drive it till it blows and keep a eye out for a ax15.
also can't wait to get a external slave so I wont ever have to pull the tranny again when it goe's bad.

Look what I got today for 350 from a 94 cherokee. The beloved AX15 with a Np231
Now I gotta order up from the dealer a slave and master with the hose since I have no luck with aftermarket junk. Btw this has a external slave. YEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!
I also checked spline count with my old disc and it went right on so now I'm G2G

Im jealous, the cheapest I have seen a ax15 alone without the t case around here is 400, good deal!

My peugeot is going to explode any second in my 89!!! Its making more noise then the engine now!!! I have only driven 10K on the new motor, and now its parked back in the garage again until i can save my pennies for a ax-15. The Peugeot is the biggest excuse of a transmission ever built.. just sayin'

I know exactly what you mean, but I have to drive mine 100 miles round trip to work everyday, just waiting to have to make that tow truck call... Lol... Ax-15s go for way to much...

i think my ax15 is in self destruct mode as well..it has been hard to get into gears lately and now today i was in first gear and hopped in my jeep with no parking break and the thing slightly started rolling back on like a 30 degree slope after it mading an awful creaking noise...any input?

Check the fluid? Lack of lube will make it hard to shift. Or even a weak clutch slave not disengaging the clutch all the way.
And it rolling on a 30 degree slope. Thats the motor slowly turning with the compression acting as a brake.

what about the noise from under the vehicle it made: sounded like around the tranny...and when it started driving it right around 3000 rpm it sounded like something was vibrating and rattling bad from the tranny for the first 10 minutes or so in every gear i pushed that hard: checked the gear oil and had plenty: was actually spilling out on near flat ground: it did look a little dirty and had surely never been changed at 100,000 miles...