Doing my transmission fluid change tomorrow morning. Anything I need to look for or know while I am yanking the pan, etc.? Done many other vehicles, first XJ change.

 

Besides looking for the obvious metal in the pan, Read up on dip-stick removal. Some have trouble with it.

 

Yeah the dip stick tube is supposed to pull apart about 1/2 way up. things is they don't like to come apart and the o-ring pops out of place, when you put it back together. Sometimes easier to just lift the Jeep way up and drop the pan, stick and all. I would change the Transfer Case fluid while I was there. It use A/T fluid also. Be sure to use DEX III fluid in both.

 

Ahhh crap another of those with the dipstick tube. My 2000 Tacoma 4x4 was the same way, pain in the *** to do. Dex 3 all the way.

 

Dex 3 unless you have the 3spd auto/2.5L 4cyl combo. Then its ATF+3 or +4.

 

Got it done yesterday, Damn Aisin Transmissions with the "pull apart" dipstick tube, added another half hour or so farting around with that thing. I ended up getting it to pull apart.... Same issue I had with my Tacoma Aisin Transmission. Had to go through the same crap with it. I used DEX3. Shifts like new. I am doing the T case next weekend. I have read it takes 1.5-2 quarts DEX3 to fill it to the fill plug?

 

Howdy!. First post here. I'm glad I did a bunch of reading on the board before I did the tranmission flush on my (new to me) '97. It gave me enough warning to figure out how to remove the pan without separating the dipstick.

I'm glad I was able to. (It took a bit of fiddling and some seriously odd controtions of the pan, but I was able to pull the entire tube out the bottom of the truck.) Then I had to stand on the pan with both feet and twist and pull with both hands to get that silly thing apart.

Did a full flush by pulling the rear line from the cooler at the transmission and adding oil while the pump forced the old out before I dropped the pan. Looked pretty crappy, but there was very little crud in the pan even though I think this was the first flush in 165k. (Pan still had the factory style goo around it.)

Went back with Amsoil Universal ATF and it shifts much more smoothly now.

 

I did the xfer case on my 97 last night after the tranny flush. Super simple. Pull both plugs, let it drain, replace lower plug, fill until it drools out of the upper hole and replace upper plug.

If you have two quarts of your ATF left, you should have plenty.

 

Is it possible to get the dipstick apart before you drop the pan?

 

Well, it is possible but a real pain, and I mean a PAIN right in the ****. I tried to get it apart by twisting and pulling. I finally gave up, held it with a pair of channel locks, didn't work, I had no leverage. So I used a pair of vise grips(VERY gently) as to not squish the tube. I sprayed where it seperates with PB blaster to loosen up. Well I still had to unbolt it and lower it down through the bottom, just as I did with my Tacoma. I finally got it to seperate, but by then I just pulled it out from the bottom then had to stick it back in the engine compartment and bolt it back up. THEN..... After cleaning the pan, trans surface, and all, when it came time to push it back together under the truck, it was being difficult. I put tranny fluid on the oring, and put a little in the bottom half where the tube slides in and with a little force it went back together. Trust me, those 2 piece Aisin pan/tubes suck!!!!!

 

What is the capacity on the AW4 transmission? How many quarts of Dex III do I need to get?

 

To flush the torque converter I used just about a full 2.5 gallon jug start to finish.

 

If you do just a pan drop, drain, and fill with a filter. 4 quarts exactly.