judbgrdmchn

Where can I find information on what type of transmission I have? 3-speed, 4-speed, & if 4-speed which one? Are there numbers stamped on them? I need to buy a new oil seal.

scottmphoto

I'm on the phone app and can't see your profile, but if you have an automatic, then it's an AW-4. If it's a standard, it's an AX-15. At least for the XJ's I've seen, I don't know if they put anything different into the newer ones, I only like the older ones.

judbgrdmchn

It's an automatic, 2WD. The parts store has 3 seals to choose from. One fits a 3-speed, & the other 2 go to 2 different 4-speeds. Their best advice was to bring the seal in for comparison. Kind of hard to do when it has to be installed to drive to them.

cruiser54

Find a new parts store...............

salad

If you tell us what vehicle and engine you have that might help... 3 speed autos on XJs are very rare, I'm surprised they bothered asking. It *IS* and XJ, right? Based on how little information you've provided you could have a Grand Cherokee

cruiser54

What a stickler you are, salad!! LOL.

judbgrdmchn

Well salad, the question was simply if there's a way to tell what type of tranny it is by just looking at the housing.

My profile shows that I own a 96 Cherokee. Since the question was a general one, I felt no need to give vehicle specifics.

salad

Sorry dude. The phone app doesn't show profile data, so please forgive me for trying to help people during my downtime at work. Most people who post here that don't list any vehicle info don't even know where "underneath" is. Sometimes you can tell based on looks. The AX-5 and AX-15 look identical, the A904 and BA10/5 do not.

96 XJ with a 4.0L will be the AW4. 2.5L was mated to a 30RH. You can send your VIN to Chrysler and get the build data if you want.

cruiser54

96 Cherokee is all the parts guy needs to know if he or she is worth a hoot.

judbgrdmchn

Most parts store personnel are just regular people asking the questions the computer tells them to ask. Some have worked there long enough to recommend solutions based on previous customers' issues & a few actually know something about vehicles. I'm fortunate to have a guy who has grown up around Jeeps, he wasn't there tonight.

I took an educated guess at the AW4 & bought 1qt of ATF+4 to add until I get the seal replaced. I see in my repair manual that I should've bought Mercon ATF.

Thanks to salad I now know that I guessed right, but was told the wrong fluid.

scottmphoto

No! Don't use the ATF +4. You need the Dex/Mercon III. While the service bulletin says it is ok, a lot of AW-4's won't shift correctly and will allow slipage. The AW-4 was designed for the Dex/Mercon III and that is what most XJ owners recommend. Lots of writeups on here about it.

salad

Yeah fluids... in one aspect ATF+4 is correct, but this is because Chrysler said so. However the reasons they said so could be a combination of:
- Old tech no longer under warranty
- New ones worked fine (didn't test high-mileage)
- D/M actually a competitor fluid
- Legal issues due to licensing
- Chrysler's transmissions use only their fluid, ATF+4
- Simplify stock

They pulled the same BS with the AX-5 and AX-15 transmissions. A few issues of the FSM have a misprint and say API GL-5 75w90 when that actually causes corrosion, and later they replaced the part number for API GL-3 75w90 with... 10W30 motor oil lol.

The XJs are still very much an AMC vehicle, especially the old ones. Random mix of AMC, Renault, Bendix, GM, Toyota, New Process Gear, Chrysler, and Dana parts. Neither the AX-15 or AW-4 are Chrysler boxes and the manufacturer never specified a different fluid lol. Sometimes it seems like corporate HQ has the same dingbat parts counter guys as the local shops.