ZJTAY

Alrighty pals, I have a 98 zJ 5.9 with 175k on the odometer, the tranny is slipping pretty bad and the fluid is burnt. I was wondering if anyone could help me decide weather to rebuild and how much that would cost if I did it myself, or buy a remanufactured and install myself and how much that would cost. Any particular places I should be shopping? Thanks in advance.

ol"blue

When I had my '97 ZJ w/the 5.2 & AWD, it had 180,000 miles, and it started to have trans slipping problems. I compared quotes from several transmission repair shops, and the dealer. The Jeep dealer's price of $2,400 for a new crate trans and new convertor installed, w/a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty was cheaper than trans shops prices to rebuild mine with a 1 year/12,000 warranty. So I took it to the dealer and got the crate trans installed.
If you bought it and installed it yourself it would be cheaper of course, but I don't know if that would affect the warranty. Give them a call a check it out.

ZJTAY

Thanks Ol' Blue, I'll be lookin into the crate trans.

Bustedback

The crate tranny would be the way to go, don't even consider trying to rebuild it yourself, it is a very complex piece of equipment that requires some knowledge and special tools. Shop around for the best warranty.

I Leak Oil

If you can pull it out yourself. And take it to a tranny shop. They aren't that bad to rebuild but should usually be left to the pros. But usually removing it yourself with drop the price immensely

jnicewan

There are benefits to crate transmissions that rebuilds wont have, but the price might be the main thing that might make you decide which way to go. If doing it yourself, a full rebuild with mild upgrades can be done for less than $500 in parts.

Keep in mind if you have a dealer install a crate trans, you get warranty at all the other dealers in the nation, a local shop probably wont help you much if you dont bring it back to them. A dealer will cover tow charges if you break down and its from trans failures. A dealer will cover all parts/labor charges if its a trans failure. There might even be a loaner/rental car agreement in the warranty too. Read the fine print of the warranty for all the details!

Like said above, if you take the trans out and send it to a shop for repair that will save you a few hundred dollars but there are shops that dont like doing it this way, some dont do bench jobs at all or they may not honor a warranty. Its not that the shops are greedy to get the whole job but it can be hard for them to honor a warranty without knowing if it was installed correctly and adjusments made properly, cooler and lines flushed etc, or even if there was another problem with the vehicle that caused the trans to fail in the first place.

I Leak Oil

Keep paying shops to do all your work.....

NorCalJeep

I'd find another tranny from another ZJ. Either CL or junkyard. Believe it or not, but my local junkyard charges 100$ for a tranny. A tranny rebuild, around here, charges 3k!

ol"blue

Peoples finances, mechanical knowledge, and skill levels should help them determine their own solutions to their automotive problems. Some can fix everything on their vehicles. That's great. Most don't fit into that category.
I worked at a trans shop over 30 years ago doing the R & R side of it. 10-15 years ago, I enjoyed rebuilding and racing turbo Omni GLH's. Now that I'm retired I'd rather pay someone to do the heavy work and get a warranty. I don't mind paying for peoples knowledge/experience when it's something I can't/won't do.

dave1123

Be advised, some trans shops don't rebuild your trans, they install a reman one and ship yours to someone else to be reworked. If you go to a local trans shop, choose a good one, ask if they do their own rebuilding. The best is an OEM crate trans from a dealer, however, it could be pricey.

Blue has it right. The warranty is the kicker.

Nick318

I bought a used 40k mile trans for about $700 with a 30 day warranty, and had it installed with help from a friend before noon. Two years later still no problems. I know you didn't mention buying used, but if money is an issue it is a viable route.

ol"blue

Getting used parts is an excellent option for a great percentage of the people needing repair parts. Don and Hanks Highway auto parts in Roseville Mi. has been in business for decades, and I've been there countless times. I also call there on occasion to ask Don about interchange info when answering questions on here.

ZJTAY

So I've been looking at remanufactured but from what I'm reading on here it kinda seems like they aren't the way to go? I don't want to shell out much more than 2k just for the parts before labor. May look into the used option.

ol"blue

Some things to remember when shopping for a used trans for your '98 5.9L:
Jeep only offered the 46RE trans in the '98 ZJ 5.9L; (Dodge offered it in lots of trucks, see * below).
The '98 year ZJ has unique electronics, so it's a one year trans;
Your 5.9 has a lot of power, so if you can't find a 46 RE and someone tells you a '98 44RE will work, remember it's for a 318 not a 360. It might bolt up but it wasn't designed to handle the power.

*Dodge offered the 46RE trans in:
Applications:

• 1996 Dodge Dakota V8 (Also 98-03 Dakota 5.9L R/T)
• 1996-2002 Dodge Ram 1500/2500/3500 V8
• 1998-2003 Dodge Durango 5.9L V8 (4WD or 2WD)
• 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L V8 (4WD)

Can't tell you if they can be used if you simply used the sensors from the trans in your ZJ to make it connect up.

jwpColfaxNC

All previous posts have great advice / guidance / first hand experiences

My two cents would be how are you using this Jeep ??
-Daily Driver
-Fun Driver
-Rock / Off Road
-Etc

If Daily driver go with Crate & Dealer NationWide Warranty piece of mind
Fun Driver or Rock/Offroad = Search Salvage yards and purchase / replace

Dollars no concern go For Crate for any Driver above