Installing the New Transmission

I’m not going to go into the nitty-gritty of removing the manual tranny and installing the automatic tranny. Since the AW4 bolts right up to the 4.0 liter engine it’s pretty much a standard operation. Of course we replaced the fly wheel and clutch with a flex plate to which we bolted a new torque converter. The old torque converter had been left out in the weather for quite awhile so we thought it best to replace it.

The YJ’s NP231 transfer case also bolts directly to the AW4, however, there’s about a ten degree difference in clocking angle between the Cherokee T-case and the Wrangler T-case. Now this angle would probably work fine on the Wrangler, but the T-case would hang lower, reducing ground clearance, and would require a whole new skid plate. Therefore, we drilled new mounting holes for the T-case on the tail housing of the transmission.

Here Marc is drilling the new T-case mounting holes using a hand drill and a jig.

Here you can see the new T-case mounting holes. There was just enouqh space on the mounting tabs to perform this operation.

The transmission and transfer case bolted into position.

To finish up the mounting process we fabricated a new cross member and transmission mount.

 

A note on drive lines. The new transmission is 1.25 inches longer than the manual transmission. This of course, will move the T-case back by the same amount. In my case, I had to replace the rear drive line with one slightly shorter. The front drive line still had enough spline left so I didn't have to replace it.

 

 

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