1997 Cherokee AW4 Automatic Transmission to
1993 YJ Wrangler Swap
Proof of Concept
I am happy to report that the transmission worked just fine right from the start. I took the YJ out on its first road test after the transmission swap and the new auto shifted just like it should from first gear all of the way up to overdrive (fourth gear). It shifted so smoothly that I had to pay close attention and monitor the tach to tell that it was shifting at all.
The next test was to see how it performed in four wheel drive low range out on the trail. It performed flawlessly there too. It was a real treat to be able to climb obstacles without having to manipulate a clutch and stalling the engine as I often did with the manual transmission. Hey, I never said I was the most proficient four wheeler out there.
Here is a series of photos of my YJ climbing out of Hell's Gate on the Hell's Revenge trail. Steve Nantz is driving.
If there is any issue with this transmission it has to be the inability to manually select second gear. I am running a Teraflex 4Lo on the T-case and when it comes to engine braking while going down steep inclines, I often find that third gear is too fast and first gear is too slow. In the 1-2 position the tranny will shift into second gear, but not until the revs are up to 4800 RPM. I, however, don’t like to exceed 2000 RPM on the trail. As such, in the 1-2 position I never rev fast enough to get out of first gear and in the 3 position the tranny will shift all the way up to third gear at 2000 RPM.
In anticipation of this problem I wired a switch to solenoid B while I was installing the TCU harness. Now with the shifter in position 3 I can turn the switch on which will energize solenoid B and cause the transmission to downshift to second gear. If I am still going too fast I can move the shifter to the 1-2 position and the transmission will stay in first gear as long as I keep the revs below 4800 RPM. I now have selective engine braking for descents from extreme to mild.
I mounted the 3-2 select switch within easy reach just below the instrument cluster. It is a lighted rocker switch so I can keep track of when it is energized. I've shown the wiring for this on the interconnect diagram on page 1.
Needless to say, I am very happy with this swap. Who knows, I may now be a confirmed automatic transmission man. If any of you have any questions about an AW4 to Wrangler swap, just send me an email. I'll be quite happy to help with anything I can.
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