1995 cherokee transmission dipstick

[drman]

I am trying to change fluid, filter and gasket on transmission. Having trouble figuring out removal of dipstick hose. should it come off pan or should i work it out and through ? any help is appreciated

[Ray H]

Originally Posted by drman

I am trying to change fluid, filter and gasket on transmission. Having trouble figuring out removal of dipstick hose. should it come off pan or should i work it out and through ? any help is appreciated

It does remove from the pan but its a PITA. You will see that the tube comes out of the side of the pan and makes a 90 straight up through the engine bay. A couple inches above that 90 is a joint that has to come loose. This joint is the PITA. Its usually stuck. There is a rubber seal inside the joint. There arent really any tricks to getting it loose. Just push, pry, twist, beat and curse to get it apart. I put a light coat of antisieze compound on the male end of that joint after I got mine apart the first time, so far its come apart effortlessly since then. I guess a coat of tranny fluid would work fine to lube that seal also. If you just cant get it apart, a squirt of PB Blaster or WD40 may help free it, just make sure to clean it out good before putting the pan back on.

I'll try to beat you to the next question
I use a ratchet strap to pull the exhaust crossover towards the front axle to allow room to drop the pan down. It only needs to move forward an inch or so.

You know its not a Chrysler tranny right? It doesnt take ATFIII, it takes Dexron, Mercon

[drman]

Thank You! I was about to cut it off and put it back with compression fittings. hehehe.
Did not know it took dexron. parts store said atf +3. now I will curse.

[Ray H]

Originally Posted by drman

Did not know it took dexron. parts store said atf +3. now I will curse.

The AW4 tranny in the Cherokee is the same tranny that alot of Toyota trucks use (different electronics but same transmission). Its a Japanese trans. not Chrysler, and is designed to use Dexron. Its a very hardy and dependable trans. I have no evidence of this but my feeling is that the main reason that you hear of an AW4 failing (besides electronics) is because people put ATFIII in them not knowing any better. I think its in the owners manual to use Dexron, at least it is in my 96 manual. Ive heard of Jeep techs that didnt know any better, what are the chances that the mom and pop tranny shop on the corner know any better. Probably alot of AW4 out there needlessly failing because of this.

[oljeeptek]

Originally Posted by Ray H

The AW4 tranny in the Cherokee is the same tranny that alot of Toyota trucks use (different electronics but same transmission). Its a Japanese trans. not Chrysler, and is designed to use Dexron. Its a very hardy and dependable trans. I have no evidence of this but my feeling is that the main reason that you hear of an AW4 failing (besides electronics) is because people put ATFIII in them not knowing any better. I think its in the owners manual to use Dexron, at least it is in my 96 manual. Ive heard of Jeep techs that didnt know any better, what are the chances that the mom and pop tranny shop on the corner know any better. Probably alot of AW4 out there needlessly failing because of this.

If you put the wrong fluid it it, just change it again. The main difference in the fluids is the friction modifiers. Dexron/mercon fluid is slightly more slippery. If you put in atfIII it will shift a little harder into gear (Quicker engagement). You won't burn up a trans just by putting the wrong fluid in it (unless you pull a very heavy load, a lot.)

[Ray H]

Originally Posted by oljeeptek

If you put the wrong fluid it it, just change it again. The main difference in the fluids is the friction modifiers. Dexron/mercon fluid is slightly more slippery. If you put in atfIII it will shift a little harder into gear (Quicker engagement). You won't burn up a trans just by putting the wrong fluid in it (unless you pull a very heavy load, a lot.)

True.
I didnt mean it to sound like the tranny would immediately self destruct, but over the long haul, it'll probably show more wear.