ZJ trannies - in over my head?

[barmanjay]

So i think i got myself a little in over my head and am beating myself over it

I have 2 ZJ's, both 93's

both in really good shape but,....

one of them wont shift out of first,... at all
 - is this tranny fubar'd?
 - What tranny is it? same from an XJ?

The other is kinda wierd.

the front axle is disconnected because the front diff is poched
 - is it easier to rebuild the front dif or just replace the whole bloody thing?
tranny
 - was working fine, but just kinda dissappeared
I  was told that the tranny filter is probably totally plugged, so a drain, new filter and new fluid 'should' do the trick,.
 - does that sound right?


Lastly:

I've suspended my business - small general contractor and have started school full-time till spring
So i don't have enough money to send them to a shop
wife obviously can't help, she is usually at the hospital with our premature baby (she was 3 months premature)
And to make matters worse, we are moving at the end of the month to the otherside od the city


is there anyone out there willing to lend a hand after 5pm?

My garage is a standard double and heated.

I have many tools except a tranny lift

[dunl]

Wish I was closer, but not sure what help I could all be -  my mechanical knowledge is pretty limited to "rightie tightie, leftie loosey".  Maybe a little more than that, but not tranny-knowledgeable.

try www.nagca.com (older site, lots of good info), or http://www.mallcrawlin.com/ (newer site, kind of a hardcore "Pirate for ZJ's" site)

[cLAY]

What are the specs on your rigs? V8 or 4.0? The not shifting out of first maybe just a Valve body problem which could be fixed as easily as taking it out and cleaning it or might need a new VB.

The other if the filter is plugged then something bad happened and the tranny is probably pooched. Tranny filters don't just plug up.

Either way drop the pans on both and have a look. Whats the fluid on the dipsticks look like? Nice red or brown and burnt smelling? If both ZJs are the same engine you might be able to steal the VB from one to fix the other.

I might have a ZJ front diff for sale next month but you'll need to know the axle ratio of yours to know if mine(3.73) will fit.

[barmanjay]

What are the specs on your rigs? V8 or 4.0? The not shifting out of first maybe just a Valve body problem which could be fixed as easily as taking it out and cleaning it or might need a new VB.

The other if the filter is plugged then something bad happened and the tranny is probably pooched. Tranny filters don't just plug up.

Either way drop the pans on both and have a look. Whats the fluid on the dipsticks look like? Nice red or brown and burnt smelling? If both ZJs are the same engine you might be able to steal the VB from one to fix the other.

I might have a ZJ front diff for sale next month but you'll need to know the axle ratio of yours to know if mine(3.73) will fit.

both he 93's are 4.0's

both dip sticks looked red,.. as to the different shades of red,. I don't know,.. They didn't smell burnt.
I'm going to change the fluids on both and see what happens

hmmm valve body eh? I'll have to research that, unless you have more info on that.

Where would i find the axle ratio? Is it stamped on the diff somewhere?
 I was told by anoth 4x'in friend that i can essentially rebuild it,.. new bearings and seals,.. i guess i'll have to rip it apart and see for sure.

[cLAY]

Axles can be rebuilt, provided you have a way to pull the bearings on and off(ie a press and bearing puller). A shop will usually charge $300 to $700 to do this. Used axles can usually be had under $200 complete(but are used). Research what you want to do, it will be awhile before my diff is out.  There is usually a ratio tag under one of the diff cover bolts.

Ok since you have '93 ZJs with the 4.0 you may have one of two trannies, the AW4 which was also used in XJs( very strong reliable tranny, but fairly rare in an XJ). Or the Chrysler tranny(42rh I think), not the greatest. Easiset way to tell is look at the gear shifter, does first and second have their own position or do they share a slot? Shared=AW4, seperate =42re. Also the AW4 should have a drain plug on the pan, 42re not.

Check out www.nagca.com and www.mallcrawlin.com for more info.

[cLAY]

BTW the AW4 is computer controled, so if you do have an AW4 that won't shift out of first there is a good chance its a computer/selonoid problem.

[barmanjay]

Well,.. I think i'll just rebuild the diff,.. I spoke with my parts guy and all the parts needed will be about $50-60 plus the puller and press.

By what you described they are both 42re's

I knew one was,.. the other i remember the gear selector have seperate 1st and 2nd.

update on one of the zj's that the tranny just quit:

I replaced the filter and new fluid,.. all the gears came back.

But it doesn't kick-down,.. I have to manually downshift and upshift.

If i don't start it in 1st,.. it'll start driving in 3rd,. wierd

The fluid was a darker red than what went back in and OMG the dark sludge in the pan! I don't think this tranny was serviced more than once. I could sink my finger in it, prob about 4-5mm.

So now I'm thinking maybe a filter and fluid change might give the other one some life back? or maybe swap out the valve body?

suggestions?

[cLAY]

Pickup a shim kit, and a something to measure them with. Quite often in the process of pulling the bearings off the shims get damaged. Having a set on hand will save some time. Where are you getting the puller? I've been looking for a god set with the spacers/center buttons and everything so I don't have to borrow the one from work all the time. Bought the Princess Auto one but it wasn't big enough, DOH! Get out the price on an install kit, it will come with more stuff than you'll need but will have all the seals, bearings and shims that you'll need. But before spending a dime crack the cover and confirm they problem and make sure none of the gears are stripped,chipped,broken. Also check to make sure the front and rear diff ratios match, could be either 3.55 or 3.73. My sister bought her '93 ZJ at teh auction and got hosed! When we got it home we found out there was no front driveshaft! So we bought one and installed it but then there was a terrible banging from underneath. Pulled the front cover and found the teeth all file sharp! So I figured bad gear setup, bought another diff, put it in and had the same problem! Turned out that the front had 3.73s and the rear had 3.55s! Someone had replace one of the diffs and not matched the ratios! Fortunatly I had a set of 3.73 gears for a d35 in my useless to me parts pile. So I installed those and then FINALLY it was a driveable rig. Moral of the story, don't let family go to the auction alone, it will cost you way more time in the end! And confirm gear ratios front and rear before replacing a diff on a newly purchased vehicle!

As for your trannies, not sure what to suggest, my as well pull that oan and see whats in there.

[barmanjay]

ok,.. i'll open up the diff tomorrow night before I go get the kit,.. even if I do,.. i can return it


I thought I had a line on another tranny,.. but i don't get to have it

i really just wanted to swap out the valve bodies to see if that might be the kick-down prob

Does anyone know what other vehicle came with the 42re?  any dodges maybe?