gonecheenin
12-27-2005, 08:03 PM
(I will edit & fill this in more as i can to make it as complete as possible with part#'s, possibly including pictures also if i get around to it-LOL)
Manual tranny swap into a 93-98 ZJ
(This was done on my 95' 4.0L select-trac Grand Cherokee with a 42re trans, dana 35 rear & LP30 front sitting on a 3.5RE lift)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I personally cannot justify a $2000.00 transmission rebuild for the Grand
thats one of the reasons i decided to go this route (not that it will be cheap either unless your a good scavenger, but at least when i'm done putting in a stick i will feel confident in it's longevity and it shouldn't cost quite as much as the automatic rebuild bill would)
& ultimately I prefer the driving experiance, control, & fuel mileage i get from a manual transmission
On to the driveline specifics;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hole for the slave cylinder to mount in is already there covered with a block off plate on 93-95', you can see it easily right on the firewall between the drivers inner fender and the brake booster
96-98 it is marked but needs drilled out
The studs for the upper part of the clutch bracket to bolt to are under the dash on all i've looked at (93-98)
You'll need are a bellhousing from a AX15 to 4.0L jeep engine combo in a 93-94 Grand or a 94-96 XJ (97-01 XJ's and Wranglers may work but i KNOW the noted will)
A crank sensor NAPA ech# CSS612
the most important part is that the bellhousing you use MUST use an external slave cylinder!
If you use other different years you may have to tinker with the crank sensor application
and of course you'll need an AX15 (hopefully with t-case) which they used from 89 to late 90 something in just about anything with a Jeep emblem - LOL
you can buy the flywheel & clutch new from NAPA for a 93-95 grand
nnc part# 50-1002 flywheel
&
nnc part# MU18901D for the clutch set (comes with throwout & pilot bearings)
you can buy the rubber part of the trans mount from NAPA for a 93-95 5 speed Grand,
you can buy the Clutch master and Slave as an assembly already bled out brand new from www.jeepshop.com
and
from Chrysler (same part # as Jeepshop.com I believe)
from NAPA you can only buy the master,
which sucks (they list it as a Clutch master assembly but all you get is a master & line for WAY too much money)
I think you can buy the metal part of the transmount assembly from Chrysler, and if not it would be easy to fab
(I'll take a pic of my girls factory 94' manual tranny bracket here eventually to post up)
I however used a 94' XJ AX15 tranny mount bracket, cut off the exhaust hanger part & bolted the 42re trans mount right to it, then bolted up the factory 42re crossmember which all fit together almost perfectly (the mount studs were a little short, but with plenty of thread engagement that I felt to be safe)
The only truly specific junkyard and very hard to find part you'll need is the ZJ specific Clutch and Brake pedals, however i have heard that it is possible to do some modifying of the XJ clutch pedal to get it to work in the ZJ (at least one person I've talked to was successfull doing that)
But it would be best (and not nearly as hard) to use the factory setup
I searched on car-part.com for any ZJ's with a clutch master cylinder in America and I called just started calling those places to see if they still had the stickshift Grand and wether they would strip and ship the pedals assemblys/brackets, and shift boot to me UPS cause i would prefer if this conversion appeared and operated like it would have stock
I contacted a Jeep specific junkyard in California www.jwjeep.com that sounded like they knew and understood exactly what i needed, they sent me the pedal assemblys with brackets, bolts and hardware
real good outfit to deal with and everything looked perfect
You will need to ground out the NSS (Neutral Safety Switch) otherwise it won't start. however by grounding the NSS you'll also turn off the cruise control.
Ultimately you'll have to either make a clutch safety switch using the NSS wire (which my girls factory 94' manual did not even have),
wire in a momentary switch (which would suck if you had to crank it while on a trail obstical)
or do what i did, leave the NSS wire taped up & ungrounded, locate the ground terminal of the starter relay, then cut that wire to reroute it to a ground source.
If you care you can also pick through the wiring on the 4x4 indicator switch to get the control center showing what 4x4 function your in again, but it won't hurt anything if you don't (there will be no lights flashing or warning messages if you never hook it up again)
I'll most likely just tuck all of the other wires up that go to the TCU, but wrap them with that heat protectant stuff first.
I also scrapped the trans control module that was mounted where the clutch master had to go, it is of no use once the auto trans is eliminated
T-case's;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I simply purchased a 93' YJ 231 with the short input & after verifying it would engage the tranny seal fully (but barely) i bolted it up and ran with it without any problems or leakage.
But Your basic choices are (for an offroader anyway);
the NP242 or NP231
The 242 out of my 42RE equipped 95' Grand has what i believe to be the 23 spline med. length input gear and it will slide right onto and line up with my AX15 output shaft and the 6 bolt holes will also line right up
it is also long enough to engage the trans seal with plenty to spare so i feel it would not leak
BUT they stop about 5/8 of an inch from mating together completely due to an internal "bearing" surface inside the t-case input gear
after examining the 42RE and the AX15 trannys
I can see that the seals are the same depth into the housings (give or take 1/8") and the shafts both stuck out approx' 1/2"
the difference lie's in the fact that the end of the 42RE output shaft is machined to a bearing style surface to ride inside that "collar" previously mentioned
that is the reason for the t-case input gear "collar" setup, it is apparently used to help keep the shafts running straight and true on at least the 42RE in some years
So the options are:
-machine down the end of the AX15 output to match the 42RE output's bearing surface
-cut approx 3/4" off the AX15 output shaft
-get a T-case for an AX15 tranny (i have heard there was an output shaft length change during the years, don't know for sure yet though)
-machine out the internal collar
-swap in a new input gear
(this can be very tricky see link below for more info
http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/np231.htm)
using a 3/4 spacer will NOT work as an on road solution because you will pull the input gear out of the transmission seal and it will leak fluid through the weep hole
Driveshafts;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rear drive shaft will end up about 3" too short (make your own measurements, this is approx.)
front shaft will be about the same too long, and should bolt up no matter which case you use
(the YJ 231 used a standard 2 joint shaft with u bolts , but the CV assembly used the same size joint so the bolts went right through the u bolt holes and everything lined up perfectly)
I ended up using a 76' & older chevy p/u front driveshaft which was exactly the right length & very beefy
(couldn't tell you which application but theres only 2, most likely it was a TH350 np203 combo but be sure you check for yourself)
& i simply had a the rear shaft re-tubed to length with heavier tubing for resistance to rocks & ETC. (figured while i was building one myswell beef it up)
I recomend ultimately using either a 2 joint (non-CV) front shaft or a HP30 front diff for vibration resistance without caster problems for any lifted Grand, but it will work fine with only mild vibrations going the route noted above)
Interior;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The XJ shifter lever will work fine, bends are decent & don't interfere with anything during use
A Hurst metric T-handle shifter fits very nicely after trimming about half the threads off the XJ lever
You can still buy the shifter boots (rubber lower & leather upper) & hardware through Chrysler
The sub-floor pan needs cut out where the factory already marked it, but i suggest buying the rubber shifter boot first because there is a very small margin of error available to get a leak free seal between these parts.
You only have two decent T-case shifter options available if you use a 231
-Find a Grand cherokee np231 shifter & bezel (good luck with that!)
-or do what i plan to do & simply modify a straight line Quadra-trac 249 shifter to shift the 231 completely ( i plan on still installing a 231 shifter bezel eventually when i find one, for now though the 249 bezel will be fine)
once all the interior mods are finished your factory console should mate right up with your new tranny as if it was always like that
I hope my research & experiances will help make this job much easier
Good luck with your awesome and rare conversion.
__________________
Showin' Dem' how she's dun'
At
www.blwa.org
Manual tranny swap into a 93-98 ZJ
(This was done on my 95' 4.0L select-trac Grand Cherokee with a 42re trans, dana 35 rear & LP30 front sitting on a 3.5RE lift)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I personally cannot justify a $2000.00 transmission rebuild for the Grand
thats one of the reasons i decided to go this route (not that it will be cheap either unless your a good scavenger, but at least when i'm done putting in a stick i will feel confident in it's longevity and it shouldn't cost quite as much as the automatic rebuild bill would)
& ultimately I prefer the driving experiance, control, & fuel mileage i get from a manual transmission
On to the driveline specifics;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hole for the slave cylinder to mount in is already there covered with a block off plate on 93-95', you can see it easily right on the firewall between the drivers inner fender and the brake booster
96-98 it is marked but needs drilled out
The studs for the upper part of the clutch bracket to bolt to are under the dash on all i've looked at (93-98)
You'll need are a bellhousing from a AX15 to 4.0L jeep engine combo in a 93-94 Grand or a 94-96 XJ (97-01 XJ's and Wranglers may work but i KNOW the noted will)
A crank sensor NAPA ech# CSS612
the most important part is that the bellhousing you use MUST use an external slave cylinder!
If you use other different years you may have to tinker with the crank sensor application
and of course you'll need an AX15 (hopefully with t-case) which they used from 89 to late 90 something in just about anything with a Jeep emblem - LOL
you can buy the flywheel & clutch new from NAPA for a 93-95 grand
nnc part# 50-1002 flywheel
&
nnc part# MU18901D for the clutch set (comes with throwout & pilot bearings)
you can buy the rubber part of the trans mount from NAPA for a 93-95 5 speed Grand,
you can buy the Clutch master and Slave as an assembly already bled out brand new from www.jeepshop.com
and
from Chrysler (same part # as Jeepshop.com I believe)
from NAPA you can only buy the master,
which sucks (they list it as a Clutch master assembly but all you get is a master & line for WAY too much money)
I think you can buy the metal part of the transmount assembly from Chrysler, and if not it would be easy to fab
(I'll take a pic of my girls factory 94' manual tranny bracket here eventually to post up)
I however used a 94' XJ AX15 tranny mount bracket, cut off the exhaust hanger part & bolted the 42re trans mount right to it, then bolted up the factory 42re crossmember which all fit together almost perfectly (the mount studs were a little short, but with plenty of thread engagement that I felt to be safe)
The only truly specific junkyard and very hard to find part you'll need is the ZJ specific Clutch and Brake pedals, however i have heard that it is possible to do some modifying of the XJ clutch pedal to get it to work in the ZJ (at least one person I've talked to was successfull doing that)
But it would be best (and not nearly as hard) to use the factory setup
I searched on car-part.com for any ZJ's with a clutch master cylinder in America and I called just started calling those places to see if they still had the stickshift Grand and wether they would strip and ship the pedals assemblys/brackets, and shift boot to me UPS cause i would prefer if this conversion appeared and operated like it would have stock
I contacted a Jeep specific junkyard in California www.jwjeep.com that sounded like they knew and understood exactly what i needed, they sent me the pedal assemblys with brackets, bolts and hardware
real good outfit to deal with and everything looked perfect
You will need to ground out the NSS (Neutral Safety Switch) otherwise it won't start. however by grounding the NSS you'll also turn off the cruise control.
Ultimately you'll have to either make a clutch safety switch using the NSS wire (which my girls factory 94' manual did not even have),
wire in a momentary switch (which would suck if you had to crank it while on a trail obstical)
or do what i did, leave the NSS wire taped up & ungrounded, locate the ground terminal of the starter relay, then cut that wire to reroute it to a ground source.
If you care you can also pick through the wiring on the 4x4 indicator switch to get the control center showing what 4x4 function your in again, but it won't hurt anything if you don't (there will be no lights flashing or warning messages if you never hook it up again)
I'll most likely just tuck all of the other wires up that go to the TCU, but wrap them with that heat protectant stuff first.
I also scrapped the trans control module that was mounted where the clutch master had to go, it is of no use once the auto trans is eliminated
T-case's;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I simply purchased a 93' YJ 231 with the short input & after verifying it would engage the tranny seal fully (but barely) i bolted it up and ran with it without any problems or leakage.
But Your basic choices are (for an offroader anyway);
the NP242 or NP231
The 242 out of my 42RE equipped 95' Grand has what i believe to be the 23 spline med. length input gear and it will slide right onto and line up with my AX15 output shaft and the 6 bolt holes will also line right up
it is also long enough to engage the trans seal with plenty to spare so i feel it would not leak
BUT they stop about 5/8 of an inch from mating together completely due to an internal "bearing" surface inside the t-case input gear
after examining the 42RE and the AX15 trannys
I can see that the seals are the same depth into the housings (give or take 1/8") and the shafts both stuck out approx' 1/2"
the difference lie's in the fact that the end of the 42RE output shaft is machined to a bearing style surface to ride inside that "collar" previously mentioned
that is the reason for the t-case input gear "collar" setup, it is apparently used to help keep the shafts running straight and true on at least the 42RE in some years
So the options are:
-machine down the end of the AX15 output to match the 42RE output's bearing surface
-cut approx 3/4" off the AX15 output shaft
-get a T-case for an AX15 tranny (i have heard there was an output shaft length change during the years, don't know for sure yet though)
-machine out the internal collar
-swap in a new input gear
(this can be very tricky see link below for more info
http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/np231.htm)
using a 3/4 spacer will NOT work as an on road solution because you will pull the input gear out of the transmission seal and it will leak fluid through the weep hole
Driveshafts;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rear drive shaft will end up about 3" too short (make your own measurements, this is approx.)
front shaft will be about the same too long, and should bolt up no matter which case you use
(the YJ 231 used a standard 2 joint shaft with u bolts , but the CV assembly used the same size joint so the bolts went right through the u bolt holes and everything lined up perfectly)
I ended up using a 76' & older chevy p/u front driveshaft which was exactly the right length & very beefy
(couldn't tell you which application but theres only 2, most likely it was a TH350 np203 combo but be sure you check for yourself)
& i simply had a the rear shaft re-tubed to length with heavier tubing for resistance to rocks & ETC. (figured while i was building one myswell beef it up)
I recomend ultimately using either a 2 joint (non-CV) front shaft or a HP30 front diff for vibration resistance without caster problems for any lifted Grand, but it will work fine with only mild vibrations going the route noted above)
Interior;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The XJ shifter lever will work fine, bends are decent & don't interfere with anything during use
A Hurst metric T-handle shifter fits very nicely after trimming about half the threads off the XJ lever
You can still buy the shifter boots (rubber lower & leather upper) & hardware through Chrysler
The sub-floor pan needs cut out where the factory already marked it, but i suggest buying the rubber shifter boot first because there is a very small margin of error available to get a leak free seal between these parts.
You only have two decent T-case shifter options available if you use a 231
-Find a Grand cherokee np231 shifter & bezel (good luck with that!)
-or do what i plan to do & simply modify a straight line Quadra-trac 249 shifter to shift the 231 completely ( i plan on still installing a 231 shifter bezel eventually when i find one, for now though the 249 bezel will be fine)
once all the interior mods are finished your factory console should mate right up with your new tranny as if it was always like that
I hope my research & experiances will help make this job much easier
Good luck with your awesome and rare conversion.
__________________
Showin' Dem' how she's dun'
At
www.blwa.org