An introductory guide for identifying what transmission you have on the 1984-2001 Jeep Cherokee and 1986-1992 Jeep Comanche. Not necessarily by “this is what each transmission looks like”, but more “If you have this engine, it’s gonna be this transmission.” There were 8 Transmissions offered in the XJ and of those, 5 are Manuals and 3 are Automatics.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT AX TRANSMISSION FLUID: DO NOT USE GL-5
Various sources online claim 75W-90 GL-5 Gear Oil is the correct fluid for the AX-5 and AX-15. No. use Redline MT-90 75W-90 GL-4: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Line-50304...

How to remove the Transmission:    • Jeep Cherokee - Transmission Removal ...  
What Transfer Case do you have?:    • Jeep Cherokee: Transfer Case Options ...  
What Rear Axle do you have?:    • How to Identify Which Rear Axle You H...  
What Front Axle do you have?:    • How to Identify Which Front Axle You ...  
How the EVAP System Works:    • Jeep Cherokee: EVAP System Tour; How ...  
What Every Light means on the Instrument Cluster:    • Instrument Cluster Tour: What Every L...  
Cherokee Engine Options:    • Jeep Cherokee: Engine Options & Basic...  

Additional Information:
AW4: https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge...
AX-15: https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge...
AX-5: https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge...
BA 10/5: https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge...
NV3550: https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge...

[Cut]
The AW4 and 4.0L combo is pretty unique in a lot of ways. Some might say an inline 6 engine paired with a 4 speed automatic was cars at their peak, which I totally agree with. 3 speeds would be sluggish, 5 speeds would be too complex. It’s a perfect balance of torque and reliability.

The AW4 shift points are calculated and determined. Learning the gas pedal well enough, you can make it shift whenever you want it to. Because of its innate predictability and perfectly aligned RPM zones, it’s the only Automatic I can drive without complaining. Comparing this to the old KJ I used to have, with its Chrysler built 4 speed automatic, the AW4 despite being first rolled out in 1987 is much more mechanically mature than the 42RLE that replaced it.

The Liberty was not a good car, and a big part of that was the transmission. It’s a perfect demonstration of how cars in general have been losing quality through the years, favoring society’s ruthless craving for the next best thing. People don’t keep their cars anymore, they just sell them, and only to be better than their neighbors. So why should they be made to last?

The Cherokee is among the last of the vehicles that put longevity above all else, and the AW4 plays a huge role in that. First gear is perfectly balanced between a fast idle speed and second’s catch, and second sits beautifully between first and third. When cruising the neighborhood at the nationwide standard of 25MPH, you’re already in third gear, and the reason that’s possible is because of the 4.0’s ability to output torque at such low RPM. The AW4 knows that, and was designed around that fact, which is something we literally just don’t see anymore.

Overdrive kicks in at exactly 42 MPH, with the torque converter lock engaging slightly before in third gear. So at 45MPH you’re comfortably in overdrive, which is how a literal box on wheels can achieve over 20 miles to the gallon. The coolest thing though, is how then going up a hill doesn’t always mean the transmission will downshift.

If you just lean into the gas, the Jeep will just continue going up the hill, even if you fall below the 42 MPH cutoff for holding fourth gear. It doesn’t downshift because it knows it doesn’t have to, whereas new cars will not only downshift at the sight of a 1 degree incline, but also literally just randomly downshift anywhere, for no reason at all. That’s why I can’t drive Automatics anymore, they just piss me off. Like, why are you downshifting right now? I’m literally cruising on flat land,

Downshifting is hard on an automatic, it’s tough on the clutch packs, it wears them out. New cars adapt to that by making useless downshifts all the time, for the express purpose of planned obsolescence, whereas the AW4 adapts to that by only downshifting when absolutely necessary, very much helped by the 4.0L.

But in its precise programming, it doesn’t adapt very well to change. If you tow something, the AW4 will still try to hold 4th gear, but that’s easily fixed by just disabling overdrive; moving the selector to “3”. Or, if you’re good enough, you can persuade the transmission using only the gas pedal. This is why I love the Cherokee.

If you try that in any other car, you don’t know what it’s gonna do, in fact it doesn’t even know what it's gonna do, and everything just explodes. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

00:00 Video Start
00:34 Quick Rundown
02:09 AX-4
02:36 AX-5
03:30 BA 10/5
05:03 AX-15
05:41 NV3550
06:15 A-904/ 30RH
06:43 AW4
07:13 Chrysler's Service Bulletins
08:25 Additional Information