Anyone swapped AW4 for AX-15?? questions?

i would love to swap my AW4 for an AX-15, i want the lower first gear ratio of the AX-15 and the manual. im pretty experienced in the XJ dept., i've done the front leaf set-up on my XJ, set-up several sets of gears, fullwidths, etc...so i know my way around the XJ, but im just a little fuzzy on manual trannys...just never messed with them that much and have always had the auto.
Anyway, my jeep is a 91 obviously with the AW4 and HO 4.0. If this swap is possible?? i know ill need the AX-15 with the bell housing(i think) and a clutch set-up. how will this affect my computer since it contols shifting now, will it just be bypassed? NSS switch? also mounting up a clutch pedal in the jeep and running the cable. Im just trying to get an idea of what all is involved. Please feel free to give opinions and suggestions and advice. any write-ups out there? it may be a stupid idea, but hey i thought it would be worth asking!!

thanx
lincoln

I have a 94 5 speed the I'm having major computer problems.

Anyway, I've been switching from auto to manual computers....and the only differance I found is that the shift light doesn't work with the auto computer..........donno if that'll help any...

Rob

Rob,

thanx for the help..

no other help out there????

come on guys....

lincoln

If this is for offroad, just one question - WHY?

Even hardcore manual freaks (myself included) have started to see the wisdom of auto's on the trail.

So WHY?

why not?? haha, no i've had the Auto the full life of the XJ and have always thought a manual would be awsome. i know they are a lot tougher off road, but i would really like the lower first gear gain...lower crawl ratio. that is my main reason for even considering the swap. the ax-15 is 3.83 first gear with my 2.72.1 t-case low range and 5.38s in the axles thats about 56.1 crawl ratio and with the the AW4 and a 4 to 1 in the case its only going to be about 60.1. so not much difference at all and with the manual i can still add the 4.1 to the case and come up with a final drive of almost 85.1. so thats my main reason for considering the swap. considering being the key word, wanting to get opinions and ideas from you guys....

keep em coming.

lincoln

you have much better crawl with the auto becuase of the torque convertor. if crawl ration is your main reason, I think an AX-15 would be a mistake. people often multiply their crawl ratio by 2 for an auto tranny to account for the torque convertor.

If you really want a manual and crawl ratio, you need to look at a t-18 or nv4500, something with a first in the 6.** range.

max,

thanx for the advice thats what i was looking for. it was just an idea that i thought i would explore...

lincoln

I agree that if you're after crawl ratio, going from an AW-4 to an AX-15 is going the wrong way. If you wish to pursue it, the ECU is a non-issue. The AW4 has a separate TCU that's located under the passenger side of the dashboard. Converting to a 5-speed won't affect the engine computer at all.