AW4 to AX15 swap: my attempt

[kastein]

Sounds like a fun WTF moment...

BTSI? Should be a matter of finding a solenoid and disconnecting it? I'll see if I can find it, probably can be disconnected beforehand so that's one thing done.

I'm not sure how it is on late model XJs since I've never worked on that part of the system on them, but at least on my 91 MJ (without the brake light switch interlock voluntary recall service done - which would make it so I had to step on the brake to shift out of park) just disconnecting the interlock cable resulted in the column locking on me at inopportune times. I ended up safety wiring the linkage it connected to on the steering column into the position that kept the steering lock disabled and forgetting about it.

If he's still around these parts, shoot CharBroil a PM about it - he wrote the writeup on converting late model XJs from auto to manual, and presumably ran into this issue. I'll check the parts catalogs for any info I can find on the subject.

edit: there are in fact two separate steering columns, one for DBB equipped jeeps (DBB = build code for all manual transmissions) and one for DG0 (all auto trans) equipped jeeps. Not sure what the difference is, and now I wish I'd pulled the steering column from the XJ I got my late model pedal box from, dammit!

 

[Maurice]

I am slow. And it's f..ing cold here still. That or I'm a sissy, which is more likely.

Some pictures of where I am:

It's that dirty... Bit less now, but still a lot of work.

I took this from under the steering column cover:

Anyone want it, you can have it for the price of shipping. It comes with a couple remotes (at least one) and was working as now the Jeep no longer locks the doors as soon as I turn the key in the ignition, which I had been wanting to turn off for so long but couldn't figure out why it was doing it.

This is the model:

Only cut 3 wires, and there's enough left to splice them properly still.

I also got distracted by my wife's Tahoe gear box that gave up the ghost, what a joy to replace, the pitman arm nut is inaccessible... She was complaining that parking was getting a tad difficult

Hopefully I can make some progress soon.

 

[kastein]

I just picked up almost everything to convert a 98 XJ to manual at the junkyard Friday.

It's not for sale, I have a project planned for it, but I can measure anything you need and give side by side comparisons (likely with dimensions) with equivalent automatic parts I have off a 99 parts jeep sitting in my yard.

I plan on pulling the pedal box out of the automatic sometime this week so I can compare the two.

 

[Maurice]

Gosh you're going to beat me... By a mile. Measurements would be cool, I'll have to modify my auto brake bracket for '96 pedals, and I'm wondering where the master cylinder brace will bolt up. Does it even apply to a 2000?

Thanks

 

[kastein]

Me? Beat ANYONE? Not likely :roflmao: my projects move at a snails pace when they move at all.

I doubt you'll be able to make the 96 pedals work, but there's a good chance you can cut the metal pad off both the '00 auto brake pedal arm and the '96 manual brake pedal arm and then weld the '96 manual brake pedal pad onto the '00 auto brake pedal arm and have it fit. IIRC the arm itself is the same, it's just the shape of the pad at the bottom that is different.

As for the clutch MC brace bolting up, it won't. All there is to it. The 96 and down uses a vertical bolt/stud pattern for the master cylinder (there are variations over the years, some really early 80s XJs use a horizontal bolt pattern and RENIX ones use a different bolt spacing from the early 90s ones... it's a mess) and the 97 and up uses a diagonal pattern with both studs being on the master cylinder. You're pretty much going to have to fabricate the bracket extension from scratch, I believe. Fortunately you'll have at least good pictures and some dimensions to work from...

On the 96 and earlier, you can just unbolt the long bolt that goes through both pedal arms and slide it all apart. I did this when I converted my 91 MJ because it was easier to get the pedal box in without the pedals flopping around, then put everything back together once it was inside the truck. This also works on the 97 and later, and looking at the one I just pulled, it appears the two halves of the bracket itself may even come apart without any grinding. I think if I remove the pedal arm pivot bolt and one plastic pushpin, the two halves will come apart, and at that point it might be possible (with enough dimensions) for a skilled sheetmetal fabricator to duplicate it with a press brake.