I think it is a great idea if you have the tools and time.

I doubted my ability, so I opted to order a rebuilt one from mantrans.com because it was only like $850 shipped to me, along with all the fluids and stuff I ended up buying for the project, and the tranny jack rental. That included the postage to send my core back to them as well.

 

I bought a used tranny for $500 off Ebay. The parts I needed to fix my tranny was over $650. The tranny had 44000 miles on it. The gentleman I purchased it from owns a Cottman Transmission franchise in Lexington, Ky. He had another AX-5 listed the last time I looked. No problems so far. I tore into the old tranny and was very intimidated by it. I am going to re-assemble it (with the old parts) just to see if I can do it.

 

not to bad of a job if you have some wrenching ability.... done a couple ax-5 and ax-15"s.... .... definately need a press for the bearings....other than that its not to bad... take your time and you will be surprised....sounds like your synchros are going ... i found that you can get some decently priced rebuild kits on ebay... i have done two trannies with kits i found there and havent had any problems with either.....

i know this is for the AX-15... but they are pretty much the same ...this will help in the tear down and rebuild
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billa...illavista/PDFs/New Jun 2003/Jeep component service manual Transmission_AX15.pdf

have fun .. let us know how you make out

 

not to bad of a job if you have some wrenching ability.... done a couple ax-5 and ax-15"s.... .... definately need a press for the bearings....other than that its not to bad... take your time and you will be surprised....sounds like your synchros are going ... i found that you can get some decently priced rebuild kits on ebay... i have done two trannies with kits i found there and havent had any problems with either.....

i know this is for the AX-15... but they are pretty much the same ...this will help in the tear down and rebuild
http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PDFs/New%20Jun%202003/Jeep%20component%20service%20manual%20Transmission_AX15.pdf

have fun .. let us know how you make out

I agree with that one. I have redone mine plus a couple others no problem, I did invest in a press so I didnt have to get that donw elsewhere. it is not bad but there is a set of roller bearings that are a pain to reassemble, if and when you get there, petroleum jelly is your friend, trust me you will understand

Now with that aside, the AX5 is notorious for the second gear shift grind, before I redid mine I simply changed the tranny fluid with new fluid recommended on the forum, can't remember it atm, but someone will chime in, it REALLY helped, saved me from rebuilding for a good while, in fact I only rebuilt it after that because I broke reverse/1st gear .

Good luck I know you'll do fine if you take time and dont rush into it, make sure you dont do it in a cluttered shop desk cause those rollers are fun to search for when they fall out lol.

Oh yeah, heres my .pdf on the rebuild stuff I scanned in awhile back

http://68.54.110.86/web/jeepnet/TransOverhaul.pdf

 

Thanks for all the advice so far. I think I will try an oil change or possibly an additive before I start working on this project. I'm going to try to hold out until summer, when I have plenty of time/money.

Oh yeah, and 72cj5er....your link doesn't work..sorry. But thank you for the advice :thumbsup:

 

Thanks for all the advice so far. I think I will try an oil change or possibly an additive before I start working on this project. I'm going to try to hold out until summer, when I have plenty of time/money.

Oh yeah, and 72cj5er....your link doesn't work..sorry. But thank you for the advice :thumbsup:

Redline MT-90 or Pennzoil Synchromesh for the fluid. DON'T use a GL-5 Lubricant. The MT-90 and Synchromesh are GL-4 and contain very limited amounts of sulfur. GL-5 and GL-6 contain a good bit of sulfur. The synchronizers in the AX series transmissions have brass sychros which gets eaten by sulfur.

As for an additive, I just picked up some Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer. I'm gonna give it a try. My sychros are a little worn as well. Its sulfur free and Lucas is a well respected company. I'll let you know how I make out.

 

I dont know what is wrong with the link. Ill try and fix it and let you know when its working again

 

Linky should work now. Had to reboot my router

 

Linky should work now. Had to reboot my router

Thanks a bunch! :thumbsup:

 

AX5 rebuild

The AX5 is probably the easiest transmission to rebuild. If you want to see something just open a ford 5 speed overdrive. I have rebuilt both and the AX5 is just a jig saw puzzle. Make sure the parts are clean and replace the syncro"s and bearings

 

What is the expected rebuild time for the 1st timer with no previous transmission exp.? Is this a 4-6 hr job or a whole weekend thing?

 

AX5 rebuild

I would not pretend to say how long it would take anyone to rebuild one even if you have done it before. You need some tools that most would not have or at least access to the tools. You need a press, also a gear puller and two matched length flat screw drivers. Other than that mostly hand tools. If I were going to do this for the first time there are several pdf drawings available on pirate4x4.com. These will walk you through the process. Make sure to replace all brass parts as well as the c clips for both gears in the back part of the case. There are several companies that make a collar to prevent fifth gear from moving back and causing you not to have fifth gear. Make sure it is real clean.

 

the disassembly was the hardest part in my opinion. I large 5" bearing splitter is priceless in this job. But it is mostly straight forward.

 

OK, that's it. My 91 YJ is sitting in the yard. 4 cyl. still runs like a top, but lost 5th gear. After reading this forum, I'm going to give it a shot and rebuild the transmission (AX5). Gotta clean the garage first, but any suggestions on the procedure and best place for parts and kit would be greatly appreciated.

SWD

 

If its just 5th gear thats giving you trouble, you can pull the rear part of the housing off and replace the c-clip from there without tearing down the whole transmission.

 

Anyone have a write up on just this...replacing the 5th gear only?

 

Thanks 95greenrio, but it is also making some other noise, almost a grinding sound. I'm pretty sure it will take a complete rebuild and replacement of some other parts, I just don't know how severe yet.

 

I'm gonna *bump* this back up. I just ordered an AX-5 transmission rebuild kit off of eBay a few days ago. It came yesterday and I will start pulling the transmission tomorrow evening. I got the kit from Transparts Warehouse Inc. and it came with bearings that I have never heard of. They are "Nachi-Fujikoshi" from Japan. I am not too worried about them, but does anyone have any experience with these? I usually use BCA/National (USA Made) bearings.

Any quick tips for me when I am pulling the transmission? I am going to start the rebuild Monday. Tomorrow will just be removal of the transmission.

 

here's what i did to my ax5. al the parts came in a 150$kit off ebay(Transparts)
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=505640

 

Yes, Uncle Paul. Mean Max has one, I'll link it in for you momentarily.

Here ya go, from the FAQ: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f12/ax-5-5th-gear-clip-collar-repair-without-trans-removal-908252/

Mean Max's Jeepforum quality-time recently has taken a hit due to firewall changes at his worksite. I'm gonna volunteer him for responding to any PM's you care to send, it just may take him a day or so to get back.

You do not have to use the collar if you don't want to, you can just replace the snap ring with the correct thickness ring. If this doesn't answer your question/5th gear issue, let me know.

 

Uncle Paul has made note of your service :2thumbsup:

 

THANKS FOR THE PIRATE LINK !:thumbsup: that gets me in the right direction, i'm replacing a 1-2 and 2-3 synco, and ?? once i get the 3rd jeep it can be down for a while

 

I had mine rebuilt a couple of years ago and the synchros from 3-4th are bad again. I just bought a used trans with a transfer case for $200. Maybe I'll tackle trying to rebuild one and see how it goes.

 

Have any of the people in this thread that actually rebuilt their AX5 had success with the rebuild kits?

 

X2, I would like to know the answer as well.

 

I have had success with numerous transmission rebuilds, I also know that Mean Max has as well.

Gryde001--what is it that gives you concern?

 

I have had success with numerous transmission rebuilds, I also know that Mean Max has as well.

Gryde001--what is it that gives you concern?

Just the fact that I've never done a transmission before, fear of the new I guess. I don't want to get halfway through and have 500 small bearings and other assorted parts that look exactly like each other, but can't be confused or the whole thing is shot.

Not ever having done a tranny before, this summer I did my 95 YJ. Following the OEM manual, step by step, you can't go wrong. Work with plenty of space, many coffee cups to separate small parts in groups as they come off, and write in them where they belong.
My Harbour Freight press was not big enough for the job, so a friend help me out with his shop-sized press. He had the bearing pullers too.
Complete kit on eBay was like $170., (Transparts Warehouse, Inc. 530-223-5656), and another $70 for the clutch kit. It's worth doing both at the same time.
I removed and replaced tranny and transfer case together, with a motorcycle type lift, single handed.
Worst part of the job was removing the bolts that hold the skid plate to the chassis, the pressed threaded inserts kept spinning with the bolt. Assembled back with "U" bolts so it will be easy next time. I cut off the exhaust pipe behind the muffler, and bought an adaptor to put it back together.
Total time, done over several days, probably 16 hours.

This is kinda the response I was looking for, someone that had never done one and attempted it.
By OEM manual do you mean the field service manual? What size Harbor freight press did you have that was too small?
I've already been through the skid plate nightmare, only broke off one bolt though...no spins, lol The antisieze I used will hopefully make the next time easy.
Thanks

 

Not ever having done a tranny before, this summer I did my 95 YJ. Following the OEM manual, step by step, you can't go wrong. Work with plenty of space, many coffee cups to separate small parts in groups as they come off, and write in them where they belong.
My Harbour Freight press was not big enough for the job, so a friend help me out with his shop-sized press. He had the bearing pullers too.
Complete kit on eBay was like $170., (Transparts Warehouse, Inc. 530-223-5656), and another $70 for the clutch kit. It's worth doing both at the same time.
I removed and replaced tranny and transfer case together, with a motorcycle type lift, single handed.
Worst part of the job was removing the bolts that hold the skid plate to the chassis, the pressed threaded inserts kept spinning with the bolt. Assembled back with "U" bolts so it will be easy next time. I cut off the exhaust pipe behind the muffler, and bought an adaptor to put it back together.
Total time, done over several days, probably 16 hours.

 

Another thing you could consider is come up with an AX15 (stronger trans), a Dakota bellhousing of the right year--they put AX15 behind Dakota 4 cylinder models back then, and convert your Jeep over to a stronger driveline. You'd need to change the input to your T case from a 21 spline to a 23 spline, but many have done this. There are threads in the FAQ under "transmission."

Nothing wrong with the route you are planning though.

 

The above link is to a video series on youtube on tear down and rebuild of an AX15. For those, like me, who've never seen the inside of a manual trans, its a good, informative watch.