t150 to ax15 swap

[cjs cj]

Wanting to know what all would it take to swap my T-150 Transmission with an ax15. Thanks for your time!

 

[Jimbos76cj]

I hate to sound like a pinkie but google it.

With that said it depends on which version of the ax-15.

Heres what needs to happen for either one

remove your old Transmission .
Verify the tip diameter of the ax-15 you are installing. If its the same as your T-150 you are good.. if not you need to get a new pilot bearing. I got mine from novak. Less then $20 shipped.

Next Swap the fly wheel, clutch and pressure plate for the ax-15.

Bolt the ax-15 to your motor.

Unless the T-150 has a hydraulic clutch you will need to get one from a YJ. Would be easiest to swap the whole pedal assembly. drill the apropriate holes for the master and bolt it up. Bleed the line.

Done.

Next issue is mounting your Dana 300 . this is a easy/complicated swap. physically the Dana 300 will bolt directly to the end of the ax-15. how ever you may need a clocking ring to get it in the right position. they run about $100.

you will also need to modify your Transmission cross member and use a ax-15 starter.
once thats done double check your drive shaft length and hook em back up and enjoy your new Transmission .

Issues that will arise.

#1.. you dont have a Dana 300 .. you have either a 18 or 20 Transfer Case which will not bolt up. You need a Dana 300

#2.. Where did you get the ax-15 from? All jeep ax15's are the same except.... The wranglers have their Transfer Case turned up some so the bolt holes are clocked differently then the rest. A cherokee ax-15 or the rest will be clocked 10 degrees (I think) down on the passenger side. If you were swapping it into a 87 and up it screws up your Transfer Case angle. But since you are putting it into a CJ it will turn your Transfer Case up a bit so you may not need the adapter.

#3 pedal assembly/brake pedal.. You will need the pedal assembly for the same year master clutch cylinder you get. there are 2 different size cylinders. you will also need to swap your brake pedal from your assembly to the yj assembly since the YJ's use a ford style brake light switch. It should all be pretty straight forward.

I have never swapped one into a CJ but have done several YJ conversions on AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and they are all the same. My last Yj swap took about 4 hours to complete.

 

[Petescj]

http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f2/doing-ax15-yj-booster-swap-4415/

 

[cjs cj]

1- what would have to do to modify the Transmission cross member

2- I was told that I could use the flywheel and starter that's already on there, is this true?

3- that adapter that connects the tcase to the Transmission , what adapter is that?

 

[cjs cj]

I hate to sound like a pinkie but google it.

With that said it depends on which version of the ax-15.

Heres what needs to happen for either one

remove your old Transmission .
Verify the tip diameter of the ax-15 you are installing. If its the same as your T-150 you are good.. if not you need to get a new pilot bearing. I got mine from novak. Less then $20 shipped.

Next Swap the fly wheel, clutch and pressure plate for the ax-15.

Bolt the ax-15 to your motor.

Unless the T-150 has a hydraulic clutch you will need to get one from a YJ. Would be easiest to swap the whole pedal assembly. drill the apropriate holes for the master and bolt it up. Bleed the line.

Done.

Next issue is mounting your Dana 300 . this is a easy/complicated swap. physically the Dana 300 will bolt directly to the end of the ax-15. how ever you may need a clocking ring to get it in the right position. they run about $100.

you will also need to modify your Transmission cross member and use a ax-15 starter.
once thats done double check your drive shaft length and hook em back up and enjoy your new Transmission .

Issues that will arise.

#1.. you dont have a Dana 300 .. you have either a 18 or 20 Transfer Case which will not bolt up. You need a Dana 300

#2.. Where did you get the ax-15 from? All jeep ax15's are the same except.... The wranglers have their Transfer Case turned up some so the bolt holes are clocked differently then the rest. A cherokee ax-15 or the rest will be clocked 10 degrees (I think) down on the passenger side. If you were swapping it into a 87 and up it screws up your Transfer Case angle. But since you are putting it into a CJ it will turn your Transfer Case up a bit so you may not need the adapter.

#3 pedal assembly/brake pedal.. You will need the pedal assembly for the same year master clutch cylinder you get. there are 2 different size cylinders. you will also need to swap your brake pedal from your assembly to the yj assembly since the YJ's use a ford style brake light switch. It should all be pretty straight forward.

I have never swapped one into a CJ but have done several YJ conversions on AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and they are all the same. My last Yj swap took about 4 hours to complete.

Also why is it necessary to change the brake assembly?

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Also why is it necessary to change the brake assembly?

The clutch pedal is different between the one you have and the AX-15. I think. It may be possible just to change the clutch pedal over to the yj style. IF you do have to change the whole assembly just swap the cj pedal onto the yj assembly.

 

[cjs cj]

The clutch pedal is different between the one you have and the AX-15. I think. It may be possible just to change the clutch pedal over to the yj style. IF you do have to change the whole assembly just swap the cj pedal onto the yj assembly.

I preciate the help, Ive mixed Google(like ya suggested) with what you've told me and I've got everything wrote down on what I'll need! Thank ya!

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Novak also list some years of ax-15 that shouldn't need the input adapter. You may still need the clocking ring. It's hard to say exactly how it will go until you have every thing in front of you. I choose to use the ax15 fly wheel and starter because I know they mesh well. Your fly wheel may also work.

Dana 300 Adaptation and Clocking Ring

 

[alexr54]

I am in the middle of the same swap. And probably will get started this weekend, after I feel I have all parts needed.

Main thing for me to know for my CJ7 was to get the correct adapter kit, I ended up getting the 7/8" clocking ring from 4wheelsupply. Have not used it yet, but im hoping I got the right part.

One thing to note is when I started, I was a complete noob. never worked on a jeep in my life and never even saw a L6 AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l . A T-150 was not in my vocabulary and a AX15 and Dana 300 was greek to me.

I have the external AX15, so I ended up getting the external slave and master hydraulic cylinders for a hydraulic clutch. I have the YJ clutch pedal. Got the throw out bearing(or clutch release bearing), Clutch Release Arm, Pivot, Spring Clip and Pilot Bushing from Novak. A friend gave me the proper Flywheel, clutch and pressure plate.

If you have the internal AX15, you need different set of instructions and parts, as far as I know. I am only informed for the external setup.

To find out if you have an internal AX15 or an External, look at the pictures. Its quite easy to tell.

This is an External:


This is an Internal:

Now the fun part starts for me.. installation

BTW Jimbo has been the greatest help to me!! Thanks dude!

 

[ThisGuyUKnow]

The clutch pedal is different between the one you have and the AX-15. I think. It may be possible just to change the clutch pedal over to the yj style. IF you do have to change the whole assembly just swap the cj pedal onto the yj assembly.

Because..... The YJ pedal assembly was made by the engineers at AMC/Chrysler to work properly from the factory. Meaning that the fulcrum is match to have the correct amount of power to push that rod in. In theory you could modify your mechanical clutch pedal to work but why reinvent the wheel? I tried doing this and goofed it up so bad that a few minutes of driving left my clutch leg feeling physically exhausted. The YJ pedal assembly bolts right in no issue and it has a bracket that reinforces the fire wall where the Hydraulic clutch mounts. It also has a support rod that comes off it that will require you to drill a hole in your firewall close to the fender. I can't remember what that rod does but it has to do with strength.

That being said, the sticky that Pete linked was my first attempt at the AX15 and there are a few things I would do differently this time (A lot of this will parrot whats already been said)

Parts
Ax15 (Preferably an external slave style)
advanced adapters Dana 300 to ax15 clocking ring kit (may just be a clocking ring)
4.0 flywheel cover
4.0 flywheel
Novak adapt Transmission mount kit (Not necessary but if I were doing it again I would use this)
4.0 starter
New Clutch kit (comes with pilot bearing and throw out bearing)
Novak Pilot bearing (if you need it as previously mentioned in an earlier reply)
YJ Master Cylinder
YJ pedal assembly
Ax15 or Nv3550 slave cylinder
New or modified drive shafts
Dana 300 (since as pointed out you dont have one already)

So first there you need to consider which YJ pedal and slave you want to go with. Pre 91 yjs have a different MC that is the same as the Cj I4 master. Later Yjs have a different MC.

Why and what do you need to consider this? First off obviously whichever pedal assy you want to go with needs to match your master. Your tub is already stamped for the Hydraulic MC and the earlier YJ MC will fit neatly into that stamped out part (meaning it will look clean and stock) the later YJ one has wider mount bolts and will not fit cleanly into that stamped out part of the firewall. (If you thumb through my Ax15 sticky and look closely at the pictures of the MC you will see what I mean it is longet than the stamp in the firewall)

So the catch is that the early YJ MC uses a completely different hydraulic fitting than the later one. If it were me, and if I were doing this again what I would do is use an early YJ MC and find a shop that can make me a custom hydraulic hose that has the correct fitting for the Earlier MC and the later external Slave. If you do not feel like going through that trouble then go with a post 91 pedal assy and MC and the hose will work just fine for your application.

Clear as mud? If that is confusing you can pm me your number and I would be glad to give you a call and talk about it

Ok so now to parrot the process

1. Remove old pedal assembly/install YJ one. Measure the MC support bracket mounts and drill the fire wall to accept them, measure the support bar and drill the fire wall to bolt it in place.

2. Remove your old tranny and flywheel. Install 4.0 tranny and flywheel, clutch pilot bearing, starter, slave, cover, etc. It all bolts up no issues so the process in any 4.0 workshop manual is fine.

3 Install clocking kit on Dana 300 , mock it up to decide your clocking install your studs and mount to the Ax15.

4. Use the tranny mount of your choice to mount the tranny to your x-member

5. Measure for new driveshaft length and take the shafts to a reputable shop to be reworked or have new ones made

6. Figure out your Dana 300 shift linkage and tranny tunnel opening for the new shifters.

7. Drive around and enjoy the new awesome Transmission .

 

[alexr54]

As I stated in my last post I was a complete noob to this when I started it, so I will point out just a couple things that got me confused with this project.

First, a huge part of this swap and online it is not emphasized enough imo is the fact that you will need to have your drive shaft modified. This is not the type of work that many places do, and its not very cheap. And its not a DIY job, unless you have the proper machine tools, and if you do, you don't need any tips form me.

I am still looking for a place in my area that does it...

Second, I have never changed a pilot bearing before and I had no idea what the pilot bearing really was. I just knew I needed one because it was pointed out to me.
The pilot bearing is the bearing that lets the shaft from the Transmission enter the crankshaft. You will need to take the pilot bearing out of the crankshaft and put the new one in to let the AX15 slide in properly. The one for the T-150 is too small.

 

[ThisGuyUKnow]

As I stated in my last post I was a complete noob to this when I started it, so I will point out just a couple things that got me confused with this project.

First, a huge part of this swap and online it is not emphasized enough imo is the fact that you will need to have your drive shaft modified. This is not the type of work that many places do, and its not very cheap. And its not a DIY job, unless you have the proper machine tools, and if you do, you don't need any tips form me.

I am still looking for a place in my area that does it...

Second, I have never changed a pilot bearing before and I had no idea what the pilot bearing really was. I just knew I needed one because it was pointed out to me.
The pilot bearing is the bearing that lets the shaft from the Transmission enter the crankshaft. You will need to take the pilot bearing out of the crankshaft and put the new one in to let the AX15 slide in properly. The one for the T-150 is too small.

I didnt find it that hard to find a shop to modify my DS and it was relatively inexpensive, call your local offroad shop (jeep or other offroad shop) and they should be able to suggest a good shop for driveshafts

I can't stress this enough, really think out your pedals and hydraulic linkage for all the reasons I stressed in my last post. Bolting the tranny up is really easy and straight forward with the correct parts.

 

[alexr54]

I didnt find it that hard to find a shop to modify my DS and it was relatively inexpensive, call your local offroad shop (jeep or other offroad shop) and they should be able to suggest a good shop for driveshafts

I can't stress this enough, really think out your pedals and hydraulic linkage for all the reasons I stressed in my last post. Bolting the tranny up is really easy and straight forward with the correct parts.

If you don't mind me asking, what was the price for the DS mod? I just want an idea so I wont get ripped off.

 

[ThisGuyUKnow]

If you don't mind me asking, what was the price for the DS mod? I just want an idea so I wont get ripped off.

It was years ago I don't remember. I do remember it was under 200 dollars though. I remember thinking that it was fairly inexpensive

 

[alexr54]

Thanks. All i was looking for was a ball park figure.
One mans fairly inexpensive could be another mans fortune...