Transmission Selector Handle

[Saurian]

Couple things on my mind... Being that I am pouring the miles on my dear Jeepy, there are a few very minor wear and tear issues, I guess things just loosening up with time... My transmission selector is kind of loose, I can move it about a quarter inch in either direction before it starts to push to shift into something else... I worry, only because there is more and more play in it as time has passed. I have not taken the center console apart, so I'll give you 2 questions, and a statement/question...

1. How the heck do I disassemble that console? Where are the screws? I have the FSM, but the server that it's on is down, so I cannot access it...

2. Is there something mysterious that I can tighten to reduce play in handle?

3. I LOVE my transmission... It's japanese, according to my sticker, and I just love the way that it works... We are a Chrysler family, but it seems like in recent model years, they have been getting lax in their transmissions; 2 caravans that blew out before 85,000 miles, and a Sebring that just seems to shift sort of mushy to me... Mine shifts, period, end of story, not too hard, not too sloppy, it shifts just when I think it should, it never makes horrible noises, and it has not yet caused me a problem... I could see it lasting forever, I really could...

Oh yeah, the question part... What exactly is my transmission? I see all sorts of numbers and letters like AX-15, and so forth, and while it has probably been mentioned numerous times, I do not know... It'd be nice to have more info than : that japanese transmission that shifts really well...

Thank you all for your helpful replies to my posts... As I learn from you, I learn about my Jeep, and as I learn about my Jeep, I can teach others... Love this board

Jeepy is an '00 XJ, 4.0 I-6, 4X4, with 73,000 miles on it... Bought it in '02 with 24,000 miles, and every mile since then has been a pleasure beyond compare (except those stuck in slow-moving traffic) :evil:

 

[Saurian]

By the by, if I am rambling, I claim the awake for almost 24 hours with no sleep credit.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

It's an AW4 if it's an auto, made by Aisin-Warner just as the AX5 and AX15.

Look for screws in the bottom of the center console, and under the shifter bezels for the transmission and transfer case, those snap right out. Once all the screws are out the console should pull right up, it'll still have a little tension on it from the guide pins.

 

[Saurian]

Gotcha... Thanks for the info... Anyone else having this handle loosening problem?

 

[Saurian]

Bounty, thanks again for the info on how to get into that console, and which transmission I have... I pulled everyhting apart, it looks like the play in the handle is coming from the cable linkage, which means that it is probably closer to the transmission that something has loosened, rather than in the handle... While I was in there, I found that the rear bracket that holds the center console to the floor was cracked in half, probably from when my roommate rolled over the center console to switch seats... Think I should charge him for that nice $14.95 part coming in on Monday? At any rate, now I am center-console less because of that bracket... I was wondering why the back of the console wobbled from side to side... So I'll follow the cable, and see if something has loosened up there.

 

[Tug-n-pull]

This post and many other post much like this one is why I have hung around as long as I have and posted as much as I have. Simple repai that looks larger than it is made simple by asking and finding the answer from someone who has been there and done that like Bounty Hunter! Saurian's repair went smooth with a little help from a friend! A fellow jeeper more to the point! Someone he has never laid eys on as far as I know and has little chance of ever meeting with out makeing it a point to travle yet a friend non the less! This is why I am proud of Jeepz! tug

 

[Saurian]

Tug, that's exactly why I love this board as well, and try to get on at least once a day before I go to bed... Asking and learning how to pull everything apart made me not only figure out where the looseness in the handle is not, but also fix the console so there's no more wobble, and do that sneaky little e-brake mod that I wanted to get to... Now the console's back together, no wobble, and I'll never again drive down the road with the parking brake on.