Hello all, I am new here and could not find a thread with my issue but I know there has to be one so I apologize for starting a new one but I am in a bind. Had someone rebuild my AX5 and after about 35 miles on it I got in this morning and backed out of garage and it got stuck in reverse. After a long time trying I got it out but it went right into 5th gear and now can’t get it out. I really hope I don’t have to pull it out again, it’s been a long rebuild that’s getting old because of these type deals. Anyone have this happen to them before ?
AX-5 transmission stuck in gear
- Thread starter Brad G
- Start date
Flyer58
YJ Enthusiast
I've had my AX-5 apart several times so I'm pretty familiar with them.
Not to be insulting but did you add oil to it after it was installed? You can't have oil in it before hand or it will all spill out the back end.
Otherwise the bad news is it will have to come out to determine what was overlooked or done wrong. There several little shift locking balls that must be installed correctly and shift rods with locking bolts and clips which could be loose or missing.
I cant think of anything simple that could cause this. Did it shift ok during the first 35 miles? Sounds to me like a shaft shifted out of position during the short drive.
Edit: Another thought is one of the synchros is stuck on the cone and not releasing one of the gears but again if it's not the oil then it will probably need to come out.
I saved a ton of pictures from my AX-5 so if someone has any other thoughts I can show where the problem is.
Not to be insulting but did you add oil to it after it was installed? You can't have oil in it before hand or it will all spill out the back end.
Otherwise the bad news is it will have to come out to determine what was overlooked or done wrong. There several little shift locking balls that must be installed correctly and shift rods with locking bolts and clips which could be loose or missing.
I cant think of anything simple that could cause this. Did it shift ok during the first 35 miles? Sounds to me like a shaft shifted out of position during the short drive.
Edit: Another thought is one of the synchros is stuck on the cone and not releasing one of the gears but again if it's not the oil then it will probably need to come out.
I saved a ton of pictures from my AX-5 so if someone has any other thoughts I can show where the problem is.
Last edited:
yes it was full of oil and shifted fine during the miles I drove it. The guy that rebuilt it has been doing transmissions for 30+ years so I was confident in his work. I have the shifter out and I can move the linkage down inside where the ball from shifter sets in but I can only move it from the center position to one spot over towards drivers side. It also appears to be back as far as it will go like it’s in 5th but when in goes over that one spot it doesnt change it like it’s in neutral it is still in 5 th.
I have moved from where I lived when the rebuild happened or I would take it to the guy that worked on it. I am curious if you know of a website that will give me pics and info about how it should look once I get it apart. Thanks for help
Flyer58
YJ Enthusiast
Here is a link from the YJ Resources section of this website. You can download the Factory Service Manual for your YJ and it gives very explicit instructions about working on the AX-5. The years listed for the manual may be different than your YJ but any difference in the AX-5 is so little that it will still work.
FSM Link: https://wrangleryjforum.com/threads...-service-manuals-fsm-and-part-catalogs.27000/
Here is a picture of that cup the shift lever end ball goes into when it's in the neutral position. It sounds like yours is down and to the left. There should not be much play to move that cup around if it's in gear.
That cup does normally move forward and back, left and right, with effort when shifting. Left - right in neutral is easy. That cup is part of an arm that goes to the three different shift rods for 1-2, 3-4, 5-R.
FSM Link: https://wrangleryjforum.com/threads...-service-manuals-fsm-and-part-catalogs.27000/
Here is a picture of that cup the shift lever end ball goes into when it's in the neutral position. It sounds like yours is down and to the left. There should not be much play to move that cup around if it's in gear.
That cup does normally move forward and back, left and right, with effort when shifting. Left - right in neutral is easy. That cup is part of an arm that goes to the three different shift rods for 1-2, 3-4, 5-R.
Flyer58
YJ Enthusiast
Are you sure it's stuck in 5th now and not reverse? Can you push the Jeep and see which way the engine rotates? How much force did you use to get it out of reverse? I don't know if it's possible but maybe that other end popped out of the 5-R shift rod fork.
Thank you for your help. The cup is down and to the left and it will move to the center position but still in the down position. Sometimes it will even go to the right but not very often. When I start it and let out on the clutch it tries to go forward and even in 4L it dies because it’s too high of a gear to take off from a stop so I pretty sure it’s in 5th. It took a lot of working the shifter to get it out of reverse and somehow went straight into 5th. I don’t know why 5th gear even exist in wrangler with a 2.5 engine, it’s not necessary and never used.
I have been wanting to upgrade for a long time so maybe this is a sign that’s its time for a V6 and auto tranny. I will have to research it and see what that will consist of. I will still have to fix this ax5 so I can sell it since it’s a fresh rebuild. I did the nutter bypass and was hoping for a little more power but the 2.5 just isn’t made for power lol
Flyer58
YJ Enthusiast
In 4-low and 5th gear that's very close to the same final ratio as 2-high in 2nd gear so there should be little problem driving off although acceleration is poor with a 2.5L. I won't ever try to pull out in traffic again while in 2nd 
I'm still thinking something was not assembled correctly during the rebuild. I rebuilt mine and had a problem and after reading through dozens of articles about about rebuilding the AX-5 many said the problems started after the first day of driving because something inside had shifted. In my case I left out a C-Clip and the 1st-2nd gear sychros both got squeezed together then the main shaft slid to the read. Right at 30 miles it wouldn't come out of 2nd gear.
Maybe try jacking both rear wheels off the ground and see if there's any internal resistance to drive the rear wheels, they should spin freely. Maybe you can shift it then too. I wouldn't push it too far and cause more damage if it's stuck in two gears at the same time.
Post in here if you decide to tear into it. Like I said I've been through mine several times and have a ton of photos, notes and documents.
Not sure what tools you have but you will need a hydraulic press, gear pullers, good snap ring pliers and a few other common tools.
You should call the guy who rebuilt it.
I'm still thinking something was not assembled correctly during the rebuild. I rebuilt mine and had a problem and after reading through dozens of articles about about rebuilding the AX-5 many said the problems started after the first day of driving because something inside had shifted. In my case I left out a C-Clip and the 1st-2nd gear sychros both got squeezed together then the main shaft slid to the read. Right at 30 miles it wouldn't come out of 2nd gear.
Maybe try jacking both rear wheels off the ground and see if there's any internal resistance to drive the rear wheels, they should spin freely. Maybe you can shift it then too. I wouldn't push it too far and cause more damage if it's stuck in two gears at the same time.
Post in here if you decide to tear into it. Like I said I've been through mine several times and have a ton of photos, notes and documents.
Not sure what tools you have but you will need a hydraulic press, gear pullers, good snap ring pliers and a few other common tools.
You should call the guy who rebuilt it.
I got a95 YJ 2.5 5 speed it got cold and tried to take it out of reverse and the shifter moved but it stayed in reverse how do I fix the problem
Flyer58
YJ Enthusiast
This happens and here's the fix.
This is what you're looking for inside the hole when the reverse switch is removed.
Last edited: