242 vs 231 - Need help

Okay, I am in the middle of swapping out t-cases.

This is what I have:
1990 XJ Limited - 242 T-case

I am going to put in a 231J T-case out of a 1990 4 cyl. YJ with a manual tranny. I ordered the SYE kit for the 231, but it is not right, so I am going to exchange it.

My question is, should I just stick with the 241? I heard the 231 was stronger, but from reading some posts, I am not so sure. I do not have vaccuum axles, so I am not sorried about that.

Any comments?

before you go yanking and mistmatching, if your current xj a 6 cylinder what type of tranny does it have. What type of engine and tranny did the other t -case come out of. REMEMBER, that input shaft lengths are different for automatic and manual t-cases, my buddy ran into this when he bought a np231 to put on his YJ, he bought it off a AW4 cherokee that was junked, turns out input shaft length different. I'm trying to save you some time, money, and loss of temper when you find out it could be different. Just be forwarned

My Xj is a 4.0L Auto
The donor T-case came from a 4 cyl 5 speed

I am with you CU. I am thinking about just keeping the 242 and getting the kit for it. I am calling AA today (no, I don't have a drinking problem....yet).

Thats still not a problem.You can swap out the input shafts!

You talking about switching the input shafts from the tranny?

The problem is, the SYE I received will not work. The gear that the chain goes on will not fit onto the bearing race. It is about 1/8" larger in diameter, so I have to send it back.

With that being said, I am trying to figure out if I should just keep the 242 in there and get the kit for it OR get the right one for the 231 and do the mods that I need.

The short of it is, is the 231 better then the 242? I should have asked this before I ordered it....both things happen.

Chip

Well, I'm under assumption if he just gonna swap the T-cases, then he isn't looking for a hassel of cracking open the 231 to change that shaft...just an assumption, sorry for assuming wrongly if i did so. Oh, def check there are websites that will tell you how long the input shaft length for the t case is for both the 4 popper manual and automatic transmissions. If they match you win!!!!

I already have noth t-case...they are mine, so I can choice either way.

There is only one SYE kit for the 231,you must be missing something.There are two different drive hubs,one uses bearings the other doesnt.This should have been covered in the instructions.You can download them from TW's page!
BTW:it the transfer case input gear that you would swap!

Something doesn't seem right and I am not sure which it is.

Mine uses bearings. When comparing the shafts, they look the same, but the gear will not slip on to the new shaft. The inner diameter on the gear is smaller then the shaft. I need to take a picture or something.

I apprecaite the help!!

Well, the 231 can be made stronger than the 242, with the installation of the HD SYE. There is no HD SYE for the 242. I made the same swap. The input in your 242 and the 231 could be the same. Only way to know for sure is to pull the 242 and compare. If they are not the same, then you can swap them. Swapping them is not hard. Once you have the t-case torn down far enough to change the output shafts, you don't have far to go to swap the inputs. I would call and find out how to fix the trouble you are having installing the SYE and then pull the 242 out and compare the inputs. If they are the same, then finish the SYE and install the 231. If different, swap the inputs.
231=Lighter, stronger (with HD SYE), simpler, more options
242=AWD option

Thanks!!