Front end and 4wd issues

I have a 91 XJ w/ about 1" of lift and a little while back I had it in 4wd and something just didn't seem right, felt like the driveline was binding, but I was on a snowy/icy forest road. The front end was definately pulling, and I thought that it might have just been a fluke, but It continues to happen and I have also started to notice that it doesn't want to come out of 4wd like it used to, I pretty much have to stop and back up to get it out.

The thought that is coming to mind is that maybe the front axle disconnect motor could be going and maybe it isn't engaging the front end completely. Does this sound like a possibility? Or would the motor just up and die with now fade out?

A second thing I have noticed very recently is that the steering feels wierd, sloppy and kind of sluggish. I am going to crawl under it tomorrow probably and double check all the bolts and make sure everything is tight. I am also going to check and make sure there is enough power steering fluid. Is there anything else I should check while I am under there?

Any thoughts on either matter would be greatly appreciated since I am unfortunately not much of a mechanical whiz. Thanks in advance.

The binding and reluctance to get out of 4WD sounds like a tire diameter mismatch. Check to see that the tires are wearing evenly and that they're all properly inflated. If you do a lot of highway driving you must rotate them frequently to keep it even.

There could also be a fault in the vacuum lines to the axle disconnect motor that makes it reluctant to disengage, and you should check those lines carefully (especially the rubber fitting right on the motor), but if it stays in 4WD under stress, the motor itself is probably all right, and even if it is good, it will not disengage smoothly if the driveline is wound tight by mismatched tires.

The front axle disconnect motor will usually fail in a different way, by intermittently popping out of 4WD. Because the engagement is with a splined collar rather than a clutch, there is no "partial" position even when it is partially engaged. It either catches or doesn't. When it leaks vacuum (or there are leaks in the plumbing) it will tend to disengage after extended periods of wide-open throttle, for example at the top of a long hill.

For the sloppy steering, your first step will be just to check all the linkages, etc. Tie rod ends, ball joints, track bar, etc. It helps to have another person to wiggle the steering wheel while you look underneath to see if there's play anywhere. While you're checking the PS fluid, also make sure the belt is tight enough. A slipping belt will usually squeal, but not always, and a loose belt can cause the steering to "catch" and lose its boost during sudden maneuvers.