Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

Hey all,

Now that I finished the 242 swap on my '98 XJ, I've been playing around with the modes a bit and finalizing my adjustments to the linkage. One thing I noticed is that in 4 Full Time, if I make a sharp turn at a slow speed on pavement, and then give it some gas in the turn, the wheel and XJ will VERY SLIGHTLY rock back and forth a little and you'll hear the tires squeaking just a little bit. Nothing like trying to turn in Part Time, but still slightly/faintly similar. It won't do this during shallow or regular turns onto a road.

Note that if I don't give it any gas, it won't do that no matter how tight I turn. It will be perfectly smooth, which makes me believe it's not getting stuck in Part Time. But if I give it even a little gas it does that. Is this normal for Full Time, or is it still very slightly/partially engaged in Part Time (if that's even possible)? I've adjusted my linkage many times now, but I'm pretty much out of room to fit 2WD and 4FT north of the notch in the shift gate. If I adjust it any more for 4FT sake, I'm not sure I'll have room to get 2WD to fully engage.

Thanks guys! You've been a huge help with this 242 swap.

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

I would consider it normal.Did you put new fluid in the TC when you swapped it ?
And why would you be running in 4FT on dry pavement anyway? I know you are only doing this to check it out and it is reacting normaly.
Wayne

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

Yep. I poured out the tiny bit of old fluid that was left in there and then filled it to the brim (well, fill hole anyway) with Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF.

As for dry pavement, it's full time, so the surface shouldn't matter. I am just testing things right now, but I plan on leaving it in full time most of the time, unless I see a moderate drop in fuel efficiency. I want to do this because I enjoy having the instant traction on all surfaces that AWD/4FT provides. Just set it and forget it!

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

I had the 242 in my 87xj wagoneer and it never did that.Did you buy the transfer case used? I can't remember exactly but I think there is some sort of limited slip device in the transfer case that is used just to eliminate binding in four wheel drive while in 4ft.I may be mistaken. I know ZJ's with quadra trac 4ft have a fluid coupler in the TC and it is common for those to go and then they do what your describing but I know xj's dont have that.

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

I think I still need to adjust the linkage, if possible. If I put it into 4ft from Neutral or I move it over just slightly past the notch in the shift gate going down into 4ft, it won't shake at all when I gas it in tight turns.

It's getting really tricky at this point, because like I said I'm about out of room above the notch. I might have to cut part of it off to be able to fully access those modes without moving the lever past it.

Back under the XJ with me then!

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

EdwardNorth said:

It's getting really tricky at this point, because like I said I'm about out of room above the notch. I might have to cut part of it off to be able to fully access those modes without moving the lever past it.

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I think you may have answered my question about swapping the shift gate. It sounds like it does need to be swapped with one out of an XJ that came with a 242.

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

Sparkman said:

I think you may have answered my question about swapping the shift gate. It sounds like it does need to be swapped with one out of an XJ that came with a 242.

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I just got off the phone with a Jeep dealer, and the parts department couldn't find it! They faxed me a schematic of the selec-trac lever assembly and linkage, but the shift gate is missing from the diagram!

I will keep trying to fine tune it with this though. If I only had another half inch to work with before the notch, this wouldn't even be an issue. Maybe I should cut it off completely, drill a hole, and screw in my own notch further down the sleeve.

For now I will keep trying to fine-tune it though. I'll let you know if I succeed.

Did you find a 242 yet?

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

Hey Sparkman,

Never mind, the linkage was/is calibrated properly. It goes fully into 2WD, 4PT, and 4FT all above the notch in the shift gate, and with just a hair of room to spare on either side too. You don't need a different one, and at this point I'm pretty sure that there isn't a seperate one for selec-trac because this one works just fine.

Everything is adjusted and setup now and I got my bezel. All I have to do is finish the wiring for the FT light and that'll be a wrap for this project!

Hope this helps and good luck with your swap.

If you were in full time and trying a tight turn on dry pavement shouldn't the Jeep be jerky naturally?

I used to have a 76 blazer that was fulltime and it did that when in "low locked" and turning and gas were involved. You could feel jerking and squeeling of the tires

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

Check the clutches in the 242. I was just taking about this with my father last night. He is a wrench for Jeep. He said that if the clutches in the 242 wear out, then this problem comes up.

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

Wouldn't "low locked" actually be part-time?

I think it has to do with the act of distributing power to all 4 wheels. I tested it out yesterday by doing some near-doughnuts in the local Meijer's parking lot and found out that it smooths out/stops after a few seconds if I hold the gas in there. It's really a non-issue anyway, it's 99% smooth in FT for normal driving and turning while gassing it. If I tried doing those "doughnuts" in Part-Time mode though, forget about it, my XJ would probably blow up on me.

I just think providing power to the front wheels prevents it from being 100% smooth. So, 99% it is.

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

jblaze I to had a 76 blazer with full time 4x4 and yes you would feel the herky jerkys when in low locked because in that mode the blazer was locked in 4x4 with a 50/50 power split between front and rear if you had it in normal high or low you wouldnt feel this because it allowed for slippage between the front wheel when in turns.

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

Urban Redneck said:

Check the clutches in the 242. I was just taking about this with my father last night. He is a wrench for Jeep. He said that if the clutches in the 242 wear out, then this problem comes up.

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Well, the T-Case is from a 2000 XJ and only has 46,000 miles on it. I would hope that the internals have a loooooong way to go before they start to wear out.

I'll see how she does though and keep that in mind. I also think the case might have been sitting in the junk yard for awhile and just needs to be "re-broken-in". I have a 6 mo. parts/labor warranty on the 242 so I'll see how it goes for a couple weeks.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

Urban Redneck said:

Check the clutches in the 242. I was just taking about this with my father last night. He is a wrench for Jeep. He said that if the clutches in the 242 wear out, then this problem comes up.

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This may show my ignorance regarding the 242 internals, but I thought it was an open diff. I wasn't aware of any limited slip type clutches. If it is limited slip that is even better for my purposes.

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

No clutches in a 242 tcase!

BTW it sounds about right how you discribed the actions of slow tight turns. And do go with the 242 shift gate.

mark

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

Mark Hinkley said:

No clutches in a 242 tcase!

BTW it sounds about right how you discribed the actions of slow tight turns. And do go with the 242 shift gate.

mark

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Hi Mark,

So you agree that even in Full Time mode you'll normally get some very minor wobbling if you give it gas in a slow, tight turn? I figure it has something to do with just the act of applying power to the front wheels in the turn, since it doesn't wobble at all whatsoever if I don't give it any gas. What do you think is the cause/reason?

And there's really a different shift gate for the 242? I don't suppose you could get me a part number could you, since the guy at the parts counter at my local Jeep dealer couldn't figure it out?

I don't think the shift gate is necessary now that I got my linkage adjusted properly, but for some extra playing/breathing room I might consider buying one anyway.

Thanks for your help!

Re: Full-Time 4WD question - Slightly jerky/squeaky when gassing it in a very tight turn?

EdwardNorth said:

Hi Mark,

So you agree that even in Full Time mode you'll normally get some very minor wobbling if you give it gas in a slow, tight turn? I figure it has something to do with just the act of applying power to the front wheels in the turn, since it doesn't wobble at all whatsoever if I don't give it any gas. What do you think is the cause/reason?

And there's really a different shift gate for the 242? I don't suppose you could get me a part number could you, since the guy at the parts counter at my local Jeep dealer couldn't figure it out?

I don't think the shift gate is necessary now that I got my linkage adjusted properly, but for some extra playing/breathing room I might consider buying one anyway.

Thanks for your help!

Click to expand...

The wobble is from the u joints in the front axle. GC went to CVs to help stop this because the Yupie asses didn't like the feel pulling into parking spaces at the mall.

I would look for someone who has one used. People who put Atlas IIs in don't use them. There has to be used ones out there. Yes there is a difference but not sure exactly what. Longer?????

If it goes in all gears don't worry about it.

mark