Transfer Case changes from 96 to 97

There are two groups of transfer cases, the 1996 and 1997 and up.
Does anybody know what was changed from 96 to 97?
I searched for previous posts, no luck.

I know that the stock tailcone design changed.
The 95 and older t-cases have the old style tailcone with the seal
that seals on the slip yoke and the 96+ t-cases have a seal on the
mainshaft.
I noticed the elimination of 2 bearings on the gears that go on the
main shaft - the 99 that i have didnt have these beargins inside the
4x4 chain gear and therefore had a thicker mainshaft, The mainshaft
acted as a bearing surface.
As part of the install of the AA SYE i had to press these bearings out
of the gears, because AA runs the thicker mainshaft with a bearing
surface as well.
Also i noticed an elimination of the synchro at the 4x4 gear - the
newer setup had the groves and cutouts where the synchro was on the
older t-case... I kept the 1992 synchro gears and the AA mainshaft...
Also the difference in the input bearings was there
Also the sun gear (probably due to the auto VS manual input length)
Step and difference in length

XJ_ranger said:

I know that the stock tailcone design changed.
The 95 and older t-cases have the old style tailcone with the seal
that seals on the slip yoke and the 96+ t-cases have a seal on the
mainshaft.

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Thanks Bryan, I have a 96 with the new style of tailcone and seal that looks just like your 99. The problem I ran into is that everywhere I looked on used parts lists, they list the 96 by itself like no other year will interchange. The 97 and up look the same just like the 96 as far as I can tell but they are listed as interchangeable between 97-01. If I can find what was changed between these two groups, I'll know if a part swap will let me use the more available and with less miles 97-01 TCs.

My understanding is that most of those parts lists (and quite a few folks on ) think that the t-case didn't change until the body style changed in '97. I haven't seen anything to indicate that the '96 NP231 tailcone assembly is any different than the 97+

Yucca-Man said:

My understanding is that most of those parts lists (and quite a few folks on ) think that the t-case didn't change until the body style changed in '97. I haven't seen anything to indicate that the '96 NP231 tailcone assembly is any different than the 97+

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If you go to a place like http://www.car-part.com and input 1996 you will find that both for a 242 or a 231 you can use a 96 only.
If you try 1997 what a difference, you can use 231s from 97-01 and 242s from 97-01 XJs plus a few ZJs.
Considering that the 96 and 97+ look so much alike I suspect that it might be possible to use a 97+ with minor modifications.
There has to be somebody on this forum that knows.

falcon556 said:

There has to be somebody on this forum that knows.

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If there were, more than likely they would have answered by now.

I'm with Yucca Man. You are regarding an interchange book as a definitive source, and they are frequently incorrect. Call a dealer and ask if the 96 transfer case has a different part number than a 97 transfer case. I think they are the same.

I am pretty sure I already tried the dealer.
I can try again.

What is it you "really" need to know?As already stated there are 2 basic models,pre-96 and 96+.Other than that, there have been many "minor" changes throughout the years.These smaller changes typically have little impact,good example would be that a HD SYE kits fit all years!

RCP Phx said:

What is it you "really" need to know?

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What I need to know is: Can I grab a 97+ and make it work in my '96?
What do I need to change if anything to make it work?
That's all I need.

falcon556 said:

What I need to know is: Can I grab a 97+ and make it work in my '96?
What do I need to change if anything to make it work?
That's all I need.

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Yes,the most likely issues would be changes in the wiring connectors.

RCP Phx said:

Yes,the most likely issues would be changes in the wiring connectors.

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There are some differences in the wiring. The 4WD switch powers the indicator lights and also connects to the valve body in the transmission. I don't know what it does there. The speed sensor seems the same in both year groups.

Eagle said:

You are regarding an interchange book as a definitive source, and they are frequently incorrect. Call a dealer and ask if the 96 transfer case has a different part number than a 97 transfer case. I think they are the same.

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You are right, I ran some searches for a rear drive shaft and they showed
the '96 driveshaft being compatible with earlier years and not with 97+.
That can't be right because the 96 has the newer slip yoke with the seal on the shaft.