Hi " first post" 4wd noise and problems

Hi i have a 1998 XJ with selectrac that has pretty much never been off road - "city car"

Posting after searching the forum.

When i purchased her she changed into 4wd with no problems, but took a while to come out of 4wd with front wheel wobble in turns etc..

She has been sat for the last 6 months and i now have her back on the road.

Problem is when i select 4wd full time she makes a grinding noise for ages and if i make a turn it's if she is running over bumps. It's ages before she fully engages into 4wd and drives normally.

She is also now doing the same when i try to get back out of 4wd almost making it impossible to drive, (steering wobble on turns from the front etc).

She finally came out of 4wd after being sat for 5 mins with the engine switched off.

I know it can take a while before 4wd engages and disengages fully but i'm a bit lost as to where to start problem solving.

Kind regards
Dave

The 4wd in the cherokee isn't powered by a solenoid, it's just a lever with linkage connecting it to the transfer case. The only lag that should happen while shifting the transfer case is the gears lining up with each other.

Are you shifting it from 2wd to 4wd while in neutral and coasting at about 2-3 mph? My old jeep had some transfer case shifting issues and that seemed to solve them. It helps to line up the gears so that they mesh.

Try the search feature. Everything has been discussed on this forum...and I mean EVERYTHING.

From your description, sounds like you have the 242 transfer case (with full-time 4x4 feature). With mine, since it needs to go through 4-wheel part time first, it helps to take it one step at a time. I shift to 4-wheel part time...pause...then shift to 4-wheel full time. Helps to be going straight the whole time..and letting off the gas...then lightly back on the gas also seems to help (unloads and loads the transfer case...helping gears move). Also helps tremendously if shifting on gravel or other "slippery" surface...NOT DRY PAVEMENT.

Shifting out is same...let gears "unbind" by going on and off the gas softly...

Just my 2-cents...

My 1997 is doing the EXACT same thing. I had my t-case rebuilt about 2 years ago. I also have selec-trac (NP-242). I have even tried to drive backwards a few feet -- pump the accellerator to load and unload the gears -- none of these work. Finally, I found that I can stop -- shift the TRANSFER CASE into neutral and then move it completely into the 2wd position. This seems to help. It should not be that difficult, but I can live with it for now -- don't want to drop coin on another rebuild.

You might consider using a synthetic fluid to get things moving better.

That sounds good, Joe. I will try it. I am also trying to diagnose some driveline noise. It sounds like big snow tires, but it is not. It is balanced and aligned. It actually drives very smoothly, but there is a loud low-pitched noise that sounds like big mudder tires. I have Michelin highway tires. I changed diff fluids -- front and back with Royal Purple 75W-90. I jacked the front wheels -- grabbed at 12 and 6 and found no play. Grabbed at 3 and 9 and could not discern play. I was surprised at how easy I could steer both wheels while grabbing at 3 and 9. I have eliminated hubs -- I think -- by finding no play? U-joints may need replacing, but I would expect popping, not a low-pitched hum at high speeds. Pinion bearings? Could be, but the seals seem OK. There are no leaks and they were full of fluid when I changed them. Can problems with the t-case present themselves even when the daily driver is almost never in 4wd? Could the noise be coming from there?

Could you be mistaking fuel pump noise for what you are hearing?

Wow -- fuel pump was not even on my radar screen. However, the Jeep was rocking back and forth a little when I was undoing the lugnuts and taking off the wheel. I heard a lot of gas sloshing and a sound like something else was floating in the gas and hitting the side of the tank. I dismissed it. Also, I think the pressure on my fuel rail leaks down. I have not tested it, but I am in the habit of turning my key to the on position and counting to three before turning to the start position. This technique is 100 percent effective for fast starts and eliminates the long starts I was having about 3 months ago.

Also, the noise seems to be speed dependent. It does not change with RPM's, but only with speed. I really think it is a bearing, but don't know if it is hubs, pinions, front, back, or what. It seems like it is in the front, but because I have to be going 40 mph to hear it, I know that can be a tricky guesstimate to make.

I also want to apologize for hijacking this dude''s thread. But, I am having the EXACT tcase issues and I was just wondering if there may be a link between those issues and the driveline noises I am having.

Java...no problem hi-jacking the thread. I find that shifting from 2wd to 4wd-full time is tricky at times...and shifting back is just as tricky. I find that shifting on "slippery" surfaces makes it easier...gravel...dirt..snow..etc. I shift quickly between the two...quickly bypassing the 4wd-part time setting. Then just a little on and off of the gas...gently...usually lets gears settle and shift. Just my experience...mine has not shown problems...but, then I have the linkage adjusted per the manual.

Hi
No problems with hijacking this thread we're all here to help each other.:spin1:

I've since found out is that coming out of 4wd she can get stuck in part time, hence the wheel wobble when you turn a tight corner as in part time the wheels are locked together and turn at the same rate, so unless you are on a slippery surface and not tarmac/ashpalt then the inside wheel has to try and catch up hence the famous wobble.

I've found that if i reverse a few times she comes out of 4wd easily.

I'm going to change all fluids and see if i'm still getting that noise when 4wd is selected.

Regards