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242 doner vehicles

S

scott00tj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Medina, OH
My '98XJ had a 242 and I loved it so now I want to put a 242 into my '99XJ that has the 231. Other then 97+ XJs what are other vehicles that I can nab a 242 from and bolt right in place.

Finding a junk yard XJ with the 242 is difficult since it was somewhat of a rare option, but I see a lot of ZJs that have a somewhat better chance, but I don't know if their 242s would match up.
 
Last edited:
96-01 are a direct swap

91-95 are a direct swap IF you also swap the rear driveshaft and the donor vehicle has the same engine, tranny, and rearend.
 
Okay thanks guys. Like I said I have been able to find lots of ZJ's with the 242. I actually know of a '95 for sure that has the case and the drive shaft just waiting for me.

As for the spline count the AW4's output is 23 correct?
 
i am wanting to do the same thing to my 2000 that has a 231.
if i shove a 242 into it will the wires plug in the same or is the harness different?
what about the "full time" dash light, is it already pre wired in my dash?
will the shift linkage work the same?
do i just swap out the shift indicator bezel on the console?
 
If you change from a 231 to a 242, you have to do a little bit of work, but not much.

There is a separate harness for the transfer case switch. See http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=970403

You will need to put a bulb in the Full-Time socket but the rest of the wiring is there.

The shifter linkage is the same but the gear pattern is different so you need to get the shifter gate.

Search for other details
 
ehall said:
If you change from a 231 to a 242, you have to do a little bit of work, but not much.

There is a separate harness for the transfer case switch. See http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=970403

You will need to put a bulb in the Full-Time socket but the rest of the wiring is there.

The shifter linkage is the same but the gear pattern is different so you need to get the shifter gate.

Search for other details
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think I should be able to handle the actual swap once I get all the right parts.
 
If I can get a hold of a 91 - 95 Grand Cherokee 242 and its drive shaft does the drive shaft bolt up to the XJ's rear axle without modification? Is it long enough, short enough, correct end, ect....?
 
What rearend do you have? ZJs with the 242 usually came with the D35. The V8s had the AWD and D44a rear.
 
scott00tj said:
I have the Chrysler 8.25"
Click to expand...

Hmm, not really sure how that would work. My previous 2000 XJ had the 242 and 8.25 rear end but got totaled. They are around but like you said they are rare. Your best bet would probably be to find a 242 out of an older style XJ with the 8.25 and take the driveshaft with you. With this older style T-Case you will also be less prone to vibes. I miss my 242 and will probably swap one in eventually. I have a D35 rear though so will probably use one out of a ZJ.

Edit: I know some KJ limiteds came with 242s not sure if those would work...
 
are you guys talking about ZJs or XJs?

ZJ rearends are coil sprung and will not swap into an XJ and they all suck anyways.

I don't believe ZJ rear driveshafts swap over but I'm not sure, I think they are a different length.

The transfer case type in an XJ does not dictate the driveshaft lengths - they both have the same offsets for the input/output shafts.
 
kastein said:
are you guys talking about ZJs or XJs?

ZJ rearends are coil sprung and will not swap into an XJ and they all suck anyways.

I don't believe ZJ rear driveshafts swap over but I'm not sure, I think they are a different length.

The transfer case type in an XJ does not dictate the driveshaft lengths - they both have the same offsets for the input/output shafts.
Click to expand...

We arn't talking about swapping axles. We are talking about swapping 242 transfer cases. The question and discussion of the axles came in when we started to reference Grand Cherokee doners with the 242 where the drive shaft would also be needed due to the different out put style of the transfer case. Question being if you get a 242 and a drive shaft from "x" Grand Cherokee would the other end of that drive shaft then bolt up to an XJ's rear axle. The 8.25" in my case. As you stated, the lengths are possibly different so it wouldn't much matter anyway since a drive shaft would have to be found from an XJ or made in which case either end could be setup as any type.
 
Ahhh that makes a lot more sense :looney:

The driveshaft ends will all bolt up iirc, at least the rears. Some years of wj and zj had this dumb cv joint cup thinger for a pinion yoke on the front axle for some reason, afaik all the rears are 1310 series u-joint though. Still most likely the wrong length however.
 
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