Towing the XJ - conflicting info.

Planetcat · Feb 11, 2011

Hey all, I'm going to tow my 1990 XJ Limited Roach behind my Dodge 2500 diesel p/u. I have the NV242 transfer case. I'm getting conflicting info from the owner's manual and the FSM:

Owners Manual says T-case=neutral, Trans=Park
FSM says T-case=neutral, Trans=neutral

I've towed my YJ before, but it had a 231 case and manual transmission. I'm assuming that it's the neutral-park method that I'm supposed to use, but just want to make sure so I don't ruin my jeep and hunting trip next weekend. Thanks in advance.

kastein · Feb 11, 2011

neutral-park. Make sure you don't have one of the 231s that locks front/rear shafts together in neutral (easy, stick it in park+neutral and jack one front wheel off the ground, try to spin it. If the front driveshaft spins you're good to go) so you don't break the transfer case in half the second you start towing it.

The reason you want to put an auto tranny in park and the transfer case in neutral while towing is that the parasitic drag from the fluid in the transfer case will make it spin the input shaft of the case plus the output shaft of the transmission if you don't. Do that enough while the engine isn't running and spinning the tranny fluid pump and you'll burn up the bearings on the tranny output shaft and run the seals dry-ish.

Planetcat · Feb 11, 2011

kastein said:
neutral-park. Make sure you don't have one of the 231s that locks front/rear shafts together in neutral (easy, stick it in park+neutral and jack one front wheel off the ground, try to spin it. If the front driveshaft spins you're good to go) so you don't break the transfer case in half the second you start towing it.

The reason you want to put an auto tranny in park and the transfer case in neutral while towing is that the parasitic drag from the fluid in the transfer case will make it spin the input shaft of the case plus the output shaft of the transmission if you don't. Do that enough while the engine isn't running and spinning the tranny fluid pump and you'll burn up the bearings on the tranny output shaft and run the seals dry-ish.

Hey thanks. I have a 242 case, so I'm assuming it's not like the funky 231 cases that locks the fr/rr shafts together in N. That totally makes sense about the trans, too.

cruiser54 · Feb 12, 2011

Always verify that the t/case is in neutral by starting the Jeep in neutral, putting it in D to make sure it doesn't move, shutting it off, and then putting it back into P .

kastein · Feb 12, 2011

cruiser54 said:
Always verify that the t/case is in neutral by starting the Jeep in neutral, putting it in D to make sure it doesn't move, shutting it off, and then putting it back into P .

Very important, unless you like wearing your parking pawl out! :thumbup:

Towing the XJ - conflicting info.

Planetcat

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kastein

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Planetcat

NAXJA Forum User

cruiser54

NAXJA Forum User

kastein

NAXJA Member

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