• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Should my XJ have a 249 transfer case??

A

Andy98xj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Libertyville, IL
So I'm new to the jeep world and have a 98 XJ sport that had the upcountry package. I have installed a 3" lift and have been tracking down various issues and have now gotten to the point of drive line vibrations. So in looking at my transfer case to try to figure out what I want to do I look at the tag and it has 249 on there. Now I'm a bit confused because in all my reading I see 231 and 242, and I'm expecting that it is a 242 because i have the full time 4wd option. So has this been swapped out, or did it come from the factory with a 249? What is a 249 and how is it different from a 242?

Thanks
 
Ok so the more I search I see that there is no way this is a 249 I will get back under and look at the tag a little closer.. I could swear the damn thing said 249.
 
Theres always a chance that it is in fact a 249 swapped in from a ZJ if thats what was available when the stock one needed replaced. After fixing tons of crappy craftsmanship thanks to the previous owners of mine, I'm realizing that tons of stuff has been swapped in from the newer body style and hardly anything in the interior fits right.
 
well my biggest issue is that i've seen conflicting descriptions of what the 249 is. In one post someone referred to it as being the same as a 242 but it had hardened shafts. But then I look on the ZJ forums and people are trying to swap their 249's for 242's and it seemed to me it was because the 249 was 4wd all the time no 2wd option. Now I don't know squat about ZJ's and what options they had, but I didn't think they were AWD. I do know that my XJ seems to function as it should meaning it certainly has 2wd and I've used the full time 4wd on dry pavement with no issues. So is sure functions like what I know a 242 should. I'll have to slide back under there and look at the tag again.
 
Ok so now I'm really confused. I have the tag in my hand and it does indeed say 249. New Process Gear
249 J
assembly 52098 916AB
serial 11 4 97 3
ratio 272

to be exact. This is sitting in my 1998 cherokee sport with upcountry package. I've used every one of the 4 transfer case gears successfully. So jeep experts please chime in on what I've got here because I'm stumped and given I think I'm going to need a SYE I need to figure out what TC i'm dealing with here.
 
Andy98xj said:
Ok so now I'm really confused. I have the tag in my hand and it does indeed say 249. New Process Gear
249 J
assembly 52098 916AB
serial 11 4 97 3
ratio 272

to be exact. This is sitting in my 1998 cherokee sport with upcountry package. I've used every one of the 4 transfer case gears successfully. So jeep experts please chime in on what I've got here because I'm stumped and given I think I'm going to need a SYE I need to figure out what TC i'm dealing with here.
Click to expand...

Well, considering the 249 is a full time 4wd t-case with no 2wd gear selection then maybe you have a 242 that was repaired with the back half of a 249 case?

My opinion is either way I think you should spend some time finding a 231 to swap back in. The t-case you have has far too many issues for me to feel comfortable using it long term.
 
do any of the numbers cast into the case mean anything? Maybe the wrong tag was put on some how?

If I change it out it would be for another 242 I live in Chicago area and need the option of driving around on the streets in 4wd. This is a DD jeep that most likely won't see any type of off road other than construction sites I go to.
 
Andy98xj said:
Ok so now I'm really confused. I have the tag in my hand and it does indeed say 249. New Process Gear
249 J
assembly 52098 916AB
serial 11 4 97 3
ratio 272

to be exact. This is sitting in my 1998 cherokee sport with upcountry package.
Click to expand...

Well I'm not sure whats going on here either. The serial matches up to it being original to a 98 model year. However the New Venture case replaced the New Process in 96 so I have no clue what the deal is.

I'm nowhere close to a t-case expert but from researching the swap process for the ZJ, the 249 back half is discarded and only the front half and some gears are reused with the new 231/242 back half. That would seem to rule out using a 249 back half to repair a 242, but since I'm learning as I try and figure this out I wouldn't call that a true fact until its confirmed by someone more experienced.
 
I would just run what you have since its working and at 3" you shouldn't really need a SYE. If you find that you really need to change your driveshaft angles I would get a t-case drop kit instead, especially if you won't be taking it off road.
 
I'm starting to think that somehow the wrong id tag got screwed onto this thing. The case had date stamps and one says 98, then at the top of the rear case there is a string of numbers cast in and I've see a few pictures of 242 cases for sale and I'm pretty sure the numbers are basically the same. I think my next move will be to remove the front shaft and see if the noise and vibrations go away. I noticed the other day that if I put it in 4wd I didn't notice either of them nearly as much. But right now there is roughly a 5* difference between my rear pinion and the drive shaft angle so I know I need to do something. Oh and that is with what ever shim Rough Country sent installed on the spring packs. I think with a Tcase drop I'll have to get some adjustable upper control arms because the lowers are all the way back and I think I still need to point the pinion up a bit, and from what I understand the Tcase drop will raise the front output of the case even more. Man I'm really starting to wish I would have just replace the suspension with stock replacement parts. I thought by going with a 3" lift I would avoid all this BS.
 
if you a little Google image research, and ignore the tag, the 242 and 249 are quite distinguishable from one another.

Put your good eye on the tailshaft housing. Is it one piece ore two?

a 242 is two piece.. 3 bolts to remove the cone, and 4 more to remove the mid-housing.

a 249 has a snap ring access plate on the top of the cone to release the rear bearing snap ring and only 4 bolts to remove the entire rear housing.



a good comparison is here in this swap rightup. http://kevinsoffroad.com/techarticles/Solitude 242 swap/249-242_swap.html
 
It's my understanding that Jeep/Chrysler would put anything they had in a Jeep rather than having the assembly line stop due to a parts shortage. So it's not completely uncommon for people to end up with factory parts that were never suppose to be there.

This doesn't really help but the 242 is preferred over the 249 because the 249 has a viscous coupler and the 242 has something like a traditional diff. The viscous coupler will often fail or wear-out quickly under more than "normal" conditions.
 
Last edited:
the 249 is an AWD case. There is no 2wd option. essentially it only has 4hi n and 4lo
$(KGrHqZ,!iYE+uKnoUPFBQNWz3dpow~~60_35.JPG


the 242 has 2wd, 4wd part time, 4wd full time, neutral and 4lo.

144674.jpg





IF a 249 was installed there would be a feel of only 3 detents as it was shifted.
 
Digger87xj said:
a 249 has a snap ring access plate on the top of the cone to release the rear bearing snap ring and only 4 bolts to remove the entire rear housing.
Click to expand...

This is a very easy way to tell if it is a 249.
 
I'll take another look at the tail shaft. Honestly at this point the only solution that makes any sort of sense is that the wrong tag got slapped on the case at some point in time. I have 2wd with out a doubt so there is no way it is an actual 249.

To make matters worse after taking my front drive shaft out this evening I managed break one of the cross member bolts trying to take it out to go buy bolts to do a DIY drop.
I just can't win.
 
mine says "it's a Jeep thing ... even I don't understand"
 
sorry had family in for the weekend and haven't had a chance to look at it. I will say I drove it to pick up some take out after removing the front drive shaft and there was some improvement. I still have the low frequency noise while accelerating mostly around 30mph. I wound up ordering some adjustable UCA's and a drop kit from Iron Rock so once it gets here and I can get it in I'll report back.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Transfer case?
Replies
6
Views
629
RCP Phx
R
D
T-case sensor- same for 231 or 242?
Replies
8
Views
2K
DPG
D
J
Cherokee 2001 2wd to 4wd conversion
Replies
5
Views
2K
kastein
kastein
M
4X4 grinding from 4H to 2H
Replies
6
Views
2K
techno1154
techno1154
R
thinking about getting an XJ again
Replies
9
Views
281
XJI6191
X
Back
Top