NP242 light stuck on

Just bought a 2000 XJ

first Jeep I've had with 242 xfer case

light is stuck on in 2WD... seller was a mile or so from my buddy's shop so I just racked it and verified that the light was in error and it was in fact in 2WD

any ideas what to fix or just start looking?

Also can I use my leftover Redline D4 in this xfer case?

I'm pretty stoked, this thing is a little rough and has 250K miles but it drives astonishingly well, better than my '99 with 120K. Haven't checked to see if it is 0331 yet or not but holds good oil pressure and coolant is clean. This thing has ALL the HD options my '99 had so less stuff to swap over, plus power windows/locks/mirrors which is nice. Also no ABS and 8.25" rear end unlike my '99. I know I'm rolling the dice with the AW4 but I can swap it right?

With that many miles i would look at shifter switch

When I bought my 2000, the light would stay on in either full or part time. It would be off in the morning. After a few cycles in and out, it started to work perfect. Must have a ball and spring type mechanism that possibly needs use to free up. Or you can just replace the switch on the transfercase.

Clean and lube the T-Case switch, or replace it. You can use any type of ATF in the T-Case.

N8N_99xj said:

I know I'm rolling the dice with the AW4 but I can swap it right?

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I've never heard anything but good things about the AW4. It seems to hold almost the same status as the 4.0L I6 in terms of reliability and longevity. What is your concern?

Take out the switch & clean/operate it by hand a few times, then change the transfer case fluid (Most all I've seen have never been changed & are full of black gunk that used to be ATF . The 242 is hard on fluid, especially if used in Full Time mode, the 2000 242 uses ATF+4 synthetic fluid

dan1977p said:

I've never heard anything but good things about the AW4. It seems to hold almost the same status as the 4.0L I6 in terms of reliability and longevity. What is your concern?

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Unknown at 250K miles and unknown service history if it is safe to change ATF

I was hoping to sell my '99 to someone in a county with no emissions testing but part of me wants to pull the drivetrain "just in case" because it's super solid and ~120K miles, I've had it since 70K and done two major services all with Redline lubricants, one within the last 5K

OK I've read up and see how the switch works now, looks like it's a plunger type thing and after 250K miles it's probably all gooed up

so I guess I will change the ATF in the transfer case and if it's still flaky pull the switch and soak it in some penetrating oil

gotta love cheap fixes