4x4 Problems

Something is seriously fcuked up in my 4x4 system. So for now I am driving with my 4x4 Lever in the 2WD Position and the front driveshaft is out. I was testing the Jeep out with no driveshaft in my driveway. When it is in the 2WD position it drives fine other than alot of spinning and clicking underneith. I have the 242 transfer case. When I put the lever into 2WD Part time, the Jeep doesn't move. Again, I get alot of clicks and clunks when putting the trans in and out of gear in this position. I get the same thing in 4WD Full Time. Now, when I go to 4LO, the Jeep moves like it is in 4LO, but again I get alot of clicking and noise putting it in and out of gear. Remember, this is when the front driveshaft is out. When I have the front driveshaft in, it drives different. When it is in the 2WD position, it feels (almost positive it is in) 4WD Part Time. When I put it in 4WD Part Time position, it is in part time. When I put it in 4WD Full Time, it drives fine, with little/no gas milage loss. When it is in 4LO, it drives as it would in 4LO. And this is with the front driveshaft in So I am debating on what I should do. MY thought as of right now, is to get it on 4 jack stands OFF the ground with the front driveshaft IN and see if all four wheels are actually spinning. If anyone has any suggestions or want to tell me if this is normal or not, please do. I want to get a newer XJ in a few months, but I still want to get this one working right. Thanks guys.

It sounds about normal for a 242.

Can't follow everything you explained but the 242 won't go in certian gears without a front shaft.

If it is not making noises when everything is attached, don't worry about it.

hinkley

It is stuck in 4WD when in the 2WD position, with the front driveshaft IN. I checked the linkage already.

it may be the chain slapping around because there is no load

Stuck in 4wd? Make sure your tires are all the same size and pressure. If not, the 242 sometimes won't unlock from 4wd

I just found out that two of my tires are 225's and two of them are 235's. How do I fix the chain if there is slack in it?

First off, put the front driveshaft back in. It will help diagnose stuff better for now.

Secondly, check and adjust the linkage for the XC. Make sure that it goes into each postion correctly when the lever is engaged in that spot, and the light is "ON" for that range position.

If you do both of those, and it still makes noises or does not work, come back and describe it some more, and we can help further.

It's jumping to conclusions to say the chain in the XC has problems without doing the above first.

Are these things normal though? How the truck doesn't move with it in 4WD and no driveshaft? Shouldn't the back wheels still be engaged? Should I fill up my Transfer Case with fluid, throw the front DS back in and try it again and if all else fails, just drive it in 4WD Full Time all the time? It drives nice in FT, no wheel skips or anything...

Anyone...

On a NP242 transfer case, you have the following modes:
2 Hi--rear drive shaft is driven ONLY
4 Part Time Hi--front and rear drive shafts are both turning, and are LOCKED together. (turn at same speed, regardless of wheel slip)
4 Full Time Hi--from and rear drive shafts are both turning, but there is DIFFERENTIAL action between them. (One shaft can turn faster or slower than the other, just like a diff. in an axle.)
4 Part Time Lo--same as 4 Part Time Hi, but with gear reduction to both drive shafts.

So.....if you operate your XJ with the front drive shaft removed, it will NOT move if you put it in 4 Full Time Hi, as the differential in the transfer case will apply all power to the easiest drive shaft to turn, in this case, the missing front one.

Does this help?

Should I fill up my Transfer Case with fluid, throw the front DS back in and try it again and if all else fails, just drive it in 4WD Full Time all the time? It drives nice in FT, no wheel skips or anything...

I think one of the biggest things you need to do is get rid of those mismatched tires.

Tony

tchase said:

I think one of the biggest things you need to do is get rid of those mismatched tires.

Click to expand...

Exactly. That's why I asked, the 242 needs all four tires to be the same size (diameter) and roughly the same air pressure in each in order for it to operate correctly and especially for it to unlock from any 4wd mode back into 2wd. I have heard of people with only a few pounds difference in the front and rear that had problems with it...

Went to Walmart today to get two replacement tires for my fronts and I was planning on getting cheap-o's considering I wanna pass inspection and I am getting a newer Jeep soon. So I got there and some black guy told me he'd give me two Goodyear Tracker A/T's, $95 for BOTH, balanced and mounted. I was going to get rid of this Jeep and go newer but slowly it is getting back into shape. Tomorrow I am going to throw my driveshaft back in and see what happens. If I still have this problem, I am going to keep the front driveshaft in and just drive it in 4WD Full Time and get another XC.

AndrewXJ said:

Should I fill up my Transfer Case with fluid, throw the front DS back in and try it again and if all else fails, just drive it in 4WD Full Time all the time? It drives nice in FT, no wheel skips or anything...

Click to expand...

Have you been running this without fluid?

mark

doesn't matter how cheap the tires are. If you don't get four matching tires you will probably still have problems. This really applies any 4x4 but the 242 transfercase is truly very sensitive to this. Also if you've been driving in full-time mode with those mismatched tires long enough to judge whether there is a difference in gas mileage I wouldn't be surprised if you t-case is damaged. If the noises coming from it are from a seriously stretched chain you do need to address this issue. We recently noticed noises from our 242 and upon opening it up, found that the chain was not only contacting the case, but was also starting to wear through the side of the oil pump pick-up tube. I lost the pump in my 231 years ago and I can tell you they don't last too long without oil. I don't mean to sound so gloomy and I could be completly wrong so I'd really like to what some others think.

If it's any consolation we replaced our chain and all seems well after about a month. Chain cost less and took less time to install than the four new tires.

Tony

I filled it up about 4 months ago and have no leaks.

Hinkley had a good question; I'm pretty sure you've made that same "fill up the t-case" comment a few times and it does tend to make one wonder whether you were running any oil in the t-case at all.

Yucca-Man said:

Hinkley had a good question; I'm pretty sure you've made that same "fill up the t-case" comment a few times and it does tend to make one wonder whether you were running any oil in the t-case at all.

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Exactly!


hinkley

AndrewXJ said:

Went to Walmart today to get two replacement tires for my fronts and I was planning on getting cheap-o's considering I wanna pass inspection and I am getting a newer Jeep soon. So I got there and some black guy told me he'd give me two Goodyear Tracker A/T's, $95 for BOTH, balanced and mounted. I was going to get rid of this Jeep and go newer but slowly it is getting back into shape. Tomorrow I am going to throw my driveshaft back in and see what happens. If I still have this problem, I am going to keep the front driveshaft in and just drive it in 4WD Full Time and get another XC.

Click to expand...

yeah, you should ditch it. I'll give you $100 to take it of your hands....