Auto Tranny woes

I just picked up a 92' XJ for really cheap. It has 265k miles on it and when you shift from park to reverse, the shifter will move freely between R, N and D. Is this an easy shifter gate fix or possibly a problem in the tranny itself? I am brand new to Jeeps so go easy on me if this is a dumb question. thanks for the help.

There should be both a detent on the shifter and in the tranny. Be very carfull that you dont get it between gears..... the tranny will be done and it costs 2,000 to have a shop pull it and rebuild it. Our trannys are very tough and as long as your carefull you should be fine. I think i would look into a shifter from a lower mileage cherokee and see if that fixes the issue. I would not pull the tranny pan. I have seen to many people change the fluid after 100,000 miles and that it trannys toast. The reason that happens is the new fluid cleans out all of the crud and the crap gets in the valve body. Clearance is so tight in the vave body,that it makes the tranny mess up.

So I shouldn't change the tranny fluid? Or I shouldnt pull the pan to do it? If I pull the shifter cover from inside the jeep is the a way to tell if its the shifter or the tranny indents?

At 265k I'd change the fluid anyway. Make sure you use Dexron and not the Chrysler stuff most auto parts places think belongs in there.

The shifter is independent of the tranny; it's been so long since I've been able to drive mine that I may have forgotten, but I thought you could always pop between R, N and D without problem...maybe I should go get the tranny reinstalled so I can find out for sure...

iirc you can always shift through neutral to drive but you cant shift from drive to neutral without pushing the button in. mine goes from to R to
D and back without having to push the button in.

It sounds like the detent is worn or ground off the shift rail. It's located just under the PRNDL plate that will snap out of the console. I say ground off because there is a modification floating around to allow it. Maybe the former user did that.

If thats the problem do I need a whole shifter assembly or is there an individual part I can purchase?