Transfer Case Question NP242 vs NP231

[Lost_Wrench]

Originally Posted by cruiser54

Please don't take offense, but I'm gonna use your post as an example.

ALWAYS check fluid level and condition on any "new to you" vehicle.

do a used car inspection like the dealers do on trade-ins.

I wouldn't be a good example then because I did...as soon as I got it home in fact. At that time I could put my finger inside the T-Case fill plug and feel fluid. Sometimes it's hard to tell how dirty fluid is from that type of check vs when just I drained it all into a clear container. Plus, the 4x4 was working fine in all ranges at that point in time so I wasn't suspecting anything abnormal. Why their was so much less fluid this time? I dont know.. Do T-Cases ever burn fluid? Maybe it is leaking slowly from somewhere and I just can't tell.

[Lost_Wrench]

To further clarify, when I first test drove it I could feel the wheels binding in Part Time when turning on dry pavement, like it should. It wasn't until months later when there was snow on the ground that I noticed Part Time 4x4 wasn't working correctly. When testing it one day it sometimes felt the same as Full Time, and sometimes just felt like it was still in 2wd. So in just a few months time of normal driving the fluid level decreased substantially without the 4x4 system being used very much in that timeframe. Hopefully the internal seals and bearings aren't too damaged from the fluid being so low. If I'm to be used as a bad example for something - which is fine - it's for not checking the fluid as soon as I noticed a problem.

[cruiser54]

Transfer case holds very little fluid to begin with. Less than a quart.
It coulda had a lot of miles on it. Interval for changing is every 30,000 miles under normal usage.

[Unclewolverine]

My 242 takes about a quart and a half, but export ones are supposed to be different somehow...

[Jim Malcolm]

I provided an explanation of how the 4FT vs 4PT works on another Cherokee specific forum since suitable pictures were previously posted there; I don't have the means to host my own pictures and might as well add to the conversation vs fragmenting it. Search for "242 Transfer Case Modes"...