Help with 4x4 sticking

Hi,

My 1999 xj, 4.0, 4x4, 168,000 miles was having trouble going back to 2 wheel drive, I put it in full time because it was raining, when I tried to take it out, it was staying in full time and would not come out.

I stopped the car many times putting it in reverse and going through all the gears but it would not come out.

After many attempts it finally went back to 2 wheel drive.

I think I may need to top off my gear oil in the 4x4 axles, does anyone know how this is done properly.

Put it in reverse, floor the throttle for a good 20 feet then back to drive and have a nice day.

AIbandit said:

Put it in reverse, floor the throttle for a good 20 feet then back to drive and have a nice day.

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quoted directly from the owner's manual?

I'm not saying it won't work, but I've had better luck adjusting the tire pressures, adjusting the shift linkage, and placing the transmission in neutral. On a BAD day, I have "blipped" the throttle ones or twice to get it to shift out of 4WD, but I'm not convinced it was really necessary.

Dex III/VI. On the transfer case, just to the side of where the rear driveshaft attaches to the pinion, couple of plugs. Top plug is fill and you need to remove it first. NEVER DRAIN THE TRANSFER CASE WITHOUT REMOVING THE FILL PLUG FIRST. The plugs like to seize, and if you drain and can't refill...well, the word "screwed" comes to mind.

Good luck.

Put the transmission in neutral and coast a little bit as you shift the t-case from full time to 2wd (through part time). With no load it should let you just slide into 2wd.

I'm assuming you've got an NP242??

Mark

I had this problem with my 99 with a 242 transfer case. After putting on 4 new tyres it solved the problem. I think slight differences in the rolling circumference of the tyres if they're worn differently can cause this.

I have also been told that if you have a 242 transfer case and the jeep is aligned with 231 specs (slight toe-in) it can cause this.

Shouldn't matter - alignment is alignment, same specs for 231, 242 and 2wd - the 2wd axle is just a dummy D30, no pumpkin. Same geometry, just no gear housing or guts. Oh, something different about how the unit bearings are held together with no stub shafts, but that has nothing to do with alignment.....

Mark

mfascuba said:

Shouldn't matter - alignment is alignment, same specs for 231, 242 and 2wd - the 2wd axle is just a dummy D30, no pumpkin. Same geometry, just no gear housing or guts. Oh, something different about how the unit bearings are held together with no stub shafts, but that has nothing to do with alignment.....

Mark

Click to expand...

Don't know where you got that info but 242 is supposed to have zero toe. Something to do with it messing with the full-time 4wd. The guy that aligned my jeep (that has been aligning jeeps since the 70s) was explaining it to me. I had him align mine to the 231 specs since it should help with track going down the road, and I never use the full-time 4wd.

I can't see why the steering geometry would change - if the front end is tight, shouldn't matter. I've got a 242 in my current jeep, last one was a 231. Had my front drive shaft go bad on me a while ago, couldn't use the 4WD at all until I put the original shaft (rebuilt) back in. Really the only time I use the 4WD is when I'm off road, and then it's in part time anyway. I looked specifically for a 242 when I bought this one, should have just got a 231 so I could lock the front axle without worrying about lending it out and getting it totaled.

I'll have to do some research on the front end stuff - I try to look at things from a common sense angle, it doesn't make any sense to me to have different settings.

Thanks - it's good to have a good head scratcher every now and then!

Mark

FSM 90 says the toe should be ZERO--there is no difference based on what transfer case you have.

FSM 99 says preferred is +0.25°; range is 0° to +0.45°; maximum right/left difference is .05°; and no difference based on what transfer case you have.

Wouldn't you just know it!