• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Transfer case questions

Buddybliven

NAXJA Forum User
Okay guys I've got two 4.0 xj's one is a 1990 with a bad motor but all the running gear is there and works. The other is a 1996 H.O. and has no transfer case or drivelines my question is can I take the transfer case and drivelines out of the 1990 and bolt them into the 96 I know many other things like body panels doors some interior panels things like that will work but I really want to get the 96 back on the road any help would be greatly appreciated
 
The 90 should have vacuum indicator system (so no 4wd light) and you might have to swap the input shafts if they have different splines. I think other than that they should be compatible. I'm not sure but I think there might be a speedometer incompatibility too, because the older ones used cables.

Sent from my HTC M9 using Tapatalk
 
They are different generations and a few differences. Anything is possible with enough time and money but it would be easier to find gear from the same generation.

First question does the 1996 have a transmission, and if so what kind? One thing you'll have to deal with is mating the transfer case to the transmission

You are saying drivelines, do you mean driveshafts? What rear axles are in the two XJs?
 
Last edited:
Both Jeeps have the aw4 automatic transmission both Jeeps have Dana 35 in the rear and Dana 30 is in the front and by drivelines I mean the drive shafts that go from the transfer case to the differentials
 
The first thing you have to worry about it is the input shaft on the transfer case. The 1996 AW4 will have a 23-spline output, but the 1990 transfer case will have a 21-spline input shaft. Another factor is that gear cut on the input shaft changed around 1994, and there are different lengths for different transmissions, so altogether you will need an input shaft from a 1991-1993 NP231 or NP242 that was originally behind an AW4. Then you will have to swap it, which requires complete disassembly of the transfer case all bearings, so you might as well get a master rebuild kit and replace all the bearings and seals while you are at it.

The other thing you have to consider is the rear driveshaft length. The rear axles are the same so pinion length is the same. The rear output on the transfer cases are different lengths but if you have the rear driveshaft from the 1990 transfer case then its irrelevant, just remember to match the driveshaft to the transfer case and you will be fine.

Probably easier and cheaper to just buy a new transfer case from 1991-1994 and swap it along with the 1990 rear driveshaft. If you get a transfer case from 1995 through 2001 you will also need a late-model driveshaft to go with it.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top