Stuck T-Case

Advise please! I have a 87' Jeep Cherokee Limited. Every thing is original. 4.0 242 T-Case and I don't know about the tranny. I have taken it through some not so exciting trails plenty of times. I have never used 4WD LO until last weekend. Only because I put it to the test on some very steep hills with loose dirt. Now the darn thing is stuck in 4WD LO. Binding right? Tried reverse, loose gravel. Unhooked linkage to T-Case and tried to pry. I even lifted all four tires off the ground and did all the above. It wiil pop out of 4WD LO into the Nuetral position and back to 4WD LO but that is it! I'm screwed right? Is there a way I can take the thing apart and get it to go into 2WD HI until I can upgrade?

Ouch! How's the fluid level?

Maybe that doesn't help at all.

Did you put the transmission in neutral when trying to shift from 4LO to 4HI?

Limited = Automatic = AW4 (for your edification.)

Try shifting the transfer case with the transmission in neutral when going in and out of 4LO - Shift-On-Fly only really works (in my wife's 89 Limited) when going into/out of 4PT/4FT. IIRC, even the manual sez to stop for the 4LO shift - but going into neutral is a good idea (figure you're going to be at or near a dead stop for anything needing 4LO anyhow...)

Fluid level shouldn't have anything to do with shifting - the work is done mechanically, as I recall.

5-90

5-90 said:

Limited = Automatic = AW4 (for your edification.)

Try shifting the transfer case with the transmission in neutral when going in and out of 4LO - Shift-On-Fly only really works (in my wife's 89 Limited) when going into/out of 4PT/4FT. IIRC, even the manual sez to stop for the 4LO shift - but going into neutral is a good idea (figure you're going to be at or near a dead stop for anything needing 4LO anyhow...)

Fluid level shouldn't have anything to do with shifting - the work is done mechanically, as I recall.

5-90

Click to expand...

I agree, the fluid level doesn't make a difference unless something seized. Well, I'm just guessing here...only had my XJ for ~3 weeks. :angel:

5-90 said:

Limited = Automatic = AW4 (for your edification.)

Try shifting the transfer case with the transmission in neutral when going in and out of 4LO - Shift-On-Fly only really works (in my wife's 89 Limited) when going into/out of 4PT/4FT. IIRC, even the manual sez to stop for the 4LO shift - but going into neutral is a good idea (figure you're going to be at or near a dead stop for anything needing 4LO anyhow...)

Fluid level shouldn't have anything to do with shifting - the work is done mechanically, as I recall.

5-90

Click to expand...

Was that for my 'edification' or eee3's? I just assumed that he was talking about an AW4 but it really shouldn't matter should it? I was basically trying to get across the same point as you, only didn't go into as much detail...

eee3's - as I read it, he wasn't sure which transmission he had and I thought I'd help out.

I'd have to see the tcase to get more information about why it stuck, but I do recall them being mechanically shifted.

5-90

I have run into this with 2 different jeeps now. A screw from somewhere in in the console had fallen down in under the lever.

Pull up the bezel around the 4x4 shifter and look down in there with a flashlight and probe with one of those extendable magnets. Both times it was a little sheet metal screw about .5" long.

I fought for 2 days with the thing before finding it.

Andy