Hi I have a 96 jeep cherokee country with a transfer case problem. my transfer case has 2wd, 4wd full time,4wd part time, and 4wd low. the tag on the transfer case says 242 does this seem right or has someone switched housings or cases?

no year car, and matters huge, 1993-2023 up.
they are not ALL the same
no country told
no engine size told or even gas and diesel.
4wd or 2wd, yes low range 4wd.
do not use the 4wd, with 4wd mode set to LOCKED on pavement
not told engine runs. ok, : guess#1 yes
car drives ok in 2wd, in all gears PRNDL, R, D and L????
car fails in 4wd only if yes, say so and tell what 4wd mode it is in
4wd full time 4wc, part time or 4wd lock mode.

sorry we can not guess year,. and 29 long years of evolution on this car, no YEAR told.
AWD called, ALL time 1999, and before that was Select track 1993 first one

did kids play with 4WD levers? seems so to me.
put it 2wd , and learn how to use 4wd later. (ASK),

are you on pavement, or offroad.?
99 Cherokee what transfer case?
if Part time system. then,.
are your tires on ice or dirt?
if not its cockpit error.
read the operators guide, on this.
if on ICE,say so, we can not know what transfer case you have
nor what tires are sitting on.
do tell, and we can tell you what good or bad.

here is the build list for these years XJ
what do you have. ?
The full time box, must not be in 4Lo , on pavement
unless it too is on ice .

All the transfer cases used on the Cherokee were chain driven with aluminium housings. Command-Trac was standard on XJ models built with 4WD.

• 1984-1987: New Process NP207 Command-Trac, part-time only, 2.61:1 ratio with low range
• 1984-1986: New Process NP228/229 Selec-Trac, full- or part-time, 2.61:1 ratio with low range

NP228/229 has a vacuum switch for 2WD-4WD selection on the fly and a separate manual lever for low range

• 1987-2001: New Process NP231 Command-Trac, part-time only, 2.72:1 ratio with low range

NP231 has the following settings: 2HI, 4HI, N, 4LO

• 1987-2001: New Process NP242 Selec-Trac, full-time or part-time, 2.72:1 ratio with low range

NP242 has the following settings: 2HI, 4 full-time, 4 part-time, N, 4LO

-----------------------------------
never post questions on 4wd unless you know what is there.
the transfer case, also has tag , telling what it is.

not sure what that means.? not at all.
Grand Cherokee, WK , 2005
2wd or 4? must be 4 cause 231 is NP231 transfer case and not a rear end (RE?) axle name. or is 231 a typo?????????
so are you driving in 4wd, why not tell that? or 2wd.????????
if yes, then what are tires touching,
dry pavement?
ice?
or off road.?
I cant guess roads, yet, no clairvoyance , upgrade here ,yet...
the WK runs a NV140 or , NV245 transfer case (both Full time)
so how do you find one with NP231????
the rear of the transfer case has tag and clearly tell you what is there, did look first.

if in 4wd, are you using LOCK mode, or Part time mode.
or 4wd LOW, do not use low... unless you LEARN how. and where.
if yes, the car must be on ice or offroad, never ever on dry pavement unless you select FULL TIME MODEs.
the operators guide is clear on that, read it yet?>

on my WK the front axle is C200
and rear is C213, c213r has DIFFERENTIAL-VARI-LOK
no 231s used.

are you asking a VARI-lok question.
read page Chatter 3 page 204 on this, tells you how to test this.
the axle has a tag that will ID it as, C213R, if opted day 1.
the free book is here

click WK (the whole book real)
here


http://www.morris4x4center.com/knowledge-base/index.htm?utm_source=cj#service

Hello guy
try posting what 4wd system you have,? first.
command trac or select track, (the latter is full time)
part time or the full time system,
we cant guess it....
read the operators guide first, if a part time system only
as i suspect, stop driving on dry pavement.
it's only for ice, or dirt. part time. part time is not a full time system.
Command-Trac
shifting to 4wd on dry (means no ice) pavement causes, drive line wind up! and the gears to lockup. (see steering get tight in turns?> and is dangerous to drive it like this , you, me and the box)
posted here 100s of times.

http://www.rubicon-trail.com/4WD101/driveline-bind.html


the non grand Cherokee. early

had these choices

• 1987-2001: New Process NP231 Command-Trac, part-time only, 2.72:1 ratio with low range

NP231 has the following settings: 2HI, 4HI, N, 4LO

• 1987-2001: New Process NP242 Selec-Trac, full-time or part-time, 2.72:1 ratio with low range

NP242 has the following settings: 2HI, 4 full-time, 4 part-time, N, 4LO


as you can see you need to first know, what NP box you have or
photo your shift lever for 4wd, an post it and we tell you.

more facts, on select trac. (totally unlike command trac)
Selec-Trac locking hub is used on 4WD Cherokee. Selec-Trac
utilizes a non-disconnect front axle. Engagement of 2WD or 4WD is
accomplished at transfer case by means of mechanical shift linkage.
System allows full or part time 4WD. Selec-Trac can be shifted into
2WD or 4WD modes from inside the vehicle at any speed.
unquote
next from the service manual,
4WD TO 2WD
1) Place mode select switch in 2WD position. Transfer case
should shift to 2WD and not allow shifting into 4WD or LO range. Axle
should shift after transfer case shifts.
2) To determine if front axle has completed a shift out of
4WD into 2WD, position mode select switch back to 4WD position while
operating vehicle at slow speed. If vehicle shifts into 2WD, axle will
ratchet. If shift is not completed, transfer case will shift into 4WD
and hissing sound will come from mode select switch.
end quote.

if unsure read the FSM book its free.
shows you both systems and how to diagnose it.

in the box, click Cherokee,,then click 1993, and behold.
the real deal.

http://www.morris4x4center.com/knowledge-base/index.htm?utm_source=cj#service

without changing transfer case it is not possible.* (normal circumstances)

what you need is NP242 or NP231 selectrac /command trac transfer cases from 4.0 G.cherokee or Cherokee. those allows you to select 2wd for all time driving and let you decide on mode when 4wd is needed.

also you can test to see how it feels by removing front shaft for trial purposes but you will be loosing power because all time transfer case distributes the traction over front and rear.( do not try this when driving in traffic)

*I also heard that it is possible to convert all time mode to all time 2wd but keeping 4wd low intact.( i wonder how realiable the result is though)

A 96 grand came with 3 different transfer cases in different models. if you see beside the 4x4 shifter there is the shift pattern printed there. some models only had the all-wheel drive option with high and low. others had 2wd-4wd high-n-4wd low. I would guess that since you're asking this, your jeep has only the all-wheel drive transfer case option. if this is the case... you are not able to run your jeep in 2wd

You can change on the run but as a general rule stop to change to 4wd.except 2wd to 4wd high.Just slow down to about 15mph and back off the gas.
2wd high is normal running
4wd high(is full time 4wd)this is slippery roads or muddy roads.
4wd high lock For bad and slower slippery and rocky roads.
4wd low lock is for extreme 4wd conditions
Don't use the last 2 on the main roads or transfercase will be damaged
Hope this helps

should be some numbers on the case itself a good auto salvage yard could tell you what you got

yes, it has 4 low. you might need to get the linkage adjusted. if that doesn't work, then there are pads on the shift forks insde the transfer case that might need replacement.