bertrenolds

I did some research and it seems like it's stuck in 4 wheel drive but I'm not sure. I put the truck in nutral while driving and then put it into 4 wheel and then took it out of 4 wheel trying to see if maybe it was the problem. It still does it so maybe it still stuck but I'm not sure.
When I turn, I believe even at high speed I feel it a little but I mostly feel it at low speed, the truck wobbles and doesent feel quite right while turning. I'm maybe thinking the power steering pump might be going or maybe it's low on fluid, it does whine a little bit and I think a wheel bearing or belt is going bad because the truck was screeming for a little bit today. Any ideas anyone.

Kyle

Did you check the PS pump fluid? even though I highly doubt that is the problem.

Take your front DS off and see if the problem still happens.

COSXJFAN

Could be a loose vacuum line that is not pulling your t-case out of 4 wheel drive mode!

xjjeepthing

Mine did that when the front axle joints were bad.

bertrenolds

The power steering fluid is fine so thats not the problem. I got under the truck and tryed to trace the vacume lines but it was tough. One line that came out of the transfer case went straight up to the engine compartment and then just ended at a white cap on the drivers side of the car. That was the only line I could find comming out of the case. Where do I need to look for the other lines? I'm thinking I will bring it in to have the tires rotated and then have them put it in drive and see if all 4 wheels are spinning. Right now I'm thinking it's stuck in 4 wheel, hopefully I don't need to replace the front axel joints. The truck is a 98 jeep cherokee.

muddeprived

Same here. Does your steering wheel jerk back and forth when you turn slow or at any speed? Seized up or bad u-joints do this. Have the u-joints ever been replaced? mines a 2001 with zero off roading miles before i got it and the u-joints were shot.

If you got basic tools, remove your front driveshaft (8 little bolts) and drive it to see if the problem goes away. That will tell you if 4wd is still on or not. Or just go to a gravel driveway and gun it. See if 3 or 4 tires are spinning and you'll know. If only the back spins, it's probably the u-joints. You can also test 4wd on a hill by driving one tire up on the hill till u spin out. Check to see if the front tires kicked back dirt and u'll know that way too. Just be careful not to tip the jeep! I used to be friends with this guy who works at Preston Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep and he would tell me how customers with jeeps would come in saying the 4wd was stuck on but it was actually the u-joints causing it to feel like it was in 4wd.

bertrenolds

The steering wheel does jerk back and forth when I turn, it seems like it does it one way more then the other. Thats a really good idea, I will unbolt the front drive shaft and see what happens. I think it might be stuck in 4 wheel though because when I accelerated from a stop I could feel the front of the truck pulling and peeling out a little bit. If it were stuck in 4 wheel, how would I get it out and where should I look for vacum leaks?

BlueXJ

Read the post titled Bad Day by Reese_XJ. It is a similar scenario and might apply to your situation too.

POLAR_JEEP_04

98 cherokee t-case are non-vacum... grab your axle joints and wiggle them if they move up and down or side to side replace them.

BlueXJ

You do not need to search for non-existant vacuum leaks. Your axle and transfer case are not related to earlier models which had disco axles and vacuum sensors on the transfer cases. You simply have a mechanical lock up and only the instructions given in the other thread are going to get it kicked out of 4WD.

bertrenolds

I will try rolling in neutral and disengadging 4 wheel drive. Are there linkages I can lube to make is shift easier, can I adjust the linkage? The guy talked about it in the other post by reese_xj. I can change the t-case fluid too if it will help.
If I put the truck in neutral and spin the main drive shaft, if it's stuck in 4 wheel drive, will the transfer case drive shaft spin telling me it's stuck in 4 wheel? I'm gonna try it when I wake up.

muddeprived

Just jack up the rear axle (under your differental) with your factory jack till the tires are bout 2" off the ground. Put it in 2wd and gas it very slowly. if it's in 4wd, the truck will pull forward and your jack will tip over, putting you back on all four wheels. If it's 2wd, your rears will spin and u will go no-where, and that confirms that it's most likely your u-joints. This is the easy way to test, or remove the front shaft as stated earlier.

There is a linkage to the left of teh transfer case, that connects to the body of the jeep. It's a straight rod with a nut on the end. That can be adjusted to fine tune the shifter.

Sometimes you can't feel looseness in bad u-joints so grabbing and jigglign doesn't always tell you if they are bad. i had bad u-joints up front that were seized. They had no movement in them but when i removed the axle shaft, i could not bend it at the joint. They would not flex, and this caused the steering wheel jerking back and forth. It's worth a jiggle though, never know.

bertrenolds

awsome, I was thinnking about raising the rear wheels and now it's settled. i'm guessing your right about the u-joints, I tryed the neutral to 4wheel drop down to 2 and it dident do anything before but I'm still gonna try it again.

BlueXJ

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/bad-day-1299/
This is the link I was refering to. Read this and then proceed with what ever you want to try. Jacking it up or disconnecting driveshaft or wiggling the u-joint. Just giving you options.

o2bgpn

Instead of jacking up the back and seeing if you drive off jack stands and possibly screwing something up, why don’t you just disconnect the rear drive shaft? If you’re stuck in 4wd the front drive shaft will pull you, if you are not stuck in 4wd you won’t go anywhere. Much safer.

Sounds like axle u-joints to me, though.