1989 Cherokee newbie questions
 

Hello, i just picked up a 89 Cherokee with a 4.0, 5 spd.
I have never needed or owned a 4wd before but found myself needing one for this up coming winter. I am not sure on the correct way to shift into 4wd w/o breaking stuff! I have been told neutral only and also been told at low speeds i can shift on the fly. I have also been told that i can and cant use it on some surfaces??
i figure dumb questions on here are less embarrasing than explaining "what happened" to a tow truck driver!
thanks in advance!

You can go in and out of 4 hi up to decent speeds just by pushing the clutch in, and moving the lever. Just remember, you don't need to go all that fast in 4 hi, if you need 4 hi road conditions obviously suck and you shouldn't be driving fast in the first place.

4 lo, you should be stopped, clutch in and then move the lever.

Don't use on dry roads, things will bind up, and possibly break.

That's how I've always used mine. Right or wrong :\ lol

Really it depends on what transfer case you have.. If it is the NP231, you cannot run it on the pavement. The gears/chain will bind up and possibly split the case, leaving you stranded. If you have the NP242 then you have "full time" 4wd, meaning you can throw it in 4wd "full time" and drive whereever you want however you want.. Its like having AWD and people say that they notice no change in gas mileage running "full time".

I have read from JP Magazine that you can use it 4H up to 55mph. If you go faster you then will cause problems. Yes you can shift on the fly, but I wouldnt recomend it. Doing that over time will cause problems, but going to neutral then to 4H is the safest way.

The owners manual says that you can shift into 4 lo while moving slowly (1-2 mph) forward... don't do it...come to a complete stop before shifting into 4 lo (although sometimes you may have to inch it forward slightly to get into 4 lo). Sometimes it may be difficult to get out of 4wd...drive in reverse for a short distance then try again to shift out of 4wd.

Check under your drivers side sun visor. Every jeep I have owned has had 4wd shifting instructions printed there...