Hey y'all I'm kinda new to this but I was wondering how my 4wd works, I have a 1990 jeep cherokee with a np231 tc. I'm tryin to find a front driveshaft to put on it, I bought one off a 90 jeep cherokee with a np242 but it doesn't match up with my front output, can y'all tell me the difference? Mine is about 3 inches wide and the driveshaft is about 3.5 inches wide. Where can I find the right driveshaft? Also my 4wd is not vacuum disconnect, so how does it work? I just want my 4wd to work, thanks guys!

 

Since the early/mid-'80s the front drive shafts have all worked the same way. Spicer 1310-style U joint at the axle, slip section in the shaft, and double-cardan CV joint at the transfer case with two 1310 joints. I would not be concerned with the width of the tube.

There is a difference in length between driveshafts installed on manual and auto Jeeps on account of the transmissions' sizes.

Also you lucked out! NP242 never had the stupid vacuum junk.

 

The front axles turn with the wheels all the time. The only 'on/off' for the 4WD is the transfer case.

 

Sounds like someone swapped a 231 in where a 242 used to be since there's no axle disconnect.

Or, swapped in a non disconnect front axle?

 

I thought the models equipped with the NP242 back then didn't come with the vacuum disco axle? Also, I'm pretty sure I found an older XJ at the junkyard that had different bolts on it from my '98.

 

What I'm saying is that I have a 231 and the driveshaft I bought is out of a 242 the driveshaft fits perfectly but the output yoke on my tc in the front has different bolt patterns, the bolt holes on the driveshaft don't match with the yoke, it fits in the u joint fine just the bolt holes on the yoke are spread out further then the driveshaft, my tc has an electronic switch not vacuum disconnect, so will it still work if I got a new driveshaft? And what can I do about the driveshaft I have? The bolt holes just don't match up, what do I do? Thanks guys!

 

Also when I said the driveshaft was 3.5 inches wide, I meant that the bolt holes on the end of the driveshaft were 3.5 inches from bolt hole to bolt hole, and my output yoke is 3 inches from bolt hole to bolt hole, thanks guys

 

whats the tag on back of transfercase say ?

 

Np231-j,

 

Should only be one front yoke on any of these things. You sure the DS came from an NP242J?

What exactly do you mean by "the bolt holes on the driveshaft"? No Jeep ever had a shaft like that, excepting the ancient GKN-style shafts

Vacuum disco stuff does not matter one bit

 

There are two style front yoke cv and non cv type .....non Cherokee case would have the other style yoke....Whats the yoke look like ?

 

Heres dimensions I found.....http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/n...sions-1803793/

 

I'll post picks when I get home

 

Huh?

They didn't. Therefore why does he have a 231 with non-disconnect axle?

231 up through mid 1991 had cAD.

 

What earlier years had the electric 4x4 system ?