My 242 in my comanche is bad. I thought it was the linkage adjustment because when I shifted it into 4wd it would not go back into gear afterward. I got the Novak cable shifter adjusted right and it still does it. I took it apart to find the shift fork plastic pieces, are in pieces for the most part. That's probably why it wouldn't stay in gear after I shifted it. The magnet has got about 1/2" of fine metal covering it, most likely the gears grinding away. I don't know how to tell if the gears are worn.

My question is do I buy a rebuild kit for it or just look for a different one? I want to keep the 242 for the Full Time feature but it's a 21 spline. What should I do?

 

They aren't hard to find in the SY

 

I'm assuming you mean JY? As in Junk Yard? I don't want to buy another problem child, I am looking for one I can trust, plus the 21 spline is '87-90 only so odds are they might have the same problem right down the road.

 

Idk about all that. I had 4 on them and they were all renix age 21 splines. I had one that refused to go to part time without a fight and I had one with a stretched chain (which could happen to any of them any year) but otherwise had 0 problems. The one I had to fight with I had for 3 years. It was probably just a linkage issue

 

Thread jack: how many spline are 99 242's?

 

23

 

Do the 242s break often? What is a sign of the stretched chain?Just curious, I have one in my 2001 XJ, its kind of noisy but works great. Just sounded like gear noise, nothing too crazy though.

 

all ready apart rebuild

when was the last time you change the fluid in it?

 

I just did it last spring, it came out looking pretty ugly but it is full of fresh stuff. I wonder if I should flush it again....

 

pretty ugly could mean worn bearings making noise id at least check it