I just purchased an '89 XJ 4.0 4x4 from the original owner. She informed me that it's never been in 4WD... never. She has never touched the lever, didn't even know what it was for. Since I plan on touching it, a lot, I was wondering what things I should or shouldn't do before engaging the transfer case for the first time. It's a very low mileage car with only 106K miles. Thanks for the tips!

 

Why are you worrying about it... Just throw the fricking thing in 4wd.
Might want to check the fluid first.

 

Don't be scared, it won't bite!!! But yeah, check fluid first. If you look at the transfer case, you'll see two plugs, a drain plug and a fill plug. Take the top one off (the fill plug) and the fluid should be right at the bottom of the hole. If it isn't, take off the bottom plug off and let fluid drain (if there's even anything in there) into a drain pan of course, put the drain plug back in and fill it with 2 quarts of Dex III/Merc (or however much it takes to reach the bottom of the fill hole), put the fill plug back in, then test it out.

Good luck! And don't be scared to try it out

 

Oh and if you can, try and find some either snow or some really lose gravel to test your 4wd. Our transfer cases don't like dry pavement

 

I would probably change the diff fluid too.

 

Also a good idea. Shoot, since it's new to you, you may even wanna replace all the fluids. At least I would just for peace of mind

 

Probably change all the fluids and engage it on a dirt/snowy road.

 

Awesome! Thanks everybody. I picked up 5 quarts of oil and a K&N air and oil filter, new plugs, and a new cap and rotor but no diff/transfer case fluid... I'll get that tomorrow.

The whole death wobble thing has made me a little gun-shy. I was hoping for something that was a reliable daily driver with the ability to take a trail without falling over. At the moment I can't even drive it on the freeway, which is killing me. Blowing up the transfer case because I didn't know about some gasket or seal or bearing that's prone to failure wouldn't be good... I can't afford to fix that. Just being cautious.

 

6 quarts of oil...

 

And I am not sure what other people will say to this, but I have ALWAYS ran 90 weight in my t-case. Just opening another option for fluid. Good luck, and who the hell owns a Jeep without ever touching 4WD?

 

I feel you man. Dealing with death wobble really takes a stab at the heart. But once you get it fixed you'll be all smiles. Be patient, it's worth it!

 

Uhhhhhh 6 quarts!
Oops someone beat me to it :P

 

DEXTRON 3 (tranny fluid), In the transfer case! Gear oil in the diffs. CPLS's experiment is not for you or me!




Whoops! I've had that wrong for decades!

 

Its "DEXRON" not "DEXTRON"...

 

Note: Death wobble is not related to 4wd mode only. Death wobble can occur in or out of 4wd.