ok so just got the engine running and was testing the gears out think its the 4 speed Automatic trany.

Anyway so i can get the 4H to work but it wont stay in 4L and seems to grind then pop out when i attempt it. really have no exp with this so any input would help.

also the cover around the 4H-L was pulled up and looked fine under, nothing blocking the shift that i can see.

96 country 4.0

You need to adjust the shifter handle under the jeep, there is a nut that has to be loosened and then adjust the bar and re tighten the nut. I had to do the same thing and it helps to have someone helping you from up top by the shifter...Tj

Maybe mine needs the same shifter handle adjustment because my 96 does the same thing as the OP. However, I can get it into 4L by putting the tranny in neutral and turning the engine off. It will then pop right into 4L and just restart the engine with the tranny in N, obviously

cool i'll give that a try.

I have the same issue as the OP on my 96. Is there a specific way to adjust, like a measurement to take form a certain point to verify the adjustment is appropriate?

definitely the shifter linkage. had the same issue. youre just going to have to look at it and decide which way it needs to be adjusted. it needs to go farther into the 4l position if that helps

im having a similar problem on a 89 cherokee, but mine wont go into 4L at all. an if you watch it from the bottom while someone shifts it you can see the shifter linkage is scrapping and hitting the body. its almost like the transmission is to high on that side of the jeep and is pushing the shifter linkage into the body and preventing it from going back into 4L. does anyone have any suggestions on what i might can do to fix this problem. i had a friend tell me he would put a transfer case drop in it but im not sure if that would really help it because im not sure if that exactly whats wrong with it. any suggestions can help. oh and ive already tried adjusting the shifter linkage but its already adjusted out as far as it will. i guess i really just need to know if there is a way to get that linkage out of the body. and two if putting a transfer case drop on it would help that???

Take a BFH, crawl underneath, and make room for the linkage to move freely. I disagree with the idea of TC drops as they decrease ground clearance and I know from personal experience when you whack one of them hard enough they are expensive and a PITA to replace, especially on older jeeps like yours. Mine was a 96 and with the age/ rust removal it took 3 hours just to remove it.

i use a bfh and beat the body back out of the way but i have occurred another problem. the way the linkage is made and the way my transmission is setting up on the driver side the linkage is catching in the mounting bracket that attaches to the body. now my problem no longer lies with the body being in the way but is now in the linkage mounting piece thats why i was wondering about the TCD because that would level my transmission and transfer case back up right and would straighten my linkage back out so my shifter would no longer be hitting the linkage mount.