Hey guys,

So I bought a '99 Cherokee limited with all the bells and whistles (6.5 lift, ARB locker, Dana 44 front axle, the list goes on) about a week ago. Unfortunately I failed to inspect the 4L transfer case before I bought it and now it turns out it doesn't work.

My jeeps handle from the top goes 2wd, part time 4wd, Full time 4wd, Neutral, 4LO.

2wd, part time and full time 4 all work fine, but when you move the handle to the "neutral" position it stays in "Full time 4wd", and if I move the handle farther down to the "4LO" position, it shifts into neutral, making 4L impossible to shift to.


My buddy said it might just be the handle broke and it cant engage 4L, but I honestly have no clue. Any help with diagnosis of the problem would be most appreciated.

-Jack

 

Sounds like it needs to be adjusted on the transfer case linkage. I have had to do I on most my jeeps when I bought them. Easy fix.

 

That was the problem! Thanks a ton!

 

Can you explain what you did to fix this?

 

Looking under the jeep, on top of the transfer case, you'll see a lever that moves forward and back. This is what shifts the Tcase into 4wd. Connected to that lever is a metal rod that heads in the direction of your engine, eventually connecting to the handle. When the shifter is pressed forward, the shifter pushes the metal rod forward into the lever on top of the Tcase, moving it.

Problems arise when the connection between the rod and the Tcase lever becomes loose, and the rod is allowed to freely move in and out without moving the Tcase lever, so when you press the stick into 4WD, the rod is just freely sliding and isn't tight enough to move the Tcase lever.

Once you know what your Tcase is in (2WD, 4WD, etc) completely loosen the bolt connecting the rod to the Tcase lever (so the stick can't shift the Tcase when you move it), move the shifter in the cab to the position that matches whatever the Tcase is actually in. Then go under and tighten that bolt between the rod and Tcase lever so that it cannot move.

The key to preventing this in the future is to not slam the shifter. Slamming the shifter down puts strain on that connection and eventually it will loosen and slide out of adjustment. Shifting should be a smooth, slow motion, not shifting like Vin Diesel in Fast and Furious because it looks cool.

Hope this helps