spike2450

Hi i have a 1998 XJ with selectrac that has pretty much never been off road - "city car"

Posting after searching the forum.

When i purchased her she changed into 4wd with no problems, but took a while to come out of 4wd with front wheel wobble in turns etc..

She has been sat for the last 6 months and i now have her back on the road.

Problem is when i select 4wd full time she makes a grinding noise for ages and if i make a turn it's if she is running over bumps. It's ages before she fully engages into 4wd and drives normally.

She is also now doing the same when i try to get back out of 4wd almost making it impossible to drive, (steering wobble on turns from the front etc).

She finally came out of 4wd after being sat for 5 mins with the engine switched off.

I know it can take a while before 4wd engages and disengages fully but i'm a bit lost as to where to start problem solving.

Kind regards
Dave

Abovetimberline

When I take mine out of 4wheel drive,I will pull forward and back until it disengages,light goes out.I have never been concerned that it was not normal.

spike2450

Hi

My light will go out as soon as i move the lever, however when coming out of 4wd it will now kangaroo the front in turns and is a bit of a safety issue.

No issues when running straight.

Should i be changing into 4wd at speed or when running slow?

Is it normal for 4wd to take time to disengage?

Regards

Abovetimberline

I have a 242 xfer case,I can switch into 4wheel drive at slow speeds,but I always stop and then shift it,even if your light goes out,I would run it back and forth until it comes out.
I will add this,manual says you can shift your xfer case in full time 4wheel drive and part time 4wheel drive at any leagal speed,and 4lo below 3-5 mph. Myself,I would never shift it at any speed above 5mph,but thats because I am from the old school and what is called back then shift on the fly came out later after i started driving,I would rather stop,I learned on an old ****** wagon that had two little sticks that never wanted to shift.

jusper88

I agree! Try to stop while engaging...As for disengaging...have the XJ stopped...disengage...reverse a bit. That's what I've always done in every 4wd I've owned and it always seems to work.

fantic238

You are not supposed to engage 4wd on dry pavement unless it's full time (green).
The problem with the np242 tc is that when you shift from 2wd to 4wd full time you have to go through 4wd part time and sometimes it stays stuck in there.
Look fore a spot of gravel or any slippery surface to disengage it. Don't drive in 4wd part time on asphalt. The grinding noise in 4wd full time is normal (central diff unlocked, satellites spinning), in 4wd part time there is no grinding because the center diff is locked.

muddpigg

possible trouble with 4WD vacuum disconnect system? check to see if yours has it. i'm not real sure how they work exactly but i'm sure someone far more experienced with those issues will chime in sooner or later. that's my best guess. best of luck...

spike2450

hi
Thanks for the quick response.

I only use 4wd Full time but am engaging disengaging on ashphalt/tarmac roads before going off road etc.

You're correct in that i had reversed out of a parking bay and she then fully disengaged.

What is causing the awful front wheel wobble when she isn't fully engaged or disengaged. I can't seem to get my head around that issue.

Regards

jusper88

It's not your normal 4x4 wobble?

fantic238

Ok it's not obligatory that you engage your four wheel drive before every off road track. Continue driving in 2wd also off road and select 4wd only if you find a spot that really needs it. Thats how you drive off road. When i go wheeling i stay 70% in 2wd, you will be astonished to see what the jeep can do in 2wd. It'll give you an idea of what you can do and what not and it's much more fun too.
The front wheel wobble is because it is stuck in 4wd part time, even if the light is off, even if the lever is somewhere else. You can shift from 2wd to 4wd FT while driving (stay under 20mph) but you need to come to a complete stop to shift to 4wd low.

chrisxcarter

I always stop, neutral, shift til light comes on. Reverse like 3 or 4 feet then go. Is your wobble happening when you have it cut all the way? Cause no cherokee likes being cut in 4wd. Specially in 4lo. Wranglers you can cut all day and no problemo.

AWOL

Just a note... If you do have the vac disconnect on your front axle it could cause the grinding sound your hearing. If your not getting the vac required to cause the fork to slide completely you will hear the splines on the collar grinding against the outer axles splines. The whole thing is just a vac diaphragm and it is prone to leaking and such. I had this happen on my old YJ a few years back. It's easy to fix and if you are doing it you might want to look into a Posi-Lock kit and eliminate the thing entirely. Hope this helps someone!

Jamie57

It's a 98 No Disco

captainwoot

just toadd a note, as the others said no pt 4wd on asphalt!!! Front end wobble siezed axle U joints??

muddpigg

please disregard my previous post for looking like a dunce, i read 1988 not 1998 - '98 are not vac. operated. sorry!