NathanJay

Hey all.
I'm looking to rebuild my NP-242J transfer case in my '01 XJ. I've found a bunch of kits on Rockauto, Ebay, Amazon, etc. however I'm looking for recommendations on which one to use. I'd prefer a full kit with all bearings, seals and washers. Also planning on replacing the chain while I'm in there too.

From what I've seen no kits have it all, and I might have to piece it together to get everything I want, is that pretty accurate?

Thanks for the help.

ehall

There are a couple of internal differences that you have to be aware of, things like input bearing size, and chain size, but they are standard for model and production. If the transfer case came in your jeep then you're already there, otherwise you have to look at the production tag and know the model it came from.

After that, its a question of quality and cost. Timken and SKF both have rebuild kits, and should have very good bearings and seals. I used the generic kit that showed the Nachi bearings, but the input bearing was a Chinese made NKF that had a lot of play to it. I ordered a Timken replacement and it was a Nachi in the box. They sent me the wrong size bearing (narrow for 94+) but it did not seem to matter, but the opposite error would not work.


The seals didn't look very good but they all went in alright and I don't have any leaks. Timken and SKF kits would probably have much better parts. Rockauto used to have them both but I don't see them anymore. Rockauto has Cloyes chains for a good price. G2 makes kits with Timken parts, but they were back-ordered everywhere. That's why I used the generic kit.

NathanJay

The transfer case is stock, the production date (late 2000) on the badge confirms that.

I found both kits:
G2
4WheelParts - G2 242 Rebuild Kits

Timken
Autozone - Bearings & Seals/Transfer Case Bearing and Seal Kit

However I don't know if I have the 6010 or BD50-8 input bearing, and my XJ is not listed as compatible for these kits on all sites.

For some reason Rockauto has both kits but they are not listed vehicle specific, almost like a generic application. Wondering if should just go with one of these two:

TIMKEN - TCRK242
SKF - STCK231 - Listed for the NP-231 but shows compatible for my year Jeep on their site.
SKF - STCK242 - Listed for NP-242 but not specific for my year Jeep.

ehall

You need to make sure they are in stock, everywhere I looked was out of stock. Also the first entry says NP247 in the description. If you check the G2 PDF catalog they give the part numbers. One other thing, those pics look kind of like the generic kits so you should make sure they are Timken bearings; the G2 differential kits are Timken but I'm not completely sure about the transfer case kits. If they are out of stock its moot anyway.

6010 is the late-model (narrow) bearing supposedly for all 94-up models (supposedly). The difference for your XJ might be something like a seal, dunno.

If you do a part number search from the main page of rockauto then click the part number in the results you will see the interchange

TRCK242 -- JEEP CHEROKEE (1986 - 1994)
STCK242 -- JEEP CHEROKEE (1987 - 1993)

Those are wide-bearing kits

You could order individual bearings and seals if you wanted

NathanJay

Thanks ehall, appreciate the replies. Appreciate the clarity on the 6010. I did some more digging and found another kit from Novak-Adapt. Read some positive reviews on their products and customer service so might go that route if I can find out what brands they use in their kits.

ehall

Also, one of the nice things about the generic kit is that it came with pretty much everything--needle bearings for the main shaft, cup bearings, pads for the shift forks, o-rings, and seals for every model. If you buy just the main bearings and seals, you'll still have to go round up all the other parts for a full rebuild.