I have done a little searching and haven't found much, or maybe I'm not typing it in right. Anyhow, I just finished swapping out my 4.0 with a lower mileage one from a wrangler. I went out for a test and the 4x4 wasn't engaging. Then it did after a quite a bit of playing with the lever. I tried it in N and D and R and Park and no change. The "part time" light stays on when I disengage the 4 wheel drive. Then sometimes it goes off. NOTHING is consistent. I did buy the cherokee with a bad motor so I never tried the 4x4 but the guy said it worked good so I took his word for it. The transmission shifter also sticks in park?? I cant compress the button sometimes. Please help. I am new to this but am mechanically inclined enough to fix it.

Thanks Much

 

it my need to be use a little
what transfer case do you have if you have a full time position you can drive on the street in that mode for several miles get the fluids moving

 

Yeah it has a full time position. A green light comes on when its in full time right. I dont know if it had been used much. I know that the owner previous towed it behind an rv.

 

lets get a little more info
what jeep and what year automatic or stick

 

its a 1996 stock auto with a 98 motor.

 

is the 4x4 shift lever hard to move

 

no, it seems to shift just like my dads and his works great. no hard spots.

 

if you have a disconnect front axle it my not be engaging
could be the neutral safety switch needs to be cleaned
or vacuum leak

 

the guy I bought it from said that the neutral safety switch probably needed cleaning. Does it control whether the 4x4 engages? I notice I have to fumble with the shifter sometimes to get it to start.

 

sorry no the NSS has nothing to do with that

its probly a loos or craced vacum line

 

Will a manual show all of the vacuum lines?

 

look on the front axle between the passenger tire and the differential
if you have a disconnect axle there mechanism with a vacuum line coming off of it trace it back look for crack

 

Cool, I will do that tomorrow. I may have snagged it when I was doing the motor swap but don't recall. Is there anything in the engine compartment that I may have messed up?

 

Well, I looked and I have no mechanism for the front axle. The only thing coming off the axle is the breather tube. What now???

 

Try putting it up on jackstands (all 4 corners) and see if it is engaging at all...
It could just be an adjustment of the transfer case linkage...