OK, got the Cherokee up off the ground, got the linkage off, rotated the wheels and tried to shift it manually. The shift lever would move in one direction about 20 degrees but not in the other direction. and it remained in 4WD.

Any more ideas out there before we pull the transfer case?

 

Maybe try to get a driveshaft moving while you're yanking on the lever. She sounds toast though.

 

The kid is going to to get a replacement model 231 transfer case from the junkyard. So a couple of questions:

was the same 231 used in both Cherokees and Grand Cherokees?

Is there a "gear-driven" transfer case that is plug-compatible with the 231?

 

The 231 was only used in ZJs in 1993, but is found in a lot more vehicles than the XJ. Some year XJs and ZJs had the NP242, which is a decent swap. I think the NP249 (full-time AWD ONLY) in ZJs is compatible with an input gear swap, but they seem to suck and are expensive to service.

Scroll down a bit on this page and you'll find information on the input gears, which will define your compatibility throughout the years: http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge...nput_gears.htm

As for gear-driven cases, not in most people's price range. Advance Adapters has their Atlas line for about $2300 a head.