So Ive got a 98 Cherokee Classic auto. I backed into this guy's driveway lastnight and couldn't get out so I let off the gas, held the brake put the tranny in N and pulled it directly down into 4H. Put it back in D. Worked fine, hopped a little in the end of the turn. Put it back in N pushed the lever back to 2wd back in D. Went to move again and I could hear grinding in the tcase and felt it pulling, I assume it's stuck in 4H. Drove like it was stuck in 4H, the lever doesn't seem to be all the way down. There's like a 1/2" of play pushing it down, don't know if that's normal. would like to hear some trouble shooting, she needs to last until at least mid March and preferably not in 4wd the whole time. Thanks guys.

 

Here's how the factory suggests you shift the transfer case and I've been doing this since these things were new and I worked at the dealership. Quoted from the owner's manual. The suggestions in CAPS are mine.

"To engage, shift the transfer case lever from 2H to 4H while the vehicle is moving at any legal speed". I LET OFF THE GAS, THROW THE LEVER, TAP THE GAS AND LET OFF.

4L position: " To engage, slow the vehicle to 2-3 MPH , shift the transmission to Neutral, then shift the transfer lever to the right and pull firmly rearward to 4L".

TO SHIFT OUT OF 4L, SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL WITH THE VEHICLE STOPPED, SHIFT THE TRANSFER CASE LEVER TO 2H, THEN THE TRANS TO D IF YOU HAVE AN AUTOMATIC, OR INTO FIRST GEAR WITH A MANUAL, AND CONTINUE ON.

Revised 11/20/2014

 

Well that explains it then, I just shifted it wrong. It seems like it's not in 4wd anymore. I always thought that to engage the transfer case it was safest to have the thing in nuetral bit it seems not. Thanks for the lesson.

 

nope. Waste of time to shift it into neutral first. Shift on the fly technology is great stuff. Just like how cruiser posted