ok guys so here it is.... today i was out playing in the mud and ran into a situation that for sure required 4lo so i popped it in neutral shifted down to 4lo everything shifted fine sounded and felt like it always does no grinding whining popping nothing so i put it back in drive punched the gas and what do you know, i now have 2wd-lo. thats right rear wheels spin high revs just like low gear should be but the front wheels dont spin. so i put t back in 4 hi dug myself out (barely) but i was noticing that in 4hi i hear a grinding noise sounds like from the t-case and the front wheels do like a slip grip slip grip type thing, meaning that instead of spinning continuously they kinda spin then stop then spin then stop ect ect while the rear wheels spin continuously and the grinding noise continues the entire time. grinding noise stops and everything returns to normal when i put it back in 2 hi. any ideas what the heck could be causing this to happen? front diff problems? also you should know i have a 91 automatic with a 231 transfer case d30 front axle 8.25 rear axle no sye installed stock 3.55 gears no lockers t-case was slightly low on fluid so i topped it off. thanks in advance for any/all the help

 

How is it that you're observing the front tires aren't turning? Are you certain BOTH front tires aren't turning or just the one closest to you? If your slipping/non slipping condition is accompanied by a loud popping noise, you have a loose drive chain

 

no loud popping sounds just a grinding sound. bystanders verify that both wheels up front were doing this slip non-slip thing. would loose drive chain be the cause of have no power to front wheels in 4lo? also would i have symptoms in 2wd? and lastly how do i inspect/tighten/replace my drive chain?

 

You have to remove the T case and bust it open. There is no adjusting just replacing. It doesn't much sound like a chain at this point but don't rule it out. There has to be some definate internal problems if it can accomplish 2wd in lo as they are most certainly NOT designed to do this. Check to see if your front drive shaft does not spin in 4lo to rule out any front end problems

 

Check to see if your front drive shaft does not spin in 4lo to rule out any front end problems







ok i suppose i will need to find some mud to do this? i live in az so thats not easy to do. any other way to check? any other things i can do or look at or inspect? im super confused with this one......

 

lol yeah i didnt think that 2wd-lo was doable without some SERIOUS mods.

 

Just stick a jack under the rear an put it in 4 lo. Make sure there's nothing in front of you before you put it in drive or it may actually kick in and take off

 

can i disconect front shaft and see if the piece on the tcase turns?

 

It's called a yoke and that's a lot of trouble just to verify if it's turning or not. You want the driveshaft in anyways to see if it turns and the tires don't. Then you know you have a bad front end

 

Sound like your chain is stretched and is slipping..... here is a thread i made on the 242 T case that is in my 91 Cherokee. The 242 and the 231 are almost a identical T case minus the Differential Assembly that is in the 242.

You can purchase a new chain for your 231 for around 50 bucks, its not that major of a job to change out providing you have the tools and nice dry and warm spot to do it....
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/suc...g-4-lo-120724/

 

maybe today ill start by changing the fluid in both the transfer case and also the front diff. that might help me where there might be a problem right? like if there is pieces of metal shavings in the oil or something?...

 

i have alot of tools so i should probably be able to figure out how this is done and i live in arizona so warm and dry....... its kinda what we do lol

 

Changing the fluid won't help indicate a chain problem. Around here, we can get T cases for $65 at salvage yards so that might be your best bet

 

update...... today it rained pretty good so on my lunch break i took the jeep out and found some mud. i tried my hardest to make it have this issue again so i could get some more info about it. and it never had any issue. and i really beat on it too harder than i have in a long time and nothing happened. so i guess maybe that little bit of fluid i was low on might have been the issue all along. thanks for all the help guys