I haven't been able to figure out why the 4x4 on my XJ won't work. I was told to examine the vacuum disconnect box, so I did, and found that there isn't one. My XJ had been modded before I bought it, so I'm assuming they changed the axle. I went up to the local Jeep shop and one of the guys said the axle looks like a TJ. Why would they do this? And does anyone have any ideas as to what is going wrong with my 4 wheel drive? The lights show on the dash that it is changing, but it doesn't engage.

Thanks.

 

The problem will be in your transfer case not the axle. Tranfer case Linkage needs to be adjusted. the light is base on the position of the shifter and really doesn't tell you if the 4wd engaged. jack the front wheels off the ground, shift into 4wd. If the front drive shaft can be turned, by hand, NOT engaged, If not able to turn 4wd is engaged.

 

well, tj axle is low pinion, so that'd be easy to tell.
besides, since there is no vacuum actuator, that means the 4wd should work, providing you have a front drive shaft and t-case installed. either that or there isn't a gear set or carrier in the front axle, but that's very doubtful.

start at the basics, t-case (linkage), front drive shaft, open the front diff to inspect ring gear and spider gears.

otherwise, i don't know.

 

I'm pretty positive it's not engaging. My friend who knows 4wd said it was not engaging. Though I did spin the shaft at one time, and then another it did not spin. I may be doing something wrong, I don't know much about this topic. I know I need to be in N to shift into it, is there anything else I should be doing? I do have a t case and a drive shaft.

 

Could there be something wrong with the diff? How could I tell? I checked the fluid and there was none, so I filled it up with a bottle of fluid recently, but no change. I was hoping it would solve my problem easily.