thegreatgate

I bought the jeep yesterday...It had a couple issues but ran good.

Took it for a couple hour drive...Mostly freeway....Went up to 80 no problem...Shifted good...Was driving great.

Stopped by my cousins so he could help put on a new hood.

He asked about the 4x4 and I said I don't know if it works or not.

He gets in and puts it in neutral to shift the 4x4 a bit....It made a real grinding noise on one shift cause he had it in park or drive...

Anyways, after this it started driving funny.

For example, it felt like it didn't want to go in reverse when I gave it gas....When in drive and turning the wheel it sort of drives funny, can't really explain, makes noise.

And then while driving it up to 45 mph it was remaining at 3 RPMs...Felt like it needed to shift gears and drop the RPMs but it didn't.

Took it on the freeway and it was going up to 4RPMs without shifting...So I just drove it for one mile on the freeway at 50 mph and came back to the house.

I tried just putting the 4x4 gears back to where it was resting originally which I think is 4x4 full or whatever it is labeled.

Tried each one and it just didn't seem to drive the same.

You guys have any idea what happened or what is the fix (and how much).

Just so odd that it would drive different permanently after one attempt at putting it into 4x4 mode.


THANKS!

stomper27

ok so I'm very new and not a mechanic at all, but your GCherokee may have 4 x 4 all the time. When your cousin shifted the 4 x 4 lever (I am guessing he pulled it towards him right? Well he put the jeep in 4 LOW.) In 4 Low it will drive very different and should NEVER been driven at highway speeds. Put your Ebrake on, put the car in N, and shift the lever straight back up to 4 high. Don't stop the shifter at the N, it will make grinding noises. For now, just use the 4 LOW (this is what your cousin did) if you get stuck, and don't use it on normal roads. Again, I am a newbie and NOT a mechanic at all, but what you explained sounds very normal.

Just FYI - My Grand Cherokee has 4 x 4 all the time. Yours probably does too. The 4 x 4 shifter should be in the "up" position, or 4 high.

Bustedback

Can you post a picture of the transfercase shifter? It sounds like you have it stuck in 4LO. The transfercase shifter should be all the way forward in order to be in 2wd.

thegreatgate

Here are some pictures...Also, my cousin wants to know where to check the transfer case fluid and the differential fluid ON THE FRONT (he says he knows where to look on back)...

thegreatgate

ol"blue

Welcome to CF.
The fill plug on the front diff cover has that square recess in it for the wrench to remove it. Fluid should be at the bottom of the hole when the plug is removed.
This shows the fill hole for the t-case. Full when fluid is at bottom of hole with upper plug removed. Lower plug is drain.

thegreatgate

Thanks for the image on checking the front T-Case...We will check that out tomorrow....HERE IS AN UPDATE: We took it for a spin and tried every single gear on the 4x4.....The jeep is NOT SHIFTING out of 2nd gear!!

Doesn't make sense to me cause it drove flawlessly for 2 hours on speeds up to 80 mph....RPMs were where they should have been and gears shifted great....

My cousin touches the 4x4 and from there **** hits the fan...

Is it a blown transmission? I don't think that it is a 'coincidence' that something severe happens just by trying to engage the 4x4 one time.

Please help!

I forgot to mention (which could be a serious issue later on) that the truck does not drive without having the OverDrive light being turned on...I think the Over Drive does not function....If the light is OFF then when you get up to 35 - 40 mph it will slow you down...Simply turn the light (over/drive) ON and it drove fine....But that was a SEPARATE issue...

Anyone have any idea what the problem is? We checked the trans fluid and it was good...

Bustedback

It looks like you have it in 4LO judging by the picture of the shifter. The shifter does have kind of a stepped gate that it slides through, maybe you're getting hung up.

Z71Gladiator

Cant tell if it is in 4 full time or 4 lo but to me it looks like 4 full time. I would shift to 2wd.

With mine when I go from 4 to 2wd I have to turn the steering wheel to the left and to the right all the way so that it fully disengages you may have to do the same but 4wd should feel much different than 2wd and taking corners will feel way different in 4wd.

If it has never been shifted into 4wd it may be a little stiff to shift.
The best thing to do is:

1. Park on level ground so that when you shift it into neutral you do not roll anywhere.
2. Shift transmission into neutral.
3. Push transfer case shifter forward towards 2wd.
4. Turn steering wheel to the left and right all the way.
After that you should be good to go.

Like I said though sometimes mine doesn't shift out of 4wd without turning the steering wheel all the way to the left and all the way to the right.

As for it not shifting that is very strange that it would happen right after just shifting it into 4wd. I would make sure that you have it in 2wd when you do all of your transmission testing because it is less stress on everything which could have been the reason it took so long to shift. The only other thing I could suggest is checking transmission fluid. As always with 4wd, if you don't need it don't use it. I would shift it into 2wd and leave it there unless you are driving on loose surfaces.

Sorry for the long paragraph but I hope this helps!

stomper27

hey when it was driving flawlessly for the two hours and at 80 MPH, was the shifter all the way up in 2WD? If it was, then it really sounds like your just stuck in 4WD. Do what Z71 Gladiator suggests. Let us know what happens

thegreatgate

When it was driving beautifully it seemed to me to be right about in the middle which would put it at 4 Full Time on the picture....My cousin started testing it in the driveway and then took it for a quick spin and I believe it immediately as soon as he laid a finger on it MESSED UP!

Doesn't make any sense to me and I will try the turning the steering wheel left and right while in neutral and shifting the 4x4 gears but it just doesn't make sense.

It was right about the middle when it drove good so I think 4 full time is where I want to be but not sure.

As my cousin stated when he messed with it (he thinks it is stuck ALWAYS in 4wd and the second poster said the same thing about his)...

customzj73

You just bought it... my guess is somethin is wrong with the tranny, reason being is because the o/d is not working properly. If you have to turn it off (light on) to drive freeway speeds then somethin is wrong. I'm guessing that when he was engaging the 4 low and heard the grinding that it was the last straw for the transmission. How many miles does the jeep have? Pull the tranny dipstick and smell the fluid, also check how full it is.

customzj73

Oh and to check the tranny fluid get it up to operating temp then leave it running and set your e brake and put it in neutral and check, if you don't do it this way you will get an innacurate reading

thegreatgate

This sounds like an amazing quick fix solution...It is 3 in the morning and I will give the "turn wheel to the left all the way and then to the right all the way" trick when I get up....That is truly what I believe it needs...A little old school trick that will get me back on the road....Hoping it works but I am still concerned:

thegreatgate

That could be but imagine the coincidence in that...I get it from a guy while the trans is great (minus O/D always having to be pushed on)...I drive it multiple hours at speeds up to 85 mph and it drives fantastic...I get to my cousins house and he tests the 4x4 in the driveway without moving it and BOOM: trans immediately dies...last straw...RIP....It is possible but I am unsure if this makes the most sense...Although could very be a highly coincidental possibility