My 96 zj has 161000 miles on it, 3k of I put on. The previous owner never put it in 4 low. I'm nervous about putting it in 4 low. Is there any cause for my concern? Please remember I'm greener than AstroTurf about these things.

 

Just do and have fun, it should not be a problem other than the shifter being a little stiff at first.

 

make sure you're stopped and in neutral, then shift into 4lo.
and yeah, your shifter may be quite stiff, you may have to throw some weight into it.

 

My 87 XJ was the same way with 150,000 miles on it. I thought there was something wrong at first because it was stiff and did not want to go in gear. After 6 or 8 runs through the shift pattern it has loosened up and works like a champ.

 

lol dont be scared..

 

apply even pressure. even tho it may be a lot of pressure. you may feel like you're about to blow a nut, but it should go.
the more you use it, the easier it should get.

 

Once you're in the dirt, you primal instinct will take over, and get you stuck deep.

 

Just sit in your driveway in N and shift back and forth a number of times, mine kind of grinded going into Lo and back into Hi but after a number of shifts it started to shift pretty smooth. Don't shift too gently, you need to give it a good tug even the owners manual states this. Drive it around in Lo for a bit as well since it's never been used. I don't think mine had ever been used either.

 

So, I went out to the drive way, put my jeep in neutral. Pulled the lever to 4 low. There was no resistance. And no movement. I think I have a problem. Anyone have suggestions ? Also, I assume there is some dashboard indication, I saw nothing. Other than when I shifted from full time 4WD to 4low, The illuminated tires on the center console went hollow. As I returned to full-time 4wd, I had the familiar small grind into gear.

 

You didn't pull back far enough.

 

The center console will say "Lo" when you are in Lo. Pull back pretty hard, might clunk a bit getting there but as you shift back and forth it should loosen up. What the console is telling you is that you're in N when all four wheels aren't illuminated.

Just yank that sucker back. I JUST had a similar experience as you.

 

I had to adjust the linkage as it wouldn't stay locked into 4lo. I would slam it to 4lo put it in a drive gear and it would pop out right away. After adjusting the linkage all is better. Don't be afraid to use some force!

 

I shift mine into 4lo and my VIC still doesn't light up any of the tires. They are always blank. It does go into 4lo though. You can feel a difference.

 

Thanks everyone, I will try again, but I pulled back as far as the lever would go, did it like 6 times. I'm leaving town for a few weeks, I may post some pics or something. Regarding lever pull back. I will also try to look into the linkage.

 

Just did another few pulls of the lever, and. Nothing. I can confirm I'm pulling the lever as far back as possible. There is simply no engagement of gears with the lever pulled back all the way. So, at this point I got under the jeep to inspect the linkage, but of course I have no clue what to look for. All I see are a series of rods and joints. Has anyone posted any pics or linkage repair information on here?