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Just bought an ALL time 4WD GRAND CHEROKEE feels like its pulling to one side!

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Old Apr 3, 2013 | 04:53 PM
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Default Just bought an ALL time 4WD GRAND CHEROKEE feels like its pulling to one side!

So just jumped from honda tuner scene to the Grand cherokee scene and I picked up this relatively cheap Rokee. Its a 1993 Straight 6 the only problem is that it feel like it pulls side to side while im driving it! Like it happens out of nowhere, it'll go from working fine to pulling super hard side to side almost like losing power at one of the wheels! Any help please!
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Old Apr 3, 2013 | 05:38 PM
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Does it have a locker in the rear?
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Old Apr 3, 2013 | 06:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Diesel Dan
Does it have a locker in the rear?
Can you specify "Locker"? Is it near transmission? Diff?

So I'll let it sit than I go out for another drive and it drives fine for a while but than it begins like losing power sort of and it just starts pulling to either side, and when I slow down it shakes alot and makes a little noise! Weird huh? help me out pleeeaasseee~!
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Old Apr 3, 2013 | 06:37 PM
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What he's talking about is a locking or limited slip differential. You MIGHT want to check your lower control arm mounts. My 97 ZJ tore one out of the "frame" and when you gave to gas, it pulled right, when you hit the brake, it pulled left. It could be the track bar, that's the one that keeps the axle centered in the frame. There's one on both axles.

It's very hard to diagnose a problem on a keyboard, but we'll do what we can to help. Check ALL your bushings and mounts, steering linkage joints, ball joints, wheel bearings, anything that has to do with controlling direction of the vehicle. This MIGHT be the reason it was put up for sale.

The nice thing about Jeeps is as long as the "frame" is intact, there's not much that can't be fixed.
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Old Apr 3, 2013 | 08:52 PM
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Originally Posted by dave1123
What he's talking about is a locking or limited slip differential. You MIGHT want to check your lower control arm mounts. My 97 ZJ tore one out of the "frame" and when you gave to gas, it pulled right, when you hit the brake, it pulled left. It could be the track bar, that's the one that keeps the axle centered in the frame. There's one on both axles.

It's very hard to diagnose a problem on a keyboard, but we'll do what we can to help. Check ALL your bushings and mounts, steering linkage joints, ball joints, wheel bearings, anything that has to do with controlling direction of the vehicle. This MIGHT be the reason it was put up for sale.

The nice thing about Jeeps is as long as the "frame" is intact, there's not much that can't be fixed.

Not very mechanically inclined but I'm also positive its not anything to do with steering because when the problem starts say around 45-50 MPH and it just loses alot of power, and when I'm stopping it vibrates quite a bit and it just feels rough. I can put aside the problem for a little bit by pulling over throwing in 4WD lo, drive it a little, than throw it back into ALL TIME 4WD the problem will subside for a little while but once again return.

Any suggestions of things I could do, adjust, tighten? Any suggestions help.


Also when I step hard on the gas I hear a "Clonk" same thing when I took it up a little hill and it gets a little traction the same "clonk" is heard.
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Old Apr 3, 2013 | 09:27 PM
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Could this be a symptom of those notorious couplers that go out on these quadatrac transfer cases? I've been reading alot about it and it seems like thats what goes out the most
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Old Apr 3, 2013 | 09:35 PM
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You said it shudders when you slow down, do you mean when you brake? Sounds like you got a bad caliper or hose. Mine wuold do that, sometimes it would pull violently right, and then u touch the brakes and it would co the other way. It was one caliper, check temp of of the brakes after it does it, just hold your hand by the wheel and see if theres a temp diffrence side to side.
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Old Apr 3, 2013 | 09:39 PM
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No the shuddering actually comes from something around transmission or transfer case because when this problem is happening and I slow down and take a slight turn it sounds as if one or 2 of the wheels lock up, but when its running fine its actually really smooth and powerful, but like i said this problem occurs when I reach 50 MPH give or take, than I have stop throw it into 4LO run it a little than throw it back into 4ALL TIME but my problem will come back within minutes
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Old Apr 4, 2013 | 04:21 PM
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Check your tire alignment.
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Old Apr 5, 2013 | 08:52 AM
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Ok Problem solved! I bought new tires all the way around and the problem is completely wrong I guess having different size tires on this transfer case is deadly
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Old Apr 5, 2013 | 09:57 AM
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Originally Posted by PanchoElKatch
Ok Problem solved! I bought new tires all the way around and the problem is completely wrong I guess having different size tires on this transfer case is deadly
Oh Ya!! That's a No No. 4wheel Drive vehicles should Never have different sized tires on it. All sould be the same size..
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Old Apr 5, 2013 | 10:29 AM
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Originally Posted by PanchoElKatch
Ok Problem solved! I bought new tires all the way around and the problem is completely wrong I guess having different size tires on this transfer case is deadly
As I was reading this thread I was going to ask about your tires. Glad you got it all sorted out. Running different sized tires can also cook the front diff.

Miles
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Old Apr 6, 2013 | 02:09 AM
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Yeah guys I really appreciate the help! Glad I Got this out of the way definitely looking like more and more of a good deal to me! $650 and I'm loving this cherokee!
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Old Apr 6, 2013 | 02:57 AM
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Running different tires on a 4WD is okay AS LONG AS YOU DON'T ENGAGE 4WD! With the 249 transfer, it will cook the viscous coupling and with the 242 it will wreck the power dividing differential in the case, OR if in PART TIME, it can destroy the whole thing!

With my 97 ZJ, with the 242, I confess I ran new 235/75R15's on the front for 3 months with 215/70R15's on the back until I could afford to buy another pair of 235's for the back. I never even was tempted to put it in 4WD because I knew better.

I saw a "horror" picture of a transfer case actually split in half by using different tires.

Last edited by dave1123; Aug 26, 2019 at 05:42 AM.
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Old Aug 25, 2019 | 09:12 PM
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Woops
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