I Plan On lifting My 94 grand cherokee 4.5 lift...Why do people replace the 249 transfer case I have with the 242 transfer case.

What The advantages of having the 242 transfer case.

I plan On light off roading in the future. Is the 249 transfer case not suitable for this?

I'm new to the scene but have learned so much from this site these few weeks. Thanks in advance for any reply.

 

The 249 is a all wheel drive t-case and has a viscouse coupler that fails a lot without mods such as larger tires and lifts. The 242 and 231 are part time 4wd boxes, are stronger and better suited for off-road use.

 

The 242 has the option of full time 4WD but as stated by Bustedback above it doesn't have the viscous coupling that's the weak link in the 249. Instead it has a mechanism similar to an open differential.
NP231: Part time transfer case used commonly in XJ's, YJ's, TJ's, ZJ's, etc. It offers 2wd, 4 part time, and 4 low.
NP242: Full Time transfer case used in XJ's and ZJ's. 2wd, 4 part time, 4 full time, and 4 low. The 4 full time feature is unique from the NP249 as it does not use a vicious coupler (what goes bad in the 249), but instead a mechanism similar to an open differential.

 

May I ask what are the signs the vicous coupling is bad or failing. Again guys thanks for the replys they have been extremely helpful.

 

Go into a big empty parking lot. Try to do figure eights with the steering wheel turned full lock each way, at idle. If you need to add throttle and the front tires make a chirping or squealing noise, or feel like they're hopping then the VC is bad.

 

Maybe a dumb question, but you said "viscouse coupler that fails a lot without mods such as larger tires and lifts" do i need to have bigger tires if i have a 249 so it dont break?

 

No, it will fail faster because of more stress from bigger tires.