I have a 96 cherokee country that locks up front and back and is all bone stock. (For now lol).it has the sticker in the glove box saying it came with locking differentials but everyone seems to think i dont know what im talking about when i tell them this.they say they never came like that.im assuming it was a expensive option so not many have it.i took it offroading the other day through some very muddy spots and one technical spot thats normally the end of the trail except fot the big boys.and when i got to the opening in the woods there where jeeps and trucks on nothing smaller than 35's with big lifts asking me how the hell i got in there lol.its giving me alot of problems one thing after another im about to get rid of it but if yhe diffs are a rare option it might be worth fixing up.

 

very rare as everyone is right. jeep never equipped any vehicle other than the rubicon with lockers.

so, what that sticker means is yours came with a limited slip rear differential, called a trac-lok. this is not a locker. and nothing came stock in the front other than open differential.

add that with 231 command trac t-case and they would need to add that sticker. my 90 pioneer came with those options and that same sticker.

 

Maybe i got that sticker with this options and someone else took it a step further in the front end because it does lock we tested thise in mud,sand and cliimbing ofer som mild rocks.turning,straight line it doesnt matter all 4 get power i had people outside looking to check.and it handles like **** on the street in 4x4 it bounces and chatters while fighting itself in turns.alottle off this topic but you seem to know what your talking about.in 4x4 it whines just like an aftermarket supercharger pretty loud past 20mp but in 2wd its dead silent any ideas there?i got a master install for the front end with new timkin bearings evn tho there is no play in the shaft or driveshaft anywhere.it might be tcase but its fine in rear wheel and i just replaced fluid front and back.

 

Are you driving it on the road in 4WD? The 231 doesn't really have an "on-road" 4wd option.

 

Not regualarly but i wantes to test it out as i do live in newengland and winter is coming.if your asking for the sound it does it in sand, mud, dirt,wheels spinning ,not spinning with traction it doesnt matter it starts about 20 and gets louder and louder.ans its deffinatelly not a wheel bearing im thinking eithe front end or transfer case.i lifted it on 2 fork lifts and popped it in 4x4 to track down the sound and it doesnt make a peep when in the air (not under load) so i couldnt narrow it down.

 

Pull those diff covers off and check out what's in there!

 

I dont know how to tell whats what lol im new to jeeps.i was looking for a rear diff cover gasket and the guy told me to measure the cover and said it should be 7and a quarter or 8 something wide and its 10 or so inches so that might be a different rear end and the front looked normal to me spider gears and all it didnt look like a locker.

 

Spider gears means open diff, so the front is open.

You can compare the shape of the diff cover to pictures online to determine what rear axle you have, or put up a pic and somebody can tell you.

You don't need to use a diff cover gasket, rtv works fine.

 

Actually I guess I'm wrong on this. I just googled the Auburn ected limited slip and it has spider gears.

Did the front look like this?

 

i've never used a diff cover gasket in my life. simply clean and use black RTV.

as for the whine, it is normal for the t-case to have an audible whine while in 4wd.

snap a pic of inside the diff with the cover off. get as close and clear as you can, this way we can let you know what's in there.

 

Looks like this https://www.google.com/search?q=xj+diff&client=ms-android-sprint-us&source=android-browser&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0a hUKEwiYypymvrbJAhULHD4KHdaiAhoQ_AUICCgC#tbm=isch&q =dana+30+diff&imgrc=thUhVo7wO7kjCM%3A

Seems like a normal open diff but its deffinately locking both

 

Fixed the link. If it looks like the photo, it's not locked.

https://www.google.com/search?q=xj+d...hVo7wO7kjCM%3A

 

X2. It's open.

 

Im new to 4x4 i know they have things called locking hubs.i dont know how they work could i have something like that?if not im gonna say the spider gears are pinned or something because they definately arent welded.

 

No.
XJs never came from the factory with lockers. As mentioned already, the sticker in the glove box (mine has that too) is for a limited slip rear. Open front. Putting it in 4wd on pavement will ruin parts, and make lots of noise, its the entire drivetrain binding. If both front wheels have a similar friction coefficient, like road tires in mud, they will both spin.
Locking hubs are entirely a different story and irrelevant to any stock XJ axles. They simply disengage the wheel from the front axle shafts and differential.