I had my transfer case fluid changed because it wasn't feeling right and when the plug was removed nothing came out. not a drop. the chain is visibly hanging down and I need a new transfer case. I have a 95 xj and all I've been able to find locally are 21 spine and one 96 xj transfer case which from research tells me will not work. is this correct? it has 150k miles on it for $150. I have also found much better deals on np 242 transfer cases. I understand my dash lights won't work with this tc but what else will I need for this swap? Cletus has a 4.5in lift with 33s mostly daily driver but occasional offroading. I just need something to replace my current tc so I'm not picky of which case I have

 

A 96 transfer case will work in a 95.

 

will this be a direct swap no problem?

 

There are two different gear cuts. 95+ should be the newer gear cut, but I'm always hesitant with saying for sure on cut off years. As long as the gear cuts match, you can swap out your input in place of the 21 spine input.

 

91 and older is one cut year..(21 spline) and the 92+ is the 2nd cut year..(23 spline) the only thing that changed in the 231 t-cases from 95-96 is the sealed tail housing... 95 and older is an open tail housing and 96-newer is a sealed tail housing. direct swap. a 242 tcase will work just the same.. but will need the shift linkage adjusted and the dash light won't read 4 part time is all. it will instead read 4 full time in both part and full time positions.

 

There are 21 and 23 spline inputs throughout the years, as well as different lengths. Mid 94/early 95 they changed the way the planetary gear pattern was cut. They will not mesh properly with the early inputs.

 

regardless of the planetary cut. he can run a t-case from 96+ as long as its a 92+ XJ.

 

thanks for the input guys. that 96 one is the only 23 spline I can find, that's probably what I'm gonna end up doing. how should I inspect this thing before I buy it? what should I look for/check?

 

pull the plugs and inpsect fluid color.... still kinda pink/red your prolly good... if its milky or creamy then water has gotten into the case one way or another. manually shift the t-case through all gears and spin the yoke for the front driveshaft to listen for any issues.

 

Thank you!!
Is my jeep okay to drive as is? My 4wd is obviously useless but how risky is it driving it with the chain hanging like that? I filled it back up with fluid but it is slowly leaking. I was planning on driving it down to Ocean City and back for senior week which is 190 miles from where i'm at.. anything to worry about?

 

anybody?

 

I drove mine around with a very loose chain for a few months.

I'd imagine it'd be ok, however if you can avoid running it I would.

 

How far up in PA are you? You should be able to find one locally on craigslist, but then you run the risk of buying a bad case. Check local offroading forums.

I have a working 242 in my garage i'm trying to sell.

It's out of my 99 (23 spline). Other reason i don't need it is because i just swapped in another 242 with a HNT on it.

 

242 wouldn't be bad, you'd have part time 4wd.

 

I live in York, PA i just bought a np231 out of a 96 yesterday for $140 with 150k miles. Fluid came out red and when i spun the yolk i could hear the chain moving and it was smooth. Sounded good in all gears and the guy offered me $20 for my old one. I think i made out pretty well