Good video. Only one thing to add - and I learned this by experiencing it and reading about it in the owner's manual: 6:46 - right at that moment, you should have turned off the engine before shifting main transmission lever from N to any other mode. Even with the main transmission in N (no matter how much you let it "wind down"), there is still some motion inside the transmission transmitted from the spinning torque converter (don't ask me how or why, but there is), hence why you got a lovely parking pawl grind when you slammed it into Park at 6:47....ouch. Basically moral of the story is anytime you end up with engine running, and the transfer case firmly in N and the main transmission in any other position than Park, always turn OFF the engine before trying to move the transfer case or main transmission lever to any other position. Obviously if you're shifting quickly 'through' N in the transfer case and you don't pause there, then no issue and no need to turn off the engine. Clear as mud hey 😂 This advice only applies to automatic transmission-equipped Jeeps.
Excellent explanation for these confusing systems. You really did a good job on that 4 Yellow Part-Timewhen to use and what happens when you shouldn't oughta have ! Thanks AAron.
Love my 98 ZJ with the selec-trac and rear trac-lock limited slip. I had a 96 ZJ before that had the 249 quadra-trac and it did great too I was amazed where it would go that thing was covered in mud most of the time LOL.
You should shift between the 4-wheel drive modes while rolling as per you Jeep manual. You can damage you transfer case and diffs by shifting like that.
Good stuff! Explained very well. I had a 94 XJ Country. I think my 242 worked a little different. The 94 XJ Country I had was equipped with ABS and a rear limited slip differential. So in part time 4WD, it used the ABS as traction control on the front differential. (This gave it all 4 wheels digging) This seemed to be disabled in full time 4wd, so you only got 3 wheels digging. BTW, it was also equipped with an automatic (overdrive + lock up torque converter). Something Jeep owners need to be aware of is that Jeeps equipped with automatic transmissions, when on wet or slippery surfaces, the Automatic will down shift under load (going up a hill, for example) this causes the rear end to become very happy and it will want to pass you. I learned this the hard way before I ever bought my first XJ. So I always put my XJ in PT 4wd on wet/slippery roads when there was a possibility of it down shifting. Except for once and it didn't end well. Again good stuff and thanks for sharing.
I have a 98 Grand Cherokee 5.9 that I swapped a 242 transfer case into. I keep it in 2WD if it’s dry, wet, or even light snow if it keeps me moving. I use 4WD Full Time in deeper snow or more slippery conditions. I did however have a time where I was trying to go up my hill to get home in some very deep and slippery snow where I only made it so far in 4WD Full Time and then couldn’t go any further. I tried for a couple of minutes to get moving but couldn’t. I then put it in 4WD Part Time and got moving right away without slipping at all. Needless to say I was very impressed! I didn’t know there was that big of a difference between Full Time and Part Time but there definitely is! Saved me from being stuck and not being able to make it home!
That's why 249 is great for winter - it's full time 4x4, it gives torque to both axles all the time using the viscous coupler. The 4wd full time in 242 has an open middle diff - as far as I know it doesn't have a 40/60 split. It's open so it can give 0/100 split, which means if you dont have an lsd or locker you literally can have 1-wheel drive
Great vid man. Thanks a ton! I just got a Cherokee yesterday as mu first car and was slightly confused about how the 4wd works this cleared it all up. Thanks again!
Well done! My 16 year old son just purchased a 1998 XJ with the 242 in it and I needed to be able to explain to him when to use each setting. Your video makes it stupid-simple for me to explain it to him...THANK YOU!
Thanks for the info i have a 98 grand cherokee 4.0 with 110.000 miles on it the Jeep used to be my mother's but now I own it and the four-wheel drive system selec trac is just now being used
Thanks Bro, Very Helpful!. I have a 95 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. Was Confused about which gear 4 wheel Drive should be in. I only have 3 options I believe. You Rock, Thanks Man. ☮️
In part time high range 4WD you can go as fast as you want, only in low range 4WD are you speed limited, I hit 4th gear (overdrive) in my 98 Grand Cherokee in low range at around 22mph LOL. Much over about 25mph and that engine is screaming pretty good. Low range is great, throw it in low range and 1st gear and you can literally get out and walk beside the Jeep. The Jeep Wrangler Rubicons with the 4:1 low range is an even slower crawl ratio. The 231, 242, and the 245, 247, and 249 all share the same 2.72:1 low range.
visor and manual recommend not going over 55. If you're travelling fast and your rear end slides out it can cause your front end to lose grip too, when not in 4x4 part time it'll let you maintain a little bit more control once you start slipping and sliding. Full time is a bit better and 2wd is a tad more safe on vehicles without traction control
Just swapped the 231J outta a brain damaged 93 ZJ into a 97 ZJ 4.0L that had the 249J. The 249J is also the transfer case that when it fails, it typically does so in a fantastic grenade style fashion.... My buddies 249J grenaded and blew through the floor pan and cut up his leg pretty bad and left a huge chunk of the case impaled into the freakin roof!
Jeep Cherokee's had the NP231 standard and the NP242 optional Jeep Grand Cherokees had the NP231 standard, NP242, NP247, and NP249 were optional Jeep Wranglers had the NP231, or the NP241OR (Rock Trac) transfer cases, they were never offered with the NP242 transfer case. The Wranglers all had part time 4WD systems only. The Cherokees and Grand Cherokees had either part time or full time transfer cases, and most Grand Cherokees you find will have either the NP247 or NP249 transfer cases. The NP247 being full time 4WD only no neutral or low range and thus no shift lever. The NP249 was full time 4WD with neutral and low range. The older Jeep Liberty also had the NP242 as an option but had the NP231 as the standard transfer case. I'm not sure what transfer cases the new Jeeps use, but they're none of these LOL. The 242 transfer case in 4 full time is 48% front and 52% rear. The only Grand Cherokee with the 5.9L (360) V8 was the 98 5.9L Limited, yes that's what it was call the 5.9L Limited, and an easy way to tell is the hood had louvers on the passenger and driver side, none of the other Grand Cherokee's had hood louvers from the factory. The Grand Cherokee could have the NP231, NP242, NP247, or NP249. The NP242 was optional on the 4.0L I6, and the 5.2L (318) V8, you'll find most had the NP249. The 5.9L Limited model was only available in full time 4WD with the NP249 transfer case. The NP249 had a viscous coupler in it which would progressively lockup to a point to distribute power to the front axle. The NP247 had a gerotor pump which caused the clutch pack in the transfer case to progressively lock to provide power to the front axle, usually the NP247 was in rear wheel drive mode until loss in traction/wheel slip was detected then the gerotor pump would push fluid through the clutch pack to lockup and engage the front drive axle.
You have a mistake regarding the 247. It has Neutral and Low Range, and so yes, it does have a shift lever. The 249 is the QuadraTrac transfer case, the 247 is the QuadraTrac II transfer case with VariLock (the geroter pump design). QuadraDrive uses the QuadraTrac II transfer case (QuadraTac II has open diffs, QuadraDrive has VariLock LSDs). Otherwise, good run down.
It has a transfer case, just no selector, just a single speed unit with a viscous coupler or clutch pack depending on who's using it, its a 247 t-case. There's 2 versions, 1 has a selector like the 249 with full time neutral and low the other has no selector and no neutral or low. Both are quadra-trac t-cases one is quadra-trac 1 the other is quadra-trac 2, both using the exact same 247 the quadra-trac 1 just does away with the shifter as it offered no low range and now neutral, still the same exact 247 case though.
The quadra-trac 1 uses a "147" t-case the 1 designating 1 speed, but the case itself is the same as the "247" the 2 designating 2 speeds (high/low ranges). Physically no difference between the 2 other than the 147 used in the newer Grand Cherokee's lacked a shift lever so no neutral and no low range available, making it a lazy man's 4WD system requiring no driver input and using a gerotor pump to transfer power between the front and rear axles as needed but reverted back to rear wheel drive in normal conditions. More of an Automatic 4WD system really.
Im new to four wheel drive. Just moved to Colorado and... Oh my im having a hard time😂 this helped a bit. Still learning. Hope I don't mess something up😳
Nice video! Too bad you didn’t cover the details about the 249 with the Viscous coupler though. It makes it an interesting transfer case and gives the Jeep a very distinct driving experience. A sense of “tightness” in the driveline without it being a bad bind, when I compare it to my 242 experiences. Not to mention it being a mechanical solution to the problem of having a 4x4 system which can auto-engage in tight spots. Pretty cool tech for its age. Also, I didn’t know the 242 had a 60-40 split in 4AT. I thought the mid diff was open and any wheel on either axle could get 50% torque at any given time: nothing more or less than 3 open diffs in a drive line.
Just bought a '96 Grand Cherokee...thank you for the info! I had no clue what the difference was.... Question: Can you switch from 2wd to 4wd and vice -versa on the fly? What's the proper way to switch between them?
Yes it is a shift on the fly. from 2wd to 4wd fulltime at any and all speeds you want, can be doing 100mph (160mph and shift just fine. Going from 4wd fulltime to 4wd part time at any speed from 60mph (100kph) and under just fine. Going from 4wd part time to 4wd low you want to be going 3mph or less and put the transmission into neutral first.
Thanks so much for this! I’ve had my 98 Grande Cherokee for a couple years now. I want to know more about these kinds of things. I have the 249 quad and see many videos about converting these to the 242. Do you recommend this?
You could get this same system in the Dodge Durango, and extremely rare to find but also in the Dodge Dakota. I see this in the Dodge Durango's quite often when equipped with the 5.9L 360 V8, occasionally I'd find it in the 5.2L 318 V8 durangos but not nearly as often. I've yet to see a Dakota in person with a 242 transfer case but I've seen one for sale with it unfortunately it was too far away and over-priced LOL.
Theres a Dakota for sale by me that has the 242 tcase, definitely dont see many of them. If I wasn't looking specifically for a 99 Durango, I'd go get it.
Dude, when a diff is locked or there’s no diff in the system (for instance train wheels on solid axle), there is no torque split inside the system. The torque split does occur in spots where wheels touch the road, thus with even friction, even load, even drag and even wheel diameter the torque splits evenly among all wheels, but. Within the transmission itself it is not 50/50, it is 100/100-because there is no differential, so there is nothing to differentiate the torque with. This 242 transfer case in ‘part-time’ mode sends 100% power to the front axle and 100% power to the rear axle -simultaneously- cause those axles are locked together and are virtually one solid peace. If we take ground into the account, the torque does split between the wheels and axles-not within the transmission. As if you take a pencil and spin it in the middle. You won’t be able to differentiate the torque from your fingers between the two pencil’s ends, cause it’s solid one piece thing. The only way to differentiate the torque on the ends of the pencil is to counter-load it on either end.
Haha thanks, i have a neighbor that doesnt like me and found my videos, called the local police on me for a video i posted a while back about the how lockers work and in the video i spun my tires in a gravel parking lot... cops didnt care but it got out of hand with his constant complaints. That intro was directed right at him 😆
I have a 98 grand cherokee 5.2 v8 with the 249 transfer case, however when I put it in 4Lo and in drive it grind my gears and the van drops (like air suspension) is it expensive to service?
Just got a 98 like this one,,it has 4.0 with same 4×4 unit,ive never tried using it yet. I've also heard these transfer cases have their problems more than others ,don't know if that's true or not?
If I have a command track on my 2001- would I be ok having it in 4HI during light snow/heavy rains on the freeway? (obviously only doing like 40mph to get home)
I got the same thing you have but I have a 242 in my 97 Laredo and then I have the crappy one in my 98 all-wheel drive limited thinking about swapping the two the guy I bought the all wheel drive jeep from set it up for off-roading just did it on the wrong drivetrain is it possible to swap front axles and t case
So i'm new to this jeep shit lol. My 95 GC ZJ has the 249. No 2wd option on it, only 4 ALL TIME, N and 4 LOW but it's definitely been driving in 2WD this whole time, although through some research i read something that said "move the shifter right and then to the 4WD you want", Before when i would move the shifter to N it didn't make a difference but when i pushed it right then to N i heard the clunk of the shift, it definitely scared the shit out of me when i was in neutral and couldn't move so i moved it right and forward and was able to move. Maybe i've been shifting it wrong? Any one have any advice? or should i just get it checked out by a mechanic and see what they say?
I have a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ Limited 4WD V8 (318 CDI) with Quadra Trac 4 All Time I was told its a AWD and the lift kit I'm looking at does not fit AWD models. I'm new to this and need some help
it deoesn't matter if the power split is 50/50 or 60/40. it matters if the differential is locked or not - as locked will be problematic when you ride on non slipery surfaces
Part time doesn't split power forwed to back in any ratio. Its an open deferral. Equal power will be sent forward and back untill one wheel slips than you lose power to all 4.
If the snow is deep enough you can use part time 4WD on pavement but most times I find the full time mode works just fine...but if you got patchy snow/ice its best to use the full time 4WD mode.
@@AaronsAutomotive It is essentially the same as an AWD old school subaru. The 242 has a planetary center open differential no clutch packs. There really isn't a set torque split any more than an open differential in an axle. It's totally different than a 249, 247 etc etc.
Love the np 242, the full time 4wd is great option, very few times do you need part time unless huge blizzard 15+ inches besides that full time more than enough
I almost exclusively use fulltime, it might add a bit of wear and tear on the front ujoints/diff but it relieves stress on the rear. It's almost as good as 4x4 part time in most situations and you aren't binding up the driveline at all. Use 2wd for pulling sharp "u-turns" or "having fun" and 4x4 if you know you need it. Otherwise 99% of the time on road fulltime is fine and 95% of the time offroad fulltime is fine, it also doesn't tear up the trails as much as long as you aren't losing traction all the time. use 4lo when you need the control and all the traction possible(same theory applies to selectable lockers).
Can you explain how you were shifting the transfer case? Sometimes you would kick the transmission into reverse or neutral or drive to complete the shifting and I'm not sure why.
@@AaronsAutomotive Ah I see, thanks for the reply. Maybe I've got a similar issue. I've got a ZJ with the Quadra-Trac. I never switch out of 4 All Time, but I tried it the other day and it made a grinding noise that vibrated through the handle as I was going between 4 All Time and 4 Lo. Maybe because I was stopped and in Drive? Or because I paused the T case in Neutral? The manual says the transmission should've been in Neutral and coasting at 2-3 mph.
the shift collars aren't physically moved by the shifter the shifter compresses (a) spring(s) that moves the shift collars once the teeth line up, it takes a bit to wiggle loose from some modes and wiggle into/align to get into the other modes.
@@rcguymike Thanks for the info. I stopped having issues shortly afterwards and can shift the transfer case now, but who knows when it'll act up again.
Could you post a video of how to do the actual engaging of 4x4 in the 94 jeep? Mine won't engage & I've tried brake on/off, in & out of gears, & can't find a user manual for it. My 1st winter in jeep & using 4x4. I know shifting for manual transmission but this is different.
@@AaronsAutomotive not on my 4L gr chk, I posted a video trying everything & was told to pull harder but I nearly broke it & am thinking it needs to be checked mechanically but want to check all I can myself 1st. Thanks.
noticed when u were in N with the part time system. I've got pretty much the same zj as you and when I put it in park while in N, it makes an unpleasant grinding noise. When you did it, it made the same noise. What is that?
Thank You. great explanation. you seem very familiar with this t cases. im shopping for any of this Grand Cherokees for off road but my main reason of getting this besides good prices is for towing behind a motorhome with 4 wheels down. i dont want to deal with dolly or trailer. ot has to be able be flat towed long distances. can you tell me of all 3 of this t cases, can do this safely without damaging components. or wich specific one is good for this aplication. most available in my area are automatic transmission, haven't seen manuals.
Jesse, great question, and to put it simple, yes, any jeep with a manual transfercase can be flat towed 4 wheels down. Things to keep in mind is the transmission has to stay in park as to keep the transmission from rotating internally, and transfercase in neutral. Doesnt matter of the type of transfercase as long as it is a manual shifter, IE, shift lever instwad of an electronic shift transfercase
are they interchangeable XJ as in the video Trans case with all the toys Change for the Last example full time 4x 4 I am getting a Grand 98 and I want to drop the case of my old XJ with all the toys I also see you have 1 2 D N on my XJ I have 1-2 3 D N My XJ slips in 1st gear if I put in first it takes of fine if I put in Drive it is easier and cheaper to upgrade than fix the gearbox front diff screwed by the previous owner I only paid $900 for the whole car that's $500 US and I got 3 years out of it. The Gran has more toys but is in full time all the time, I have no low gears
To my understanding the 249 actually has a 48/52 torque split. And the inline 6 is way more common than the 360 v8. This did help me decide that I dont want a 231 swap and would only swap for a 242. However why would a 50/50 split be so bad on the road if my jeep is permanently stuck with a 48/52?
The only real problem is that the 50/50 split does not utilize a planetary gear set so its always 50/50 split and during cornering the transfer case will bind up, having a 48/52 split and a planetary gear will allow it to act as if it has a differential and not cause any binding around corners allowing one drive shaft to rotate faster than the other at times.
while its a very good video, there is still some misinformation. At least here in Europe we got the Grand Cherokee (ZJ) with 2 different 249 options - NV249 and NP249. One of them has center lock on 4LO and the other one doesn't, it still uses the visco coupling on low as well.
2wd for dry pavement, 4wd high for basically running around town in the snow or just running around on light off-road trails, 4wd low for in deep mud or off-road slow speed technical driving
249 is the superior case.. never understood why people go from a 249 to a 242.. or 231... mainly because of bad viscous couplers.., spend the money replace the viscous coupler if its bad... Even if its bad, 249 is still superior... 242 is basically 1wd if one tired is spinning say in the air youre stuck... the 249 doesnt do that. Also the 249 is 10-90% for the later years not 60-40... the 93-95 249 has no low lock, the 96-98 249 does, and the 5.9 249 is stronger.. The 93-96 249's also use different viscous couplers.. the 97-98s are different. There is a reason the part numbers are diff for the 97-98s because the torque split is 10-90 on those
I have a 96 5.2 and it had a 249 but the VC failed so I had a 247 installed which is progressive, rear wheel drive only until the rear spins then the front kicks it, easier of the front tires that the 249
249 with a working viscous coupler is the same it just uses a viscous fluid that "hardens"/becomes more viscous with heat rather than a hydraulic pump attached to the output shaft to tighten clutch packs
Hopefully someone can answer this for me. I have a 94 Cherokee and when I shift into 4Hi the part time light pops on. Reading the manual it it mentions full time, but I cant for the life of me figure it out. Starting to think the manual lied and the jeep is only part time 4x4. Can anyone with a 94 shed some light on this for me?
Dont know if you have your answer already but from another video I saw, in that model the 4hi is pretty much the part mode so thats why they have it say that when you switch into 4hi
Am I the only one that Seize the flying saucer and the back. About 26 seconds in the video. As he shows us the layout of the land. And That's where you will see it.
Im planing on buying first jeep got 2 options, XJ 4.0i or ZJ with 5.2 v8, wich one do u suggest i should get, im just planing on doing some trail riding, bit mudding, towing with friends. And really want to beat friends Terrano II 2.7TD and Pajero 3.5 v6. I heard that ZJ has some transmision problems. Wich one do u suggest i get.
I prefer the ZJ, better suspension in it than the XJ. The 5.2 v8 ZJ has the 44re transmission and is fairly common problem free being behind such a light vehicle, only thing I just is when towing any trailer, turn overdrive off, and extend the transmission breather vent tube higher up onto the engine bay to avoid sucking water into the transmission, that's the main problem most people with the ZJ have when going off road. Get water in it and the transmission is shot.
@@AaronsAutomotive I found a 1996 Zj 5.2 with about 125k miles, looks in decent condition, it has np 249 transfer case, its 5k. Im just planing on puting 33inch tires and mybe a lift kit and thats it.
So I’ve got a 99 Cherokee with the NP231. I’m wondering if I’m doing damage if I’ve got it in the part time 4WD and it’s raining outside and I’m on the regular road. I like doing that cuz the Rwd tends to hydroplane with even little slickness on the road. Is that okay for the Jeep to drive on a wet road in part time? Thanks!
Joey, absolutely its ok to drive with it in part time on wet roads. The main thing to try and refrain from doing is letting the 4x4 system bind up, youll know that by turning to sharp and the wheels start to hop or skip in the front. Thou, if its hydroplaning in rain, i almost wonder if your tires are getting to low on tread depth? Or is it a heavy rain fall?
Aaron's Automotive thanks man! I’ve definitely had that happen when turning in 4WD. As for hydroplaning it was more so from a dead stop on wet roads in 2WD. Tire tread is fine on mine but my front brakes did need replacing at the time I hydroplaned a bit on the roads. Anyways thanks man!
Yeah, driving it in 4by on wet raining roads will be fine. Just want to avoid the binding as much as possible, and it can cause damage to the chains in the transfercase over extended periods of time.
Aaron's Automotive for sure man. Any advice on what to do say it’s raining outside and you turn into like an outlet/parking lot which requires sharp turns. Put it back in 2WD?
Recently bought a jeep Xj with the np242 and pretty new to 4wd. I had it in full time and switched back to 2wd but i think it was stuck in part time because there was binding when I was turning. It drove about 7 miles with speeds up to 50mph on dry pavement. I was wondering if I damaged any thing?
No, they do sometimes bind up, but no damage would've been cause, all it does is put a lot of unnecessary stress on the drive shaft ujoints a d axle shafts up front.
@@AaronsAutomotive Been a year since I owned the XJ and the part time and full time did excellent in the snow. I occasionally throw it in full time just to get the parts moving and stuff but I’ve never once needed to use 4lo and I don’t go off-road. Will I still need to run it in 4lo just to keep them moving and in working order?
Correct, IF it has the full time selection on it, than yes you can drive 24/7 on dry pavement without any issues, only thing effected is going to be your gas mileage.
@@AaronsAutomotive wrong, doesnt do jack sht to gas mileage... this is completetly stupid missinformation everyone always spews.. weve had our ZJ 98 with the 242 for 23 years.. it gets 21mpg average on the interstate with it in 4fulltime, and 2wd.
@@AaronsAutomotive fair enough. Thanks for the video, it was vary helpful. I work in a vineyard and have to drive through Rocks, deep mud and water on a daily basis and I was pretty much just guessing at what I was doing while using part time vs full time
Not sure honestly, but it sure is nice, i put mine in neutral and leave transmission in park when I flat tow the jeep behind my truck to events and such.
It was an option. I'm about to pick up a 2001 WJ w/select trac. and 4.0 i6. Standard was the D35 w/open diff but the D44 w/ vari-lok was an option on the 4.0. I believe it was an option on the 4.7 and standard with quadra drive
