4 HI sticking

[mandruch]

Great site! First post.
I'm now using my wife's 2003 Sport as my hunting and fishing vehicle. Around Christmas time this past year, we started having the 4 Hi stick in 4 Hi after dropping it back to 2 Hi. The dash light goes off, but it remains in 4 Hi until you hit a certain speed and RPM. At that point, it rather violently clunks back into 2 Hi. I had my mechanic look at it and he said the CV joints were bad and recommend a new front drive shaft. I just completed the swap out myself (saved $450) and guess what, it didn't fix the problem. He did tell me that if the drive shaft didn't fix the problem then it was probably something inside the transfer case. He also said that he would not touch the transfer case. So what is my next step? Thanks all.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Look under your Jeep for the shift rod for the t case, it's by the drivers side cat kinda. Wipe it off and put some lubricant on there, see if that helps. I had a similar issue, did that and it seems ok now. Just an idea. Or it might need to be adjusted. But I doubt it's anything in the transfer case.

 

[mandruch]

Look under your Jeep for the shift rod for the t case, it's by the drivers side cat kinda. Wipe it off and put some lubricant on there, see if that helps. I had a similar issue, did that and it seems ok now. Just an idea. Or it might need to be adjusted. But I doubt it's anything in the transfer case.

I'll check that out tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[02blue]

Look under your Jeep for the shift rod for the t case, it's by the drivers side cat kinda. Wipe it off and put some lubricant on there, see if that helps. I had a similar issue, did that and it seems ok now. Just an idea. Or it might need to be adjusted. But I doubt it's anything in the transfer case.

Check the bushing on that linkage too. They deteriorate and get sloppy.

 

[CactusJacked]

The t-case shifter is cable operated. As 02blue mentioned, the bushing that has a tendency to go bad and mess things up, is the one at the shifter. You need to remove the console cover to get in there and check it out.

 

[mandruch]

The t-case shifter is cable operated. As 02blue mentioned, the bushing that has a tendency to go bad and mess things up, is the one at the shifter. You need to remove the console cover to get in there and check it out.

Is it the green one? If so, it's perfect. I'll get underneath soon.

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[02blue]

Is it the green one? If so, it's perfect. I'll get underneath soon.

The OEM one on the Tcase lever is the following:

http://www.partswebsite.com/moparonlineparts/oemparts/jeep-131/68001899aa.html

There is a cheap fix out there but 20 bucks is okay with me since mine was probably original when I changed mine with 160k on it.

LOST JEEPS • View topic - Cheap Fix for Transfer Case Cable Bean Counter Bushing/Clip

I've never looked at the shifter handle end under the console. Maybe someone else can tell us that. May be the same one?

 

[mandruch]

I took the cable off of the transfer case end and it does look like the black bushing inside the white plastic end is crushed a little. I have no clue if this would be enough to cause only a partial shift back into 2 hi from 4 hi.
This is what the bushing looks like, but this of off of a Doge Ram.

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Do you need to change the fluid in the transfer case? There's 152,00 miles on this one.

 

[tommudd]

I took the cable off of the transfer case end and it does look like the black bushing inside the white plastic end is crushed a little. I have no clue if this would be enough to cause only a partial shift back into 2 hi from 4 hi.
This is what the bushing looks like, but this of off of a Doge Ram.

You must be registered for see images attach

Do you need to change the fluid in the transfer case? There's 152,00 miles on this one.

YES!!!!by the time I had 150,000 miles mine had been changed 6 maybe 7 times

 

[02blue]

Yes the black bushing is what I got. Part # 68001899AA

Took a bit to press it on but worked like a charm.

 

[mandruch]

Yes the black bushing is what I got. Part # 68001899AA

Took a bit to press it on but worked like a charm.

Just ordered it. $30, really? Anyway I also just changed out the fluid in the transfer case. It was black. :icon_frown:
Thanks again everyone.

 

[mandruch]

Well, I installed the new bushing on the transfer case side and inspected the one at the shifter and it was fine. Same issue. 4hi sticks when shifting back into 2hi and then violently clunks back into 2hi after a minute or so. Something is not right. I say it's in the transfer case. Can the shift arm on the transfer case stick??

 

[02blue]

You didn't notice any chunks in your dirty Tcase fluid when you changed it did you? Is it used in 4WD frequently? If you just started using it for 4WD like stuff maybe it just needs to be worked out a bit more. Sounds like something is binding a bit. Are you "in the dirt" when you are testing this. I'm assuming you have the 231 case. I think you have a bit more leeway on the surfaces you can run that on compared to the 242 but still should be a bit slick.

I had an issue like this when my bushing was going and if I held the shifter down while rolling it would drop back into 2WD from Part time (I have the 242 Tcase). With the select trac, I'll run around in full time just to keep things moving.

 

[mandruch]

It really wasn't that bad looking really. It was dark, but not chunky. My wife would run it in 4hi any time it rained or snowed and it never had an issue going back into 2hi like it is now. Sounds nasty.

 

[02blue]

It really wasn't that bad looking really. It was dark, but not chunky. My wife would run it in 4hi any time it rained or snowed and it never had an issue going back into 2hi like it is now. Sounds nasty.

Not sure it was too good an idea running it on wet roads. I think the 231 is a bit more forgiving in 4hi which is its part time but still running it with traction for too long will bind things up. Wet roads still have alot of traction unless your tires are toast. I fear it may be close to detonation.