I recently purchased a project 1999 Cherokee Classic with 210,000. I used to have a 1991 Cherokee Laredo that I sold a few years ago with over 250,000 miles on it. It was a good vehicle for me and I missed having it, so I just picked up this 1999 model as a limited use vehicle for snowy conditions. It is in decent condition (considering miles and price), but one thing I am trying to figure out is the turning issues from the front wheels. When I try and make a tighter turn (at low speeds), there is all sorts of binding in the wheels that makes for a jerkiness while making the turn. My old Cherokee had the Command-Trac, which used the vacuum operated system to lock/unlock the front axles, and this would happen if the hubs were not unlocked yet.

The Cherokee I now have has Selec-Trac, and from my quick glances, I don't see this vacuum operated system. Some online research indicates that these later axles didn't use the locking axles, so I am wondering if the problem is in the differential. If it is, would this be rectified with an oil change of the differential, or is the diff just bad. I figure this is the first thing I need to tackle before spending money on any other repairs.

Jim

 

Right, there is no vacuum disconnect in Selec-Trac.

Is your transfer case shifter either in 2-wheel drive or Full-Time 4-wheel drive?

 

Are you on dry ground, or slick? Is it in PT or FT 4wd? The 242 has been known to stick and not want to shift out of gear. My 97 did that once when i thought it was FT, when it was really in PT. I wasnt paying attention to the light on the dash. Had to wiggle the shifter a bit as i rolled back and forth a little to free it up. Might not be your issue, but its a thing.

 

This happens in 2WD. Roads are both dry and slightly wet. I can shift the Selec-Trac lever through the range and the dash lights come on when lever is in the respective position. When I shift back to 2WD, all dash indicators for 4WD (4FT & 4PT) turn off, so I am assuming the transfer case is operating correctly. Obviously if the case is still in part-time 4WD (with no indicators saying this) the issue would be happening. Doing some more research, I have read about the universal joints in the front hub area can go bad and cause similar issues when making a tight turn. Never had this happen with my old Cherokee, so had thought those joints would be nearly indestructible.

I just picked this XJ up, so have not gone through and replaced the fluids in the differentials and transfer case. Just hoping this is a low cost fix (to stick to my plan for a low cost used XJ).

Jim

 

It is likely just the axle u-joints. They can cause those symptoms even when in 2wd (tight turn, binding, clunking, hopping). In my experience it is made worse by being in 4WD (part time), but will happen regardless. It was one of the first jobs I had to do on my own XJ when I brought it home, and it only had 49k miles on it.

 

I will try and check those u-joints out next time I am under the vehicle. It is just parked in my driveway until I get various things straightened out on it. Do you know if those u-joints have grease nipples on them, or are sealed?

 

x2 on what Jordan said - axle u-joints are suspect #1.

It won't hurt to change out the gear oil in the front diff. If you do change the diff oil, while changing the u-joints and there's any sign of gear oil leakage out the axle tubes (or you're just super ambitious), it would be a GREAT time to do the axle seals since you'd be 75% of the way there anyway.

There are no grease zerks on the OEM axle joints. You can get either one for a replacement and folks have differing opinions as to which they prefer, if you do get the greaseable, make sure you install them correctly so the zerk doesn't interfere (or get the kind that grease via the center of the cap.. Spicer makes at least one D30 one that's like this). Spicer is the OEM brand and they're highly recommended and no more expensive than other brands.
I'd avoid the Autozone special - last time I used them (years ago) they were junk.

 

Typically not. The factory ones did not. And because of the tight fit in that location, even replacements tend to be the non-serviceable type. Also "checking" them might not reveal much. When I did mine, it was not as if they were loose or obviously worn from the outside. I could not detect any play. They were just old and crusty, probably had a little water/salt intrusion over the years. Replacing them helped a lot.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I hope this solves the problem.

 

Just keep in mind, that even with fresh joints, when making a particularly tight turn, sometimes it will still happen. Not as severe though. Somewhat depends on the tires and surface they are on. Either they will slide (which will make things seem smoother) or they will grip and buck/hop. It's just a feature of having a single u-joint on each axle half-shaft. When the joint is exercised at a large angle, the rotation speed of the axle (at the end) becomes non-uniform. If you want to learn more you can look up u-joints on youtube (and how CV joints were later introduced to help deal with some of these shortcomings - but at the cost of complexity).

 

Don't discount the possibility of a worn or damaged transfer case shift linkage either. Crawl underneath and make sure you're --ACTUALLY-- in 2wd and not just barely engaged. You can (carefully) manipulate the linkage by hand and should feel the t-case "click" into and out of 2 and 4wd.

I'm still thinking u-joints are more likely, but again - it doesn't hurt to double check.

 

I was looking at the tires this morning and found something that may also be part of the problem. Th tires are all Goodyear Wranglers, but three of the tires are 225/75-15, but the fourth tire (a front tire) is a 235/75-15, and looks to be older.

 

That's a big problem. It's hard to damage the NP transfer cases, but mismatching tires is definitely one way to do it.

If you get a whole new set, go with the 235/75R15's all around.