Hello, I'm new to the Jeeping Community and have a problem I hope you'll help me solve. My 87 Cherokee wont lock the front axle(maybe 1/50 tries it will). My lever wont lock into 4H, only N and 4L. After I put it in gear when on 4L you can hear it try but it wont lock and it sounds like it wants to stall. The linkage seems to be working right and I reconnected 2 vacuum hoses that were disconnected when i bought it. Also, its a 4.0 automatic transmission. I don't know what else to try, any suggestions?

 

That vacuum system is junk. Too many things to go wrong.

Do this:
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/fr...ss-91-a-38629/

And this:


and be sure shifting it like this:

Here's how the factory suggests you shift the transfer case and I've been doing this since these things were new and I worked at the dealership. Quoted from the owner's manual. The suggestions in CAPS are mine.

"To engage, shift the transfer case lever from 2H to 4H while the vehicle is moving at any legal speed". I LET OFF THE GAS, THROW THE LEVER, TAP THE GAS AND LET OFF.

4L position: " To engage, slow the vehicle to 2-3 MPH , shift the transmission to Neutral, then shift the transfer lever to the right and pull firmly rearward to 4L".

TO SHIFT OUT OF 4L, SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL WITH THE VEHICLE STOPPED, SHIFT THE TRANSFER CASE LEVER TO 2H, THEN THE TRANS TO D IF YOU HAVE AN AUTOMATIC, OR INTO FIRST GEAR WITH A MANUAL, AND CONTINUE ON.

Revised 11/20/2014

 

Thanks for the reply but Im looking more for a permanent fix and it said it was temporary.

 

Oh, good luck with that.