I got issues my drivetrain is SUPER clunky to begin with...always has been and when i put in 4 HI I cant drive in a straight line on pavement it hops and skips. And when disengaging 4 wheel back to 2 High the back wheels lock completely i have to throw it in reverse before i put it back in first gear to disengage.

BAD TC ? 4 wheel drive works fine though it seems to only spin right side tires when i get stuck.

 

DO NOT ENGAGE 4WD ON PAVEMENT

The NP231 is a part time unit, which locks in the axles when driving in 4WD. This will cause driveline binding when turning and the tires all have traction, on loose gravel, sand, mud, or ice it's fine. But on pavement, not so much, and can cause damage to the axles and transfer case.

My parts Jeep did the whole 'rear lockup' thing on me once. The fact that backing it up causes it to release implies stuck drum brakes, driving forward on stuck drums will pull the pads tighter to the rotors. Backing up will usually cause them to release. In my case it's because my brakes are screwed over to begin with. It can also possibly be caused by driveline binding, I suppose.

Also, you don't have lockers in your axels, so if one tire looses traction on that axel, it will spin, as you have an open differential.

Lastly, please try not to shift in/out of 4wd on the move. The manual says you can do it at 2 or 3mph, but it's probably best to come to a full stop.

 

i know im not einstein but it shouldnt skip in a straight line. It should only *bind* when i turn the wheel on pavement. I bind going straight....Cant figure that one out.

 

Apparently skimmed over the 'straight line' bit, my appologies.

I'd say check the brakes to make sure they aren't binding up. It doesn't make a lot of sense that the rear would be binding when shifted into 4wd because the rear is always engaged. However I'm not an expert on how the innards work yet.

 

my dad bought an xj that did that. it had different size tires on the rear than the front. thatll do it. i know its so simple its dumb but you might have over looked it if you have different size tires?

 

Oh dang, good call. Yeah that'd do it.

 

yeah and i have an identical non renix 96 that doesnt do any of this AND it has a super smooth driveline. somethings not right.

ive got all the same tires and swapped completely to stock set and still same problem. Only thing i noticed is the play in the transfercase where the driveshaft slides in...its another thread of mine but no one posted in it.

I dont know... but someone else is bound to know.