Mr. Pink

not to mention the input shaft differences(diameter, length and spline count)

check the build date on the tag and figure out what year the replacement one is and i can help determine if it will fit with out work, or worse case you can swap the input shafts.

now onto my question. Are 97-01 Cherokees prewired for all the accessories(fogs, power locks etc...)?

xjN8

This is the tag, i think it says 94 on the right?

Mr. Pink

btw you may have an input shaft length difference since the replacement says 8-94 which is in all technicalities a 95 model year transfer case lol.

All 96-01 XJ's: .840" 23 spline input
92-95 XJ's: .750" 23 spline input

you can get away with swapping the sensor(white) with the black plugged one they should interchange. but the input shafts are different lengths.

rcguymike

5 years later...lol

Not under the hood as it only does it at speed and I have no way I can safely think of of mounting my phone there.

xjN8

So would that few thousands really make a difference? And like i said, idk if itll work caus of the plugs being in different spots. This is the hardest part ive ever had to locate.. and i work on vintage bikes. Lol

Mr. Pink

Here's a good visual for those of you unsure of the different input lengths. From the left, I have a 1.55" input from a 249, a .840" input from a 231, and finally a .750" input from a 242. They are all 23 spline shafts with the old style gear cut and they are all three interchangeable between each case.



the differences in length is not just a few thousandths of an inch its bigger than that, as you can see in the picture(look at the center and right inputs)

xjN8

Right on.. so, i can find 231s all day, if i did get one of those, itd have to be from a 96 to stay the same lengths? Or could i take the one out of my 242 and use it in a 231?

I dont want to order a part from say car-part.com and it be the wrong sizes and stuff and me be out 350+ for it with a large paper weight in my garage.

Mr. Pink

96-01 yes.

xjN8

Just want to make complrtely sure before i pull the trigger.. a 231 from a 96-01 will direct fit? Plugs and all? I know ill have to get the shifter gate and the linkage but the rest just fits right on?

Also, one more concern.. my jeeo has the partime 4x4 now, will it just ignore that and say fulltime vs having to go past parttime to grt to fulltine?

salad

Pretty sure the shorter gear will work fine on later models. There'll just be less spline engagement - like the older models had.

Mr. Pink

the linkages are the same from 242 to 231. I also believe the shifter gates are the same too(dont quote me on that though) the sensors from yours will swap over into a 231 case and your current setup should be

2wd
4wd part time
4wd Full time
Neutral
4 Lo

the 231 is

2wd
4wd Hi
Neutral
4 Lo

Mr. Pink

it will work but it also becomes a failure point due to the incorrect length of spline engagement wearing out the splines of the output shaft on the trans.

xjN8

Yea, id rather have the high and low.. not a fan of the part time thing. I read the gates do have to be changed and the linkage is shorter or something.

But again, the 231 will just bolt up if its from a 96-01? Like i said, i wanna be 100% sure before i order.. i dont have cash to throw at this til i figure it out. Just got hired for a new job and this broke on the way to the interview. It was a cold 4 miles walking in the snow there.

Mr. Pink

yep i have swapped the 242 to a 231 its just a bolt in affair if you get the right years. i also did the 231 swap on my grand cherokee that came with the awd case. if you want to read through this thread on Jeep Forum it explains it for the grand cherokee swap, but the info is the same for a cherokee too.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f13/t...-np242-685644/

Superslow

Going down the highway cruise control set at 70mph. And my speedometer bounced down to about 35 and right back up to 70. Just lucky I was looking at it when it happened. Only happened the one time that I'm aware of on my 200 mile drive today. I'm leaving in the morning to go camping where there is no cellular service and about 8 miles from pavement. So, is this a sign of something that might leave me stranded? Anything worthy of inspection?

98 XJ 4.0 AT 242. Just shy of 150k. All the other gauges seem to be working fine. No CEL. I scanned anyway and no codes.