I have an NP242 (Selec-Trac) transfer case from a 1998 Cherokee Limited,
198K miles in excellent condition. It was being sold at a very reasonable price. Will it replace an OE NP249 (QuadraTrac) and fit my 1994 Grand Cherokee Laredo, 5.2L V8?


I know I jumped the gun, but like I said it was a very reasonable price and would have sold quickly, so I think I made a good buy and it will fit.

 

Here is the link to a the thread that I used.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f13/t...-np242-685644/

 

Thanks Karmageddon. A very detailed posting. It will take some rereading and study. However, I may have made a mistake based on these two tidbits gleaned during my initial reading: 1) no direct swaps for the 93-95 5.2L, and 2) find a 242 out of an XJ with a build date of 1994.5 or older (from the T case not the Jeep). I haven't checked the t-case numbers yet, but since it came from a 98 XJ it is not likely a 1994.5 or older build. I may be able to do a PITA swap to get the suitable pieces parts to fit, only further reading will let me know.


I really need to take the time to figure out what is needed for any given project. There is no urgent need for me to replace current t-case, it works fine, no issues. I was being influenced reading about how good a thing it was to do a swap. Same trap I fell into on another project.

 

The biggest difference in the t-cases will be the gear cut on the input shaft. You can alleviate that by using the whole planetary gear from your 249 in the 242. Or you can use the whole front half of your 249 case on the 242 case just by drilling a hole for the pin.

 

Here's a thought. Why not see if you can find someone with the right 242 (for your year series) and swap it even, or sweeten the pot a little. Swapping the input shaft is easy, but splitting the case gets more complicated. It gets even more complicated if you have to change your driveshaft for a different slip yoke style.

What I'm saying in a nutshell is get the right case and set it up so you can make the entire swap simple and get your jeep back on the road the same day.

 

Crawl under your jeep... Look at the DATE that is stamped on the tag of the current t-case.

IF you have a 95+ stamped case, the 98 tcase you have in hand, will work (slip yoke depending for DS hook up)

 

Yeah BUT! He's driving a 94 ZJ. Unless it's already been replaced, how is he going to have a 95+ t/case. I know, time warp!

 

I know logically... this makes no sense... HOWEVER, during my hunt for my own 242/231 swap. I found some 231's that were in a 91 XJ (according to the door sticker, yet, when I got under it, the stamp on the tag for the tcase was 92. (Saw this a few times). I thought this didnt make sense either, but when i saw it more then a couple times,

What I ASSUME how this happens it, the tcases rolled over in the year cycle yet the jeeps themselves had not rolled to the next year yet....

Worth a shot checking the OPs...

 

Some good suggestions from y'all! Thanks. It might be possible that I have 95 t-case since I bought the vehicle near model change over, May 94 IIRC. I get it back from the shop later today (steering gear box and oil pan) and will check it out. I did read some posts suggesting a gear swap and shaft replacement in the case itself. Going forward I'll do my research before making any decisions on what to do. Again, thanks .