OmarLopez

I just got a good deal on a 1998 Grand Cherokee Limited V8, but the guys who delivered it seem to have left it in 4WD mode instead of putting both the transmission in neutral AND the 4WD shifter stick in neutral. When it arrived, the back of the truck was covered in oily soot, and I identified a transmission leak. The transmission fluid was also low. Adding more didn't help and now the vehicle slips, won't shift into reverse, and the gears won't engage all the time. I shifted it out of 4WD mode to neutral, and now the stick won't go back into 4WD mode.

It was such a good deal that if I do the repair myself, it'll still be worth doing, as long as it's not too bad. I've replaced transmissions before. (It's an automatic.) Do you think the whole transmission needs to be replaced? Maybe just the clutch? Or is the problem something to do with the 4WD system? It seems like the transmission is faulty, but I'm pretty sure it was in neutral when being towed--just the 4WD stick wasn't.

caged

was it towed by a towing company?
the v8's usually came with the 249 tc, so it's full time 4 wheel drive and cannot be shifted into 2wd. rear wheels should've been on dollies.

is this auto or stick?

sounds like you have serious transmission damage, and should be covered by the towing company. did you happen to take any pics while it was still hooked up to the tow truck?

prolly gonna need a new tranny and t-case.

trucker

Look to me that transfer case my be out. It does take ATF. You can tow with transmition in gear but no tcase. Towing company should be responsible for fixing damage.

OmarLopez

No, it was my friend who towed it. Since it was his mistake, he's going to give me my money back if this thing is dead, but I'd still like to fix it if it won't cost too much. Maybe I can find the parts in a junk yard, but how can I tell what needs replacing? That's my main question.

It's an automatic transmission.

I'll check the fluid level in the transfer case. Haven't done that yet. Keeping fingers crossed!

ol"blue

Friend or not it shouldn't have been towed with the rear tires on the ground unless the rear drive-shaft had been disconnected. He should have known better. Refunding your money won't pay for any needed repairs. JMO
Dan

caged

as i said earlier, sounds like you're gonna need at least a new tranny.
so start there, but now's a good time to swap out that 249 t-case for a 242 or even a 231.

but start by swapping out the tranny. i'm sure you burned that up. and also most likely burned out the viscous coupler in the 249.

price out some junk yards and go from there.

OmarLopez

Oh, my friend will pay for the repairs too, if I decide to go that route, that's for sure.

I checked the fluid level in the transfer case today, and it was fine. Before swapping out the tranny, I'm going to clean out the metal particles and replace the filter. I don't have high hopes, since it was towed around 100 miles, but you never know.

Would a burned out viscous coupler give me the symptom I have where sometimes the shifter stick from the 4WD system won't move from N to 4WD? Sometimes it goes; other times it's stuck.

ol"blue

JMO but if the trans was in neutral the tow didn't cause any trans damage. If it has full-time 4WD the tow probably caused some t-case damage though, if only one end was lifted and the end that was on the ground didn't have the drive-shaft removed regardless of gearshift position IMO.
Dan

drakan1908

The proper way to tow one is for the transmission to be in park and the transfer case to be in neutral. When it is towed with the tc in 4wd and tranny is neutral, all of the rear parts of the tranny are turning BUT they are getting no fluid since the pump is powered from the motor end and that is not turning. I bet you will need a tran. or a rebuild.

Quazzimoto

^ NAILED IT. You will be needing a new tranny. As drakan stated the tranny was spinning dry... Total failure, not sure if its a 5.9 or 5.2 but the 5.2 has a reputation for killing trannies anyway. My recomendation is to have it built by a reputable tranny shop if it is a 5.2.

Goodluck

If he flat towed it(all 4 tires on the ground) then you could have really damaged the transfercase pretty good.

ol"blue

My '97s owners manual says to flat tow it or to use a car hauler. T-case in neutral and trans in park.
Dan

OmarLopez

The front wheels were off the ground. I'm pretty sure he put the (automatic) transmission in neutral but the transfer case was left in 4WD mode. Thus, the dry spinning tranny seems to be what happened, so I'll get a new one. What about the transfer case, though? Should I just swap out the tranny and then see? Or replace the transfer case at the same time? Given that it doesn't shift back to 4WD sometimes, I'd guess that's a pretty good indicator that it's shot, right?

country_boy454

The tcase may not be shifting because the linkage may need adjusting. Just something to think about. I had problems getting into 4lo until I adjusted the linkage.

OmarLopez

Ok, I took off the transfer case today. The transmission doesn't go into reverse, so it's going to be changed. I still don't know about the transfer case, though. Is the sticking shifter something I can fix myself? Is there a way to diagnose it? I turned the front side, and the back side turned. Also, the drive part turns freely and only turns the axles when not in neutral. (The shifter only sticks sometimes, so that's how I was able to do these tests.)

Yeah, it'd be nice to just upgrade to Selec-Trak, but if this transfer case is okay or easily repairable myself, I'll probably do that, unless the Selec-Trak is very cheap.

caged

trans in neutral with engine off will dry out the seals. vehicle needs to be running so the pump lubes it up.

both driveshafts need to be turning with the 249, so it's 4 up or 4 down (using tow bar) with t-case in neutral and trans in park. that way nothing is turning inside the tranny so it won't dry out. t-case in neutral unlocks drivetrain for flat towing. i wouldn't use a front wheel dolly for this. both driveshafts need to be turning so the viscous coupler doesn't fry. same as removing front driveshaft with a 249. bad news.

in once burned out my torque converter seal by shifting tranny to neutral and shutting off the engine while coasting due to overheating. happened in one day.

hope you get it all fixed up and rolling soon.