Hi everybody, i have a 2k WJ that's pretty much completely stock except i put 245's on instead of the stock 225 tires. my problem is really only apparent in the winter when it snows or is icy.

basically anytime i go around the corner, even gently, my rear end kicks out REALLY hard.

i have a 2000 Grand Cherokee limited with the awd system and the V8.

alignment is good and i've had this problem since i got it which is 3 winters...it's to the point where it gets scary on the highway in soft corners so any help would be appreciated. thank you!

 

Go to a selec-trac transfer case. The 247 t-case is bad for distributing to front issues.

 

so is this a common problem with the wj? or is it just that mine is kind of going and isn't worth fixing?

also, is the selectrac a newer tcase and is it a direct swap? and still awd? sorry man, new to the jeep thing...i love my jeep but not so much in the winter. lol

 

My WJ was fine with the snow and having the 247. What type of tires are you using? Driving style?

The select trac is a direct swap, just need different driveshafts. It has 2wd, part time 4wd, full time 4wd and 4lo.

 

I just HAD to say, my WJ handles fantastic in the snow, but I've got good tires on it. The Goodyears it came with weren't worth a damn even in the rain. I've got General Grabber AT2s on it now, and it handles superbly. I have the 242 Selectrac, but even in partime 4WD in the snow, it goes where I point it every time. Even on black ice, it only understeers a little.

NV/NP 247 transfer case is constant 4WD with Hi and Lo.
NV/NP 242 transfer case has 2WD, 4WD part time, 4WD full time, neutral, and 4WD Lo.

I think your problem is with your tires, not your drive system. Also, contrary to popular belief, you don't get better mileage with the 242.

 

well i've always used togo open country a/t's and i've driven in snow most of my adult life. that's why it seems like this is a problem. the rear end is just SUPER squirrely. it sometimes seems like it's loose on big sweeping corners but i may just be more nervous than anything because of the slow speed problems.

for example. i come to a red light and i need to turn right (this is of course in a bit of snow, maybe an inch or two or more, or ice). i come to a stop and start to go, even nice and easy and the rear end just comes out and i end up drifting corners like this more than not.

i have the V8 so the 242 isn't really a direct swap since i'd have to cut my floor board to make room for the shifter and all that. i love my jeep but this is a bit concerning in the winter and a little unsafe as well. thanks for any help!

 

What's your running tire pressure at. I felt like I had this issue with my 01 xj with 231 years ago. I solved the problem with proper tire pressure, I have destination ATs and I don't give it hell on turns.

 

yeah i'm pretty sure my pressure is good...this is a VERY distinct rear end kick out. like i was saying, going from a stop light it pretty much forces me to drift a left or right turn. i forgot i have the shifter in the console for awd or 4 lo so i guess i wouldn't have to cut in there, just change the position marker for the shifter. problem is i want to make SURE that it's the transfer case and not something else first you know. that's actually a mod i wouldn't mind doing but at the same time i kind of like having AWD.

can anybody think of another mechanical option i may have. i can still do a u turn in the middle of the street without much chirp at all so i don't know if the VC is for sure shot. thanks again guys/gals

 

VC issues. That actually makes sense now. I couldn't picture it before when I first read it. When driving straight do you have issue of the tires spinning or never when going straight. How is it in the rain. I'm trying to recall how to test VC

 

Cut what now? The 242HD is a direct swap to a WJ V8. The 242 V8 combo is even a factory standard option.

 

sycoglich- yeah it's fine everywhere else. going strait or in the rain. i didn't think that it really seemed likely since i can uturn in the street fine. i get an occasional chirp but i did in my old bravada too if i went fast enough and that truck was awd. sometimes it seems like it skips a bit more than others but it doesn't seem bad enough to cause the rear end to kick out like it does. yeah if you know how to test it i would love to find out before i change a big part just to "check" you know.

Boost- yeah i forgot i already had the shifter lever in there...since i don't use it hardly ever. i guess i'd just have to change the position indicator to match but that was my bad on that one. i like having full time awd though so swapping in the 242 would be last option for me unless it is 100% the VC since i don't want to have to do this again. what kind of price range you think out the door for the swap??

 

bump....

any other options or troubleshooting things besides swapping the dif?

 

I'm thinking your rear differential is locked up and not allowing the wheels to work independently. If you have a limited slip rear diff, it may have gummed up clutch packs. I say this because you mentioned it wants to go sideways from a stop. I had a 67 Camero with Posi-Traction rear that you could drive very aggressively using what they call "power-induced oversteer". That is, nail the throttle in a curve, locking up the Posi causing the rear to break loose. The drift was very controllable and I could steer it with the throttle. Lots of fun! The only problem I had with it was the occasional understeer because of the heavy front end. Understeer is easy to recover from, as long as you're got enough tarmac to scrub of the speed. BTW, I had to drive it in the winter because it was my only vehicle, but was manageable with a light foot and badassed snow tires.

Pull the rear diff cover and see what you've got. As I've said, stuck clutch packs or even gaulded spider gears may be causing it to not spin freely.

 

thanks for the help...i'm still trying to wrap my head around why these have so many problems and to narrow down between the t case and the rear diff.

people say the t case will cause the 4x4 skip in the front wheels and mine pretty much HARDLY does. it will a little bit but not to the extent that it would kick the way it does.

if it's the rear diff will it need a whole new differential or will it be internals? i usually work on my vehicles but i've never messed with much drive train stuff before. thanks.

 

I would have to go with Dave1123 on this one, I have a 95 grand Cherokee with the 5.2 an I had the same issue you mentioned mine was that some one welded the gears to make it posi it sucks because I had the 242 transfer case you would be fine if you could take it out of all time 4 wheel drive. I disconnected the 4wd drive shaft until I could find the parts but be careful it will roll away on ya if you leave it on a slight hill. oh another simple way to find out if you are running posi is to try to break free the back tires in the dirt to see if you leave to trenches from the back tires you should see one then a short distance later you will see two when the limited slip kicks in. but if you have posi then both tires will spin, I would also pop he rear differential cover to see if you have no fluid or there is a extreme amount of differential fluid build up or metal chunks in the gears.