97 Jeep Cherokee 4wd - 4wd Won't disengage

4LO to 4HI is a whole different ball game, Earle. That's one where neutral and barely rolling (4HI to 4LO) or neutral and stopped (4LO to 4HI) is pretty much necessary. There is noth> In the condo, second floor of the building. I was sitting down to a well

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If you have to go to N, there's something wrong. From 2hi to 4hi and back should work just fine at "any legal speed". My first XJ (Command Track) did this with no problems whatsoever. The second (Select Track) seems to take its time if cold or if the tire inflation is off front to rear, but works just dandy when warm with proper inflation.

Lifting up on the gas helps, but having uneven tire pressure can cause problems. Once, when I didn't realize I had a low rear tire, the only thing that worked was stopping and reversing for a few feet.

All of this concerns only the dash light and I suppose the front axel. The shifter clearly (you can tell by the feel of the vehicle) gets you in or out of 4X4.

Both Cherokees were 4.0 automatic tranny. First was a 92, second is a 91.

Never a need to go to N. 4Lo is a different story.

Best Regards,

DAve

I agree, but shifting into N would have a similar effect of letting off the gas. Engine vacuum is irrelevent in a vehicle with an electronically controlled transmission and no front axle disconnect; the effect of letting up off the gas or shifting into N is the relief of torque load on the transfer case, which will help the 4H gearset disengage. I forgot to mention my '02 Superduty does the same thing, too...

The '97 Cherokee does not have the front axle disconnect. They did away with that in '92 or 93 in the Cherokee. It remained in the YJ Wrangler until

1995.

The way I remember it, this one wouldn't shift into 4-HI even with the transmission in neutral, not until after we had killed the engine. Now either there is something lacking with my understanding of an automatic transmission in neutral, or there was something wrong with this one. Even with a synchro, I don't think that you are going to shift between 4-HI and

2-HI, if there is appreciable torque on the transfer case. Note that our Cherokee and the original poster's '97 didn't have front axle disconnects. Thanks to Matt for pointing that out.

Earle

ill-advised",

I'd say that you should consider switching to decaf.

Jim Smith wrote:

[snip]

You should get your Jeep fixed in my opinion. Just because your tranny and t-case doesn't work properly, it doesn't mean others 'must' be broken too.

It seems to be fairly common for one reason or another, engine and tranny mounts getting saggy is one thing that comes to mind so they just need a little adjustment to make up for it.

I know I certainly wouldn't be allowed to have either of my Jeeps broken like that!

My wife would not put up with it even for a day because she gets off work before the plows get going and sees bare and covered roads a lot on the way home so shifts into and out of 4 high at every second or 3rd intersection. You know, clear main roads and covered secondary with some cleared through the secondaries. 4 shifts in and out at least usually.

If you were doing that drive daily and had to stop in traffic to shift, you first off would look like a fool, and second would be a road hazard.

Just my $0.02,

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

Hopefully Matt you don't really think that shifting into N while driving is preferrable to just backing off a bit on the gas. :)

Jerry

I felt the same way, and our Cherokee was practically new when this happened, nothing apparently wrong with it. I also figured out that anything that used that much fuel, should be able to hold a 4x8 sheet of sheetrock, or 20 of them if need be. I replaced it with a 3/4 ton Suburban, and I have been happy since. It has practically the same transfer case, a similar transmission, and doesn't give any grief shifting the transfer case. Maybe the Cherokee was broken, or maybe the Aisin transmission is just a piece of crap. I didn't feel like finding out.

Earle

No, but both will relieve the torque load.

Shift>> I agree, but shifting into N would have a similar effect of letting off >> the gas.

Gentlemen,

What an interesting exchange. I have a 94 Cherokee, LTD SE 4.0 Auto, which I recently bought. Same problem with shifting in and out of 4 wheel part-time and 4 wheel full time. Often sticks in 4W part time. Only way to get out to

2W is either stoop and reverse a little or wait ages.

Always seem worse when everything is cold.

Anyway, greetings from England/ .

Keith

The OPs address going from 2w to 4wd and back. My new-to-me 94 Cherokee has only 4H-N-4L positions. This is my first 4WD of that type. When making sharper corners, like when parking, it "crabs" like my previous 4WD vehicles would do if I had forgotten to take them out of 4WD. This can't be too good for the U-joints or other componants. Is this normal or do I need to fix something and if the latter, what?? TIA, Vito.

I am assuming that you have a "Cherokee" as known in the United States, with SelecTrac, one of the available full time four wheel drive systems. In 4H, you should have a selection of "full time" and "part time". You should be using the "full time" option on pavement and especially when parking and taking sharp corners. The "part time" option is only for very slippery surfaces, such as pavement covered by snow and ice, gravel, or mud. Usually, the shifter position you want for normal paved road operation is all the way to the front.

Earle

My favorite theory is that the auto transmission, on some of these vehicles, does not fully release in neutral, leading to the situation you describe. I assume that this can be fixed, but at great expense. It won't hurt to have an automatic transmission specialist look at the vehicle and at least service the transmission though. Who knows the last time the fluid was changed?

Earle Saludos de España

You have the part time system that 'will' break parts and/or actually explode the transfer case into pieces if you try to use it on dry pavement.

Here in Canada, the passenger side sun visor has the directions on it.

If it crabs when in 2 wheel drive, I would be inspecting the axle end u-joints for a bad one.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

If you use the part time 4x4 on anything except dirt or snow, the drivetrain will bind up. This will hold it in 4x4 until you reverse or spin the tires or until it explodes something. I got stuck in 4x4 recently with no way to get off the highway for a few miles and was lucky, I only exploded a front driveshaft u-joint. My old tenant did the same and exploded his transfer case into little pieces.

I find with my high traction tires, I can even get bound up on dirt and need to spin my tires in reverse to let it loose.

What happens is the front wheels take longer to go around a corner that the rear wheels so a tire 'must' scuff the ground because the front and rear driveshafts are locked together. If the tire can't scuff, something breaks.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

That toy chain doesn't look very big, does it?

Earle