[Guest]

The T-Case shifter on my 83 CJ-7 was loose. I re-connected it then tried out the 4wd. Went into 4h with no prob with the hubs locked I went forward and it seemed kinda "boggy" if I let off the pedal it died; tried 4L, same result. No clicking, grinding or any other noises. My guess is that the t-case or diff is locking up. Put it on a lift and everything turns fine and with ease. Any ideas would greatly be appreciated.

 

[Guest]

I know this may sound obvious, but I have to ask. You didn't put it in 4 on the pavement, did you? If you did, there is your binding
problem. One other thing, all tires are the same size, right?

Brad (from the 4 Wheeling center of the universe, 4 corners USA)

 

[Guest]

Yes, the tires are all the same size 31x10.5 and I was not on pavement, it was packed dirt, does it make that much difference on dirt or pavement. What damage can be done on pavement?

 

[Guest]

This may be way out in left field, but your post doesn't indicate whether or not you personally know that the 4wd drive has worked well in the past. I get the impression that maybe this is the first time you have tried it - maybe having recently bought the veh. Question: Are you SURE that both axles have the same gears?
IF this could be the problem, it is easy to check out. Get the tires off the ground then turn a wheel on each axle and count the revolutions of the drive shaft for ONE revolution of the tire. They should be the same on each axle.
You will get some binding of the axles on the street, but it shouldn't be to the point of killing the engine unless the front is a spool or something, and you are going around in circles. If you get this binding condition while going in a straight line, there is something wrong. Could be something in the transfer case itself, but since you said that everything turns smoothly while the Jeep in on a lift, I would tend to think the problem is not in the t/c.

Doug '97 TJ
My Web Site

 

[Guest]

Correct, this is a recent purchase and the first time I tried it on this particular jeep. I'll give the gear diagnosis a try.

 

[Guest]

Sounds like the transfer case was intentionally made not to work in 4wd because the axle ratios did not match. I would be inquiring of the person I bought it from --- that is, if it was purchased with the understanding that the 4wd was supposed to work, but checking the ratios is not a big deal anyway.
Example: If the drive shaft turns about 4.1 times for each single revolution of the wheel, then it's a 4.11 or 4.10. Put a mark of some kind on the drive shaft so you can keep up with how many times it turns. Of course, you can always remove the diff cover and count the gears on both the ring and pinion. That will get the EXACT ratio.
If the ratios are different, DO NOT USE 4 WD IN ANYTHING BUT VERY SLICK CONDITIONS. This allows the tires to slip. Won't be a good idea, but at least it probably won't break anything. If all the tires can get good traction, you will probably break something.

Doug '97 TJ
My Web Site

 

[WILL]

that works if you turn both wheels the same amount. if only one wheel is turned, double the driveshaft count or turn the wheel two revolutions.

79/CJ-7/AMC360/TH400/Q-TRAC/d30/d44/33's/RS9000s/Herculiner

 

[Guest]

True, but objective here is to compare the two axles to see if they have different gear ratios. But your point is well taken if you are trying to determine ratio itself.

Doug '97 TJ
My Web Site

 

[Guest]

Took it to a buddy of mine and he put it on a lift and with engine off, everything turned ok. He took it to the dirt, put it in 4h and eased up on the clutch, started to roll at idle and died. Did the same but did not let up on the throttle and it ran strong. The previous owner of 8 years did not really use the 4x4. According to my buddy, he said it all works, its just really tight, you need to use it! He wanted to take it out to the beach and run the cobwebs out of it; I'll take care of it myself. Also, I think it has 4.11 gears. Thanks for all the input and I'll see what happens in the loose stuff.

 

[CJDave]

/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif Roy, Roy, Roy..... taking your Jeep to run it on the beach to fix it is like someone revving the engine to "fix the bearings". CHECK THOSE AXLES FIRST before you BREAK SOMETHING. I am convinced that you have different ratios front to rear, or a huge difference in tire size. If you like, I'll send over my smallest moonguy/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif and he will go in through the vent and count the teeth for you./wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif In any case, DON'T RUN THE JEEP in FWD till you check this out./wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif This sort of reminds me of the post which asked the question:"How much difference will the drivelines 'absorb' if my front ratio is different from the rear?" Heh heh,....OOOOOO Yeah! An RPM-Absorbing driveline. Oh yeah!/wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif But, what the heck, we are all just learning, just in different classrooms maybe./wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

CJDave
I never believe any statistics unless my moonguys /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif made 'em up themselves.

 

[Guest]

Gosh darn it, if nothing else take the covers off the diffs and count the teeth!!!. A lube change sure won't hurt, either, and it is not
very hard to do.

Brad (from the 4 Wheeling center of the universe, 4 corners USA)

 

[Guest]

OK, advice well taken, I will do more trouble shooting and start taking things apart.

Thanks.