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Question: How do you engage the 4 wheel drive full time on a 97 jeep cherokee sport?

(Posted by: Sarah on 2010-03-08 08:44:44)

I am following what the manual says and it still only engages 'part time'. any tricks to getting this to work? thanks by bo for not answering anything...i'm not an idiot...

Posted by: bo on 2010-03-08, 08:50:13

You do not want 4wd to work on dry pavement it will ruin the transfer case and front diff only time 4wd high should be on is snow covered roads and dirt roads and 4wd low for towing in the mud or boats out of water

Posted by: cololx6 on 2010-03-08, 09:18:08

If you don't have SelecTrac with a 4FT or 4 FULL TIME position on the transfer case shifter bezel, your transfer case doesn't do full time. If you're sure you have SelecTrac, the shifter linkage may be out of adjustment or the electrical indicators may be malfunctioning. In that case you'd want to have it looked at.

Posted by: reddogrollen on 2010-03-08, 14:17:50

If you look at your shift selector for your 4 wheel drive you should see 4x4part time and 4x4full time. only the jeep grand cherokee limited V-8 4x4 will have the full time all wheel drive unless ordered with the part time case. i agree that by not being able to engage the 4x4 system into full time 4x4 the linkage might be out of adjustment . you should go to a good transmission shop to have this inspected and repaired as needed. good luck

Posted by: mindbender - seeker of truth on 2010-03-12, 00:32:07

Look closely at the 4 wheel selector lever. Does it have: 2 4 part time 4 full time N 4 low If the lever has all of those, it should go into 4 full time. If it doesn't have all of those positions listed then it doesn't have the full time option. When I bought my 98 Cherokee I had to pay extra for the full time feature, so I know it is not standard equipment. The standard system will have this on the lever: 2 high 4 part time N 4 low This system does not have 4 full time. If the lever shows full time you need to be moving, I recommend about 20 miles per hour. Pull up on the lever, then give it a little gas and let off on the gas. You should feel a little click in the lever and it will go in. You need to release the tension on the gearing for it to slip in. If you are now in the part time there is probably tension and you will need to drive on wet road or gravel for a short distance. 4 part time is not meant for pavement, it locks all 4 wheels together. Deep mud or snow is best handled with all four tires pulling together. But on bare pavement 4 part time causes the drive shafts to bind up. So if you have 4 full time, go slow and try it again. That is a great option because you CAN engage it in snow or wet and forget it. If you do not have the full time lever, you should get it back in the 2 position for driving on bare pavement. Remember to lightly accelerate and release the gas when you move the lever.