Eagle Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Took my wife out for dinner this evening through the blizzard, so it was 4WD all the way to the restaurant and all the way home. We were in the 2001 XJ, which has a 231 transfer case. Her 2000 XJ has a 242, and she was actively interested (which surprised me) in the difference. She knows with hers she can just stick it in full-time and forget it. The notion of having to shift out if you hit dry pavement (which was not an issue tonight) was foreign to her. I really would like to convert this XJ to a 242 so our daughter can drive it when she gets her license, and I'd like it to be as operationally similar to Mom's as possible. (Also so it can be the back-up vehicle for Mom.) I have a complete 88 or 89 XJ engine, AW-4 and 242 transfer case, but I know that transfer case won't bolt up to the 2001 tranny because of the input shaft spline mismatch. So ... What about swapping over the whole enchilada? Will the 88/89 AW-4 go into a 2001 XJ and work correctly, or are there controller issues? I have an 87 TCU and an 89 TCU, but I believe I had read that the 2001 uses an integrated PCM rather than the separate TCU of the earlier years. Has anyone dealt with this before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexia Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 It could be made to work with a lot of fiddling, but it would just be easier to get a 1996+ NP242 to swap in place. Drive shafts will just swap in place then and it would be a simple bolt in place procedure. I just put a 1998 NP242 in my 2004 LJ. The only issue is the shift gate is a little short so I need to open it up and adjust the linkage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Won't a 231's input shaft swap into that 242? Seems like it would be a lot less hassle to find 23 spline input for the 242. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Across similar years I believe they will, but around 94 they made some changes including the cut of the gears, so swapping an 01 input shaft into an 88 or 89 transfer case is not going to work. I agree with Alexia to find a newer 242 to swap into it and leave the engine and transmission alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 The renix and early H.O. aw4's didn't have the extra sensors that the 97+ do. connectors changed in 96 and I believe again in the newest models. The bolt pattern for torque converter to flex plate also changed at least 3 times in the lifespan of the jeep. once around 91-92, once in 94 or 95, and maybe again in the finaly body style. You really would be far better off to get the proper np242. I'll see what I can do about finding one for you...I know there are 3 or 4 97+ in the local junkyard, at least one had an np242. if I get that, you'd also have the adjusted shift linkage and shifter handle with the proper shiftgate. even if you drop $200 on a newer one, the fact that you then avoid having to get really involved in the "conversion" of early to late aw4 is worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 The renix and early H.O. aw4's didn't have the extra sensors that the 97+ do. connectors changed in 96 and I believe again in the newest models. The bolt pattern for torque converter to flex plate also changed at least 3 times in the lifespan of the jeep. once around 91-92, once in 94 or 95, and maybe again in the finaly body style. You really would be far better off to get the proper np242. I'll see what I can do about finding one for you...I know there are 3 or 4 97+ in the local junkyard, at least one had an np242. if I get that, you'd also have the adjusted shift linkage and shifter handle with the proper shiftgate. even if you drop $200 on a newer one, the fact that you then avoid having to get really involved in the "conversion" of early to late aw4 is worth it. Looking on car-part.com for Connecticut, I see several of the newer vintage, but most are listed as being from Grand Cherokees. I suppose the transfer case itself is the same, but since it would be bolted behind a different tranny I don't know if the input shaft is correct, and I wouldn't be able to get the shift gate and part-time/full-time bezel. And they're all well north of $200. It's too cold and snowy here now to be swapping anything right now. This is looking like a Spring project, so there's no rush, but if you stumble across one that has all the ancillary bits and pieces, I'm interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 ill keep my eyes peeled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now