changing into 4 hi

[offthepavement]

[offthepavement]

242 isnt as strong as the 231.only the rubicon transfer case is

 

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[cruiser54]

242 isnt as strong as the 231.only the rubicon transfer case is

 

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Let's put that into perspective. 

The 231 is slightly stronger than the 242. If rock crawling is your thing, you MIGHT need that little bit of strength. For all other applications, it's a moot point. 

[DirtyComanche]

I think there's debate on if the 242 is actually weaker. Unfortunately I threw out the only one I had around; been meaning to grab another one to play with.

 

Honestly, the 231 is pretty much a pile. I unfortunately cleaned out my tcase collection before I got my current MJ, or I probably would have used anything other than it... I had a nice 241DLD with a 23 spline input that could have been a great option. Or the 242 I tossed, which was 21 spline but that's an easy swap.

[Eagle]

 

 

Speed isn't really the issue. It's just going to wear things out more.

 

Slamming the case into 4hi while you've got varied traction can cause issues. If the rear tires are spinning when you do it there can be a rather abrupt coupling of torque at the case. That's what will break something.

 

All in all you can be pretty abusive and it's unlikely anything will ever break.

 

It isn't the abrupt torque that'll do the damage. In the 231, the front and rear driveshafts are locked in 4WD. That means they both spin at the same speed. If the rear wheels are under power and spinning when you shift, the rear wheels are rotating faster than the front wheels. When you try to shift, all you're going to get is a loud, alarming grinding sound. It's exactly the same as trying to shift a manual tranny without the clutch, and not matching the engine speed to the road speed.

 

 

It's entirely possible to do it, but you have to be abusive.  It is synchro'd, it is possible to shift it in a way you shouldn't.  I have seen it happen, granted not actually on pavement, but in similar situations where the rear is spinning and "I'll just engage the 4wd" happens.  And if you tear the synchros and the teeth off the annulus, that was still torque that did it.

 

 

I disagree. If you tear up the synchronizer trying to engage 4WD, it isn't torque that does the damage, it's phyical abrasion/interference. If you can't get the 4WD engaged, you can't even begin to apply torque.