Gubachoo Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 Mine has started making bearing noises. I'm currently in Ohio but on a road trip to back to New England so could swing somewhere nearby. Transmission and Tcase were swapped from a 95 cherokee by PO. Not sure if I need other info for this or not. Saving money to get the truck painted so budget is limited but willing to talk with whoever may have one so I don't have to blindly trust a junkyard. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 is your input 21 spline (2.5L) or 23 spline (4.0L)? car-part.com might be of help with junkyards. the 231 is pretty straightforward to rebuild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted October 20, 2021 Author Share Posted October 20, 2021 28 minutes ago, Pete M said: is your input 21 spline (2.5L) or 23 spline (4.0L)? car-part.com might be of help with junkyards. the 231 is pretty straightforward to rebuild. I don't know as I haven't pulled it, it's my daily driver. Is there a way to tell without examining the input shaft? If I can grab a whole case I'd rather just do that as I am pressed for time between jobs/moves this fall. I can rebuild one but taking it apart, waiting for parts (in the current climate of nothing in the world ships in less than 90 days, haha) and maybe having to get another anyways isn't an enticing proposition. If it comes to that, I'll make it work, but I'd rather not. Thanks for the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 what engine do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted October 20, 2021 Author Share Posted October 20, 2021 Does this help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted October 20, 2021 Author Share Posted October 20, 2021 10 minutes ago, Pete M said: what engine do you have? 4.0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 if you have a 4.0 with a 95 transmission, then you have a 23 spline shaft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 can you share a pic of the rear output where the driveshaft meets it? need to know if you have a sealed output or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 Just looked up that part number on the tag. It is a 94-96 T-case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 The chain is likely what is making the noise. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an issue with bearings in a 231… They are super easy to rebuild! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted October 21, 2021 Author Share Posted October 21, 2021 The thing is, I don't have a lot of time at my next stop. Rebuild kits run about 250 for a decent kit ( non Ebay no name ) and I'm seeing junkyard units for around that. I've rebuilt before so that's not an issue, just the time crunch and hoping that parts come in time during a time when shipping and manufacturing is delayed in just about everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted October 21, 2021 Author Share Posted October 21, 2021 18 hours ago, Pete M said: can you share a pic of the rear output where the driveshaft meets it? need to know if you have a sealed output or not. Does this do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted October 21, 2021 Author Share Posted October 21, 2021 18 hours ago, eaglescout526 said: Just looked up that part number on the tag. It is a 94-96 T-case. Thanks for that! One more thought, if I'm looking in junkyards, what year and options can I choose from? I assume I need a donor with a 4.0, does it need an ax15? Do I have any other worries to consider? I'm told I have a 23 spline, is there a way to know if a donor is 23 spline without pulling it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 yes. that's the early slip output. starting around I believe 96 they switched to a sealed rear output. it's a good upgrade because it allows you to pull the rear shaft without losing all your t-case fluid. but other than that it's all the same 231. the rubber boot is in the way, but see how the aluminum stops and the output shaft sticks out? on yours the rear shaft itself provides teh sealing of the t-case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 28 minutes ago, Gubachoo said: Thanks for that! One more thought, if I'm looking in junkyards, what year and options can I choose from? I assume I need a donor with a 4.0, does it need an ax15? Do I have any other worries to consider? I'm told I have a 23 spline, is there a way to know if a donor is 23 spline without pulling it? It matters what kind of XJ you pull from. I'm going from memory here. Anyone who knows better, feel free to correct me. 4 cylinder manual definitely had 21 splines start to end. I'm not 100% sure on 4 cylinder automatics. Renix era 4.0 has 21 spline. HO era switched to 23 spline. The spline count may not perfectly match the switch from Renix to HO. I don't remember for sure. There are 3 different input shaft lengths on the 231. Short, medium, and long. I believe the AW4 pretty much used the medium length shaft. AX15 used a short input shaft. My memory is failing me on what used the long input shaft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Follow up: This may or may not be 100% correct but Novak has a chart: https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/np-nvg-input-gears/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 @derf the AX-15 was 23 spline from the beginning, so march 1989 onward. for some reason the AW4 clung to the 21 spline until the HO came out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 On 10/21/2021 at 10:29 AM, Pete M said: yes. that's the early slip output. starting around I believe 96 they switched to a sealed rear output. it's a good upgrade because it allows you to pull the rear shaft without losing all your t-case fluid. but other than that it's all the same 231. the rubber boot is in the way, but see how the aluminum stops and the output shaft sticks out? on yours the rear shaft itself provides the sealing of the t-case. ah, ok. that is a nice little upgrade. This will work with my driveshaft or are the length/splines an issue? Will this accept a gear speedo drive or electronic only? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 On 10/21/2021 at 11:01 AM, derf said: It matters what kind of XJ you pull from. I'm going from memory here. Anyone who knows better, feel free to correct me. 4 cylinder manual definitely had 21 splines start to end. I'm not 100% sure on 4 cylinder automatics. Renix era 4.0 has 21 spline. HO era switched to 23 spline. The spline count may not perfectly match the switch from Renix to HO. I don't remember for sure. There are 3 different input shaft lengths on the 231. Short, medium, and long. I believe the AW4 pretty much used the medium length shaft. AX15 used a short input shaft. My memory is failing me on what used the long input shaft. So... I have an AX15 from that same 95 cherokee, and so I think it has a 23 spline? But you're saying it might be 21? I'll do more research on the short/med/long shafts then but if I have an AX15 I should have medium? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 On 10/25/2021 at 3:32 PM, Pete M said: @derf the AX-15 was 23 spline from the beginning, so march 1989 onward. for some reason the AW4 clung to the 21 spline until the HO came out. Gotcha, thanks, super helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 8 minutes ago, Gubachoo said: ah, ok. that is a nice little upgrade. This will work with my driveshaft or are the length/splines an issue? Will this accept a gear speedo drive or electronic only? the electric speedo assembly just needs to be removed and the gear driven one installed in its place I don't remember how the driveshaft length works out. my 88 was 2wd when I did the conversion and it was always going to get cut down. but I do believe the output spline count of the t-case remained the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted October 29, 2021 Author Share Posted October 29, 2021 On 10/27/2021 at 9:46 PM, Pete M said: the electric speedo assembly just needs to be removed and the gear driven one installed in its place I don't remember how the driveshaft length works out. my 88 was 2wd when I did the conversion and it was always going to get cut down. but I do believe the output spline count of the t-case remained the same. hmmm.... OK, I will have to do some digging and find out, it's my DD and I just had the driveshaft shortened last year with the axle upgrade, don't want to spend that money again if I can help it. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa ken Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 I have a 23 spline 231 from a 2001 XJ in Berwick, ME if you are coming this far into New England. $150. It had 120k on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubachoo Posted November 1, 2021 Author Share Posted November 1, 2021 On 10/31/2021 at 2:47 PM, Papa ken said: I have a 23 spline 231 from a 2001 XJ in Berwick, ME if you are coming this far into New England. $150. It had 120k on it. I have a friend in that area I've been meaning to visit. Let me see if I can tie this all together. Do you happen to have any pics? Know if its the same as the 95 I've got going on? thanks for reaching out either way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa ken Posted November 2, 2021 Share Posted November 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Gubachoo said: I have a friend in that area I've been meaning to visit. Let me see if I can tie this all together. Do you happen to have any pics? Know if its the same as the 95 I've got going on? thanks for reaching out either way I will try to grab a picture of it during the week. It is currently still in my truck. I am planning on swapping in an SYE’d 231 and haven’t gotten around to it, but I will one of the nights this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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