One up on "Nicks POS", sorry Nick

[1 Bad F N Z]

Nick, I think his pos is bigger than your pos. Kevin

[YJReed]

BAWHAHAHAH!!!! I WIN!!! Finally got it running well today, everything replaced and stayed intact for the test drive... We shall see for how long! And most importantly my clunk\jerk is gone, but my 4WD light will still not go off.

[6spdYJ]

That light is activated by the switch on the back of your T/C in the bearing housing (between the T/C body and the slip yoke tail cone). Pull the connector off to see if the light goes out with the ignition on. If it stays on, you've got a short in those two wires. If it goes off, you're in 4WD. Check this before doing any street driving.

The YJ shifter is attached to the T/C, so any drop in tranny/case or body lift will put rearward pressure on the shift lever (the way you pull it into 4WD). Rearward movement of the shifter causes rearward movement of the shift fork that the switch plunger rides on. IIRC, the YJ T/C has synchros, so if it's getting pulled in between 2WD and 4WD, it will allow shifting fairly smooth. With engine torque being applied randomly, you will never know if it's going in or popping out. That can cause random banging and jerking.

The YJ also has a second shift boot under the accordionated (is that a word?) boot. This tends to pull on the lever more than anything. Add to that, it's 20 years old... Cut that thing as far as you need to to get it out of the way to keep the interference from happening.

[YJReed]

i know i am not running around in 4WD cuz when i shift it into 4WD i can feel the power transfer to the front wheels and the whine of the t/c and when i shift it out the whine stops and power is back to the rear wheels only.

[YJReed]

UPDATE... MURPHY STRIKES AGAIN! found out more about my 4WD issue today, now the T/C will not shift out of 4WD and i am pretty sure the vacuum operator in the front axle is not engaging, do to the fact that while i am on the trail the front wheels do not provide any driving force, however they do intermittently engage. and i am going to look into what you said 6spdyj.

[6spdYJ]

The diaphragm in the vacuum motor does like to crack and leak. Also, if it's been run through a lot of sticks there's a chance that a tube is cracked. A good upgrade is going to TJ or '95 and up Cherokee shafts. It's pretty basic stuff. Understanding your spending predicament, you can also lock the motor fork with some allthread or go to a cable control. If you go this route, another good option is to get '95YJ front shafts - they are the 297/760 size and swap straight over.

[YJReed]

vacuum motors are cheap i will start their and see if it fixes the problem... and with the t/c i pulled the wire and the light stayed on.

[6spdYJ]

If the light stayed on, follow the wires attached to the plug you pulled off. They go up toward the frame just behind the passenger side motor mount. There is another connector there. Try disconnecting that and see if the light stays on. If there is a short, it's most likely in this section. If it still stays on, you've probably had somebody who had no business doing electrical installations under the dash.

[YJReed]

will do. and i can almost guarantee it is the later of the two... it is a wire bomb under the dash, and i know nothing about electrical so i am scared to screw with it, dont wanna burn down my baby!

[6spdYJ]

I'm not really a fan of them, but the Haynes manual has good wiring diagrams with wire colors noted. They're probably about $10-$14 on Amazon delivered. Always double check yourself before connecting wiring. Especially if you're not electrically inclined. Let me over-simplify it for you though... A wiring diagram/schematic is exactly like reading a road map. Locate the item in question and follow the line back to the source. Don't cut any wires. If you find any that come from factory harnesses that have been spliced together that are not the same color, be really suspicious. Be aware that some harnesses will change a wire color, so say it comes from the relay/fuse block as grey with a green stripe. You follow it to a connector and it goes in on (for conversation sake) the third pin from the left. It will come out on the pin directly across from where it came in. But now the wire that came out is orange!!!??? Different suppliers and different specs when that harness was made. So, now we follow the orange wire to another connector. This one has six wires going into it, shaped like the six dots on a domino, or dice. Same thing applies. It will go in and come out directly opposite of where it went in. Sometimes you will find a factory splice. They may be soldered, or have two wires coming out of a connector. Back to the road map reference. Multiple wires from one circuit are just a fork in the road. They're still connected. A good example is your back-up lights. The power comes from your fuse panel and goes through the reverse switch on the tranny. Now that same power goes through one wire back to the first light (driver's side). From there, it carries on to the passenger's side. Two lights, one power source. More than anything, look for what doesn't look right. If you can tell the factory put it there - leave it alone. If it looks like a deranged monkey on crack was in there, go slow. Always double check. Ask for help and then double check before doing anything.

[YJReed]

HAHAHAHA..... And the saga continues. Nick just admit defeat!! So bot my t/c and my ring and pinion decided to s**t the bed on the same day! i have an arrangement for a used t/c to use until i can rebuild mine with a sye, however it looks like i am gonna be forking out some major bones for new 3.73s
And for what it is worth Nick, I really wish you could win this... But i Just know how to pick a winner.

[inVERt'D]

This is one of the most exciting races to the bottom I have witnessed (from afar) in awhile.

I wouldn't fork out major anything for a Dana 35. Just go Rockwells and fuggetaboutit . Actually, I saw one on CL out your way not too long ago.

Seriously though on the D35 part. I'd get a $100 Chrysler 8.25" before I screwed with a D35.

By the way, I have a cherry picker with a radiator cap adapter--assuming the cap is worth saving, that is.

[YJReed]

HAHAH Thanks David i will keep that in mind... However after the war is over, i will have a brand new jeep, granted there are a few more battles to be fought. And i just found a slightly used ring and pinion 3.07 BTW not 3.73 like i thought for 75 bucks. and i dont know jack about gearing but 3.07 is not good is it?

[inVERt'D]

I don't think you'll like what the 3.07s will do for your already modest crawl ratio, but they may help your highway mileage with stockish tires. 3.07s is paying to go backwards. If you're going through the trouble and expense of changing gears, get what you want.

Ditch the D35 the first chance you get. Unless your tranny is actually dying, your rear axle is more of a liability and priority.

[YJReed]

no i already have 3.07s not the 3.73 i thought i had, i had never taken the time to look. and yea i know i need to upgrade i just dont have the cash right now