93' Jeep Grand Cherokee Driving Problem!!

[JonDunlap]

My girlfriend has a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 4.0. I recently replaced both front drive axles because the old ones were very worn. I noticed today when I was driving it that at low speeds when turning corners it feels like the tires are working against each other. Very similar to when you turn a corner in a 4 wheel drive vehicle with the 4 wheel drive engaged. I removed the front drive shaft and the problem has went away. Has anyone encountered this problem before? Is a vehicle that is " All Wheel Drive " always 4 wheel drive or how does that system work. It feels just like a vehicle that is stuck in 4 wheel drive. Thanks in advance for any help!!

[4x4 blazerguy]

Yes a vehicle that is all wheel drive is four wheel drive. My 98 ZJ Limited 5.9 has Quadra-Track & does the same thing.

[JonDunlap]

I talked to a friend of mine today about the problem. He says that there is a clutch in the transfer case called the " Viscis Clutch " ( sorry if I misspelled ) that determines the amount of torque give to each set of wheels depending on vehicle speed. He said that it sounds to him like maybe this clutch is locking up. Has anyone heard of this before. I know it is 4 wheel drive all the time and how they feel when they turn, but something is definitely wrong. It feels like a 4 wheel drive vehicle that is stuck in low range. The tires will actually squeal a little when cornering at very low speeds.

[fredjacksonsan]

Your symptoms are exactly what I'd expect to hear when the viscous clutch starts to go. It's not a bad fix to replace it, but most folks here have replaced the full time transfer case with a part time unit. If you do a search under viscous coupler or maybe just viscous, you'll get a wealth of information.