transmission problems

[vgalamba]

help wanted please
transmission problems on GC 2001 Quadra driveII with varilock front and rear diff
Sundenly my car starts to "block" the front wheels on slow corners or parking when i move the steering wheel more than one turn.
it semms that the front dif lock is engaged and doesnt loose.it gets worst with the normal oil heating after running.
does anybody have an ideia of what is this malfunction?
on the front diff, on transfercase?

regards

vgalamba

[xj31]

I would start by changing the fluid and make sure you put the additive in

[vgalamba]

Originally Posted by xj31

I would start by changing the fluid and make sure you put the additive in

I already did that on a jeep workshop but just in case, what oil and aditive is recomended on a GC quadra drive II with front and rear varilock diffs?
i notice that front tyres are substancialy more used ( + -40%) than the rear ones. Can this diference in tread causes this problem?

regards

v galamba

[xj31]

the tire issue could be a problem.on a awd vehicle,all 4 tires need to be exactly the same.a tire with less tread is actually smaller in diameter and circumference.this means it will have to rotate faster than a tire with more tread.this puts a bit of a strain on the drivetrain because the axle with the smaller tire spins faster,that driveshaft also spins faster and this is not good for the t-case or the axles.so thats something to keep in mind.as far as the fluid goes,there should be a couple of tags on the differential covers.one will have a part number for the axle but the other one should say which fluid to use.on yours,it is probably 75-w-140 synthetic.the additive is a friction modifier that you can get at a jeep or chrysler dealer.I dont have the part number with me but if i remember monday when i am at work i will post it if you need it.otherwise just ask at a jeep dealer,they will know what you need.also the t-case oil should probably be changed .that uses a special fluid that chrysler calls 247 transfer case oil.do not under any circumstances use atf in a 247 t case.that will cause binding and shuddering on turns.it is possible that the fluid wont fix your problem.I have seen a few of those vari-lock units go bad but I would still start with the fluid and probably more important,getting all 4 tires the same

[stopwatch40]

I have a '99 jeep Grand Cherokee and it was doing the same thing Blocking the front wheels. After I read an article on the web site
following, I decided to try something new. After starting the engine put the trans in neutral and shift it into 4-wheel LOW and back to 4-wheel HIGH before driving. This seemed to work for me. This article seems to say when you shift to 4-wheel LOW "fully locks the center differential",and when you shift to 4-wheel HIGH it unlocks the center differential. This is a good article about the Jeep.
http://www.allpar.com/model/99gc.html
Quadra-Trac II
"As in all Jeep vehicles, the Quadra-Trac II transfer case includes a low range for off-highway operation. Selecting low range gives a torque multiplication ratio of 2.72 and fully locks the center differential".

I ran into a guy with that problem, he even went to Jeep while it was in sreviceable free. He has to change the tires all around all the time. I think it's the falty varilocks, it's cant be anything but them, if it's not the Tcase, that just the way it works, they are not elec locked, it's just a limited slip unit in the D30! If all else fails I bet changeing out the front unit for a after market unit like a "lock right" would sove the problem, but crap you spent the money on the cool factory stuff, so it's kinda a bad problem. Good luck, if you find out the problem let us know.