Viscous Coupling sticking in 97 Grand Cherokee?

[monzillaman]

If the fluid is bad/weak in the xfer case, could that make the viscous coupling stick locking the front axle in constant drive? What else would make the AWD act like it's locked in all the time?

[fortieri]

Good question I think I have the same problem. I have a '97 GC Limited with the 4.0l and quadra trac II. I just bought it before winter with 76,000 miles. All the gearbox fluids looked horriable so the were changed and then again a week later.
Anyway it does seem like it is locked in 4wd. I does not act like any other AWD I have ever driven.

If any one has any ideas please let me know.
Thanks

[shooterrob]

well I hope your sitting same problem in my 94 your right it's your viscous coupler but do to not changing your fluilds the coupler is burnt out.the labour involved is very high they have to take the transfer case apart.then you might as well put all belts and rebuild the transfer.It was cheaper for me to buy a rebuild 800$ and about 175$ to install it and give them your old one. good luck

[monzillaman]

Thanks for the replies and I was afraid of that... Fortieri, get it fixed quickly or you'll be looking at rebuilding the front axle too. As a result of driving with a locked 4wd for a couple weeks, my front end is now wrecked! Word of advice to any future GC buyers... check all the fluids before buying and if the T-case looks neglected, keep looking!

[fortieri]

That sounds like good advice. After I bought it the frt diff was full of muddy looking GL, but the TC and rear looked ok. Any way I do get a nice whine decelerating between 60 & 70 MPH.

I think i will look into fixing my TC or replacing with a select trac model.

Thank you for all the help.
Ian

[95Orvis]

Hey guys, I know it's been a couple of months since you posted this but hopefully your still around. I just had my front passenger side axle replaced because I was getting lots of clicking, chunking, skipping and whatever other noise you can describe while turning the wheel after driving about 15min. I took it to the mechanic who did the axle and he said he wasn't sure but thought it sounded like the 4wd was trying to kick in. I also get the constant whine/humm when driving and decelerating which I suspected was the viscous coupling. I had the xfer case rebuilt about 3yrs ago at the dealer for HUGE $$$ because there was supposedly no fluid in it and it was ruined. Don't ask for details, it's still painfull to think about.

Did you guys get the same sort of noises?

If so, what are your recommendations for buying a rebuilt one? Stick with a true replacement or go to the SelectTrac as someone mentioned. What am I gaining/losing by doing so? Where should/could I get it (on-line/local)? Do I need a transmission specialist to install or any good mechanic?

It sounds like time is NOT on my side so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Vehicle is: 95 Grand Cherokee Orvis, 5.2L QuadraTrac

[95Orvis]

Guys,
I think I may found my answer but would still welcome reccomendations.

"....Although convenient, this transfer case (the NV 249) has a serious drawback. Over time, the viscous coupling can degrade, resulting in a transfer case that is always "locked" when the VC material is warm. This causes serious wheel binding when making sharp turns on pavement. ..."

I got the above quote from another site: http://home.earthlink.net/~lewphelps...are_built.html