Differential or brakes?

maxmillertime · #1 08-23-2005, 07:40 PM

MY '94 GC is suddenly very sluggish and feels like something is holding it back. I recently used the parking brake and it seemed to happed after that but I jacked it up and checked the rear wheels and they seem to move freely. I have a couple questions:
Should the rear wheels turn freely when vehicle is jacked up and it park (Mine does)

When the Jeep is jacked up should the front wheels turn very easily or somewhat hard to turn?

Please help me out so I can get this Jeep back on the road with full power!

96 GC
4.0 six cylinder
selectrac 4X4

dell520 · #2 08-24-2005, 02:38 PM

hello, im not the most knowledgeable here but if your jeep is in 2 wheel drive and in park then the back wheels shouldnt spin freely whether its jacked up or not. the front wheels should turn freely if its just in 2 wheel drive mode where the power is going to just the rear wheels. hopefully others will respond soon so you can have some more input.

#3 08-24-2005, 05:58 PM

Yes they should.

If the Jeep is in park and you turn one of the tires the other tire will spin, if you have a posi the tire will spin the same direction.

the front is the same because its the same as the rear.

As for as power problems you have a host of things that can be wrong.

here are some things to try.

1.Fuel injector cleaner I stress this people because it matters, use it every other time you fill up.

2. Tune up, cap rotor and wires, plugs.

3. better gas

4. trie pressure, sounds funny but low pressure with cause harder steering and low HP.

5. Your engine need to take in air, replace your air cleaner, just read the box at the store and you will see how soon you should really be changing your filter.

I hope this helps, if you have any more problems/questions feel free to ask.

maxmillertime · #4 08-24-2005, 06:15 PM

Thanks for your help guys. The front wheel are somewhat hard to spin--more so than the rear. Perhaps the brakes are somehow dragging on the front. The parking brake is not connected at all to the fron though right?

#5 08-24-2005, 06:21 PM

You only have a E brake in the rear, the fronts should be a little harder to move because of the disk brakes, tho it should drag alittle it should not be "clunky" .

Does your 96 have rear disks?

Sometimes critters build nests in the intake tube, I would check this also.

maxmillertime · #6 08-24-2005, 07:01 PM

Yes my 96 has rear disk brakes. I really think it feels as if there is something mechanical dragging it down, rather than it being an engine problem. The engine seems to run fine and revs perfect when out of gear. It does seem like anything feels like it is slipping, it just feels like something is holding me back as if I am pulling a trailer. I want to think it is brakes--the front brakes do turn somewhat hard. If I give them a good spin when the truck is off the ground, they will not make a complete rotation. On the other hand, it seems to coast OK, I just really notice the problem when trying to accelerate. Is it possible to be an issue with the tranny or transfer case or is this really just coming down to the brakes being the problem? If it is the brakes, what might be causing both front brakes to be gripping?

#7 08-24-2005, 07:06 PM

Tell me your T case what dose it say.
You may have a 249with a VC this maybe your problem.

Tell me your shit points on your t case.

like 4hi N 4lo
or 2wd 4wd N 4lo

maxmillertime · #8 08-24-2005, 07:41 PM

I have the selectrac transfer case with 2wd, part time and full time.

#9 08-25-2005, 12:52 AM

With the selectrac transfer case you do not have the VC so no worries. However it wouldnot hurt to change the T case fluid.

Other then that you may just need a tune up.

dell520 · #10 08-25-2005, 12:55 AM

hey my jeep acts that way when it is in part time 4wd, i have no idea what part time means but when im using it the jeep seems to chug like im climbing a steep hill persay and and it has alot of noise coming from the front end like its reving real high except the RPMs are low. i dont know maybe they arnt the same problems... needless to say i dont use part time at all anymore because it doesnt feel normal.

#11 08-25-2005, 01:05 AM

It may be low fluid in the T case, check it as well as both front and rear diffs.

The full time 4wd is used for every day driveing, it helps to send power to the wheels that may slip, like if you were driveing when it is raining badly, or going from dry pavement to snow it's great.

The part time is when your in deep snow, I say deep because even the full time can handle it, but part time locks the front and rear together for full on full traction.

The 4 low is used for getting a heavy load moving , climbing steep hills, pulling and such.

dell520 · #12 08-25-2005, 01:07 AM

hey thanks for the answer, that makes pretty good sense to me and helps also.

#13 08-25-2005, 01:10 AM

I have quadra drive it just has 4wd full time and 4 low, it's allways in 4wd , it's saved me a few times from getting stuck.

have a good one I hope you find your problem..

Swansen · #14 08-25-2005, 06:40 PM

well if its sluggish it could also be a clogged catelitic converter or a clogged fuel filter

maxmillertime · #15 08-27-2005, 03:52 PM

It turns out that the problem most likely lies in the transmission. Althought the tranny is not slipping, there is a governor in there that controls the power output. Either it is bad or something has triggered this. I'm worried I may be paying for a rebuilt tranny soon. I'll have to take it to a tranny shop on Monday.

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