Episode 569 – OK4WD and T-case Troubleshooting
This Week In Jeep
The Cherokee Chief Returns… as a baby Wagoneer… but only on Instagram
Back in the 1960s, Jeeps were barely hitting 270 horsepower. You’d think things would get better with age, but even in the 1970s, AMC’s big boy on the block was a 401-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) V8… dropped into the famous Cherokee Chief. And it was only good for about 215 horsepower. It might not sound like a lot compared to modern Jeeps, but the Chief was actually one of the fastest and most powerful SUVs in its class, and it held its own all the way till 1983. Today there is no 2 door Jeep outside the Wrangler model line. Think about that one for a sec. Unfortunately, two-door SUVs are no longer in fashion, heck, even the two-door XJ didn’t see that much success compared to its four-door brother. Chances are Jeep will never officially offer one beyond the Wrangler. I mean how big of a buzz has there been for a two-door Gladiator? Regardless, somebody took it upon themselves to render us what a modern Chief might look like. Instagram’s “wb.artist20” just put together a digital 2022 version of the venerable 
classic. And it showcases all of the Chief’s iconic design features, starting with the black-painted area around all the windows and the matching stripes running across the doors and rear fenders…it even includes side vent windows like the original Chief. The original Cherokee Chief shared some of its design cues with the Wagoneer, I think this modern rendition would look a little more unique in the current lineup. While it takes some design features from the Grand Cherokee, it’s obviously a little boxier and of course wider than the midsize SUV. It’s pretty much a baby, two-door Wagoneer if you were to compare it to anything, but with a completely original front grille and headlight combo. But damn if it doesn’t work. There is nothing on this that looks entirely concept. This isn’t the type of thing you’d see rolling out with other concept vehicles at the Easter Jeep Safari. This looks like a production vehicle, and it could be done if Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company wanted it to. But I’m not holding my breath. We’ll see how much buzz this creates… personally, I’d bend over backward to have one of these in the driveway.
Gladiator and Trailer Go Through The Ice
Police say a Jeep went through the ice in Missisquoi Bay and they are trying to find the owner. Vermont State Police say at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, a…. (I wish I could say it was red but it was a) black Jeep Gladiator was discovered partially submerged in the Missisquoi Bay in Lake Champlain near the Canadian border.
They say a 14-foot flatbed trailer was still attached to the Jeep.
Police say nobody is believed to be inside the vehicle but are asking anyone with information to call the St. Albans barracks at 802-524-5993.
So… who do you know in Vermont, who just got a Black Gladiator recently, lives or was working near the Canadian border, and is now asking for rides a lot more lately…?
Hey… I know that hoser! Get him! Eh!?
Tech Talk with Jeep Talk
TOPIC/QUESTION: Does Your Transfer Case Pop Out of Gear?
There are many things that can ruin your day out on the trail. Blowing your tire off the bead, suffering body damage, popping a hose, even a rabid squirrel can really mess up an otherwise good day out on the trail. But one of 
the more common things to have to happen is the transfer case not acting right. Every four wheel drive vehicle has some sort of a transfer case, that takes power from the transmission, and transfers some of that to the front axle. If that transfer case ain’t working right, then neither is the Jeep, and that’s a recipe for a no good very bad day, especially if it locks you out of getting in gear. So in this episode, we’re going to go over some common things that can cause this problem and how to address them. First things first though… Jeeps don’t all use the same transfer case. The one that’s in my XJ is completely different than the one in The Jeep Talk Show Gladiator, or even your friend’s JKU. So despite their similarities in what they do, how they do it, and more importantly, how to adjust or repair them is going to be different too. Ok let’s talk about just some of the issues you could have. One might be a complete lock out. The Jeep doesn’t want to move, but runs just fine. An easy way to tell if it’s in the transmission, transfer case, or axles, is to take the drivelines out, both front and rear, making sure the Jeeps tires are choked, and then see what turns and what doesn’t. If the transfer case output yokes start turning, then you know it was in the axles, if it doesn’t, you likely have an issue in the transmission or transfer case, and either way, it’s a rebuild or swap out. Let’s say anytime you’re offroad, there is a loud noise coming from the middle of the Jeep. It only happens when you’re in four wheel drive, but it’s there. If this is happening to you, just know the problem is going to get worse unless you do 
something about it. Likely what is happening is the chain drive inside the transfer case has stretched out and is rubbing on the inside wall of the case itself. But it could also just be low on fluid, so always check that first. Checking fluids really should be part of your regular maintenance, a thorough visual inspection, and a check of the fluid levels everywhere in the Jeep from the radiator to the differentials. The stretching of the chain happens naturally over time as we wheel our rigs and is completely normal. Note that this should not happen to a low mileage Jeep, but will be a possibility the older the rig is and the harder it’s been wheeled. Fixing this problem typically involves removing the transfer case from the vehicle for service, or taking it apart still mounted in the Jeep and replacing the chain, as well as a few seals “while you’re in there.” Another reason you may have to split the transfer case is because it wont stay in gear, and it “pops out” of four wheel drive sometimes.
This could be a number of things, ranging from linkage problems to a more internal problem like overly worn shift pads. These are a plastic, polyurethane type of pad that rests on either side of a “Y” shaped fork that moves across different gear sets to engage or disengage certain functions of the transfer case as you move the lever in the cab. These pads act as both a guide and a lock to help move that fork into position and keep it there. Note that replacing the drive chain or the shift fork pads of a transfer case involves a higher level of mechanical ability than what most will have. These are complex pieces of machinery and require exact tolerances to operate correctly. Not to mention, getting one apart usually requires quite a bit more than just a socket set and some wrenches. Now maybe your Jeep won’t go into four-low, or has a hard time coming back into two-wheel drive. Maybe you’re in 4-lo, but the light in the dash is saying you’re in 4-hi. Chances are this is as simple as a linkage adjustment, which for older Jeeps is relatively simple, but for newer Jeeps gets a little more complex. For older Jeeps the adjustment is underneath the rig, below the floor pan, and attached to the lever that comes through the floor that you use to bring the Jeep in and out of 4WD. There is usually a rod that is attached to the linkage and this will have some degree of adjustability. It’s usually a single bolt that you would loosen, then move the lever inside the Jeep and then re-tighten that bolt to lock it in.
As we get into the JK, JL, and JT line of Jeeps and beyond, this adjustment moves to inside the Jeep and requires you to completely remove the entire center console to get to it. Once in there though the adjustment is again a relatively simple process requiring you to loosen, adjust, and then re-tighten a single bolt or nut. And now thanks to the wonderful world of interwebs, you can look up your particular vehicle, and see a write up on a forum or a tutorial video of how to do this yourself. So, once again, the first step should always be to check the most simple things first, and work your way up. Visual check, look for red flag things like shiny metal, leaks, wet spots, backed out or missing fasteners, or even compromised electrical connections. Regularly check your fluid level, but also ensure that the fluid you DO have in the T-case is good, and not burnt, dirty, or showing signs of having metal debris or water in it. And how you exactly do that we will be covering in the next Tech Talk,,,, Until then fellow Jeeper, I hope this helps narrow down what may be happening with your Jeep’s transfer case.
Jeep Talk Show Interview
Jim Oostdyk from OK4WD
https://www.facebook.com/ok4wd/
Coming up in next week’s interview… David McBee, Author of Djsoffroadadventure
Jeep Life – With Jeep Momma
How A Shift Knob Changed So Much
About seven years ago I swapped out my transfer case shifter knob with an after-market one. Like everyone else out there making modifications to their Jeeps whether it’s a big modification or something simple like the shifter case knob we typically go to youtube to check out the videos to see what we are getting into. Of Course, the two videos I watched made this swap look easy peasy. So I got my new aftermarket knob and camera and went out to my Jeep to make my own How-To video. Well, it wasn’t anything like easy peasy. Those two other Jeep YouTubers must have used the magic of editing to make it look that way. Like anything with the Wranglers, getting off the factory part is a big, huge hassle and the transfer case shifter knob wasn’t any different. The directions for the aftermarket shifter knob install said to use force to remove the factory knob. SO I recruited my youngest son Ben to do the video camera work and I got my gloves. Sitting in the driver’s seat I tried to pull it off. I wasn’t strong enough. I even took the advice of other YouTubers and straddled the knob and pulled with all my might. It didn’t even budge. Then I tried the flat head screwdriver to try to pry it up and off on the suggestion of the other YouTuber. That didn’t work either, all it did was scratch up my factory knob. It was also suggested to use a strap wrench, but I didn’t own one of those. So, I tried a cloth to protect the knob with a pair of locking pliers. I twisted the knob one way then the other over and over. Still nothing, not even a little budge. Those videos made it look so very easy. You just needed to detach the bottom collar and pull up on the knob. It was supposed to come right off. By this time, I felt weak and like a failure. I looked at my son Ben and said should we get the muscle from your dad. He agreed.
My then-husband came out and I shared with him my troubles. He grabbed the knob with one hand and pulled. Nothing. He then got in the driver’s seat just like me and pulled with 2 hands. Nothing. Then he straddled the knob and pulled with both hands, still nothing. He used the flat head screwdriver and locking pliers just like me. Twisting over and over. Still nothing. It was becoming quite comical. Finally, out of nowhere it just popped off. It took a whole lot of muscle to get that thing off. When I first posted the video I felt weak because those other male Jeepers made it look so easy. I still posted the video with all my struggles because that is just who I am. On the outside, I tried to make fun of my weakness but I still felt weak and like a failure. Now I know better. It’s just that magic of editing. It didn’t take long for the comments to start coming in with folks having the same issue as me. These folks weren’t just women. Men too. All have the same issue as me. So don’t always believe what you see. Don’t look down on yourself because you weren’t able to do a modification or install it as easily as they make it look on YouTube.
My How-To video is still a popular video out there and lots of people have thanked me for my honesty in the video as it seems everyone has the same problem as me. Even after seven years people are viewing this video and thanking me. Just this week I received two comments.
John Cooper: The factory manual says to use a slide hammer to get the knob off. I made a special attachment for the slide hammer and banged on it until I was blue in the face and it still is stuck on there. I will try the strap wrench since I have several. If that doesn’t work I will use my Dremel tool with a saw blade to cut the blankety-blank off. I am lucky that this is not my only vehicle. Thank you for showing your struggle.
Jon Holland commented: “This is probably the best video to remove a shift knob because it’s exactly the struggle I’m going through and it made me laugh”
Social Media and videos can sure be deceiving and discouraging sometimes because of the editing and manipulation going on. So don’t let that stop you from forging forward with your own modifications and off-roading. Over time you will become confident in your abilities. You don’t always need to be the best or perfect because it is all a great adventure.
Links Mentioned in this Episode
NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/
Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/
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