Jeep Grand Cherokee (ZJ).

95Trooper

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Mar 23, 2008
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WNC
I'm looking at buying another Grand Cherokee. I've had several of these ZJ's over the years and always come back to them. I like them almost more than an XJ (flame suit on). The one in particular I'm looking at is a 1996 model Laredo with the 4.0...Transfer case is as follows..2wd, 4hi, full time, neutral and 4lo. Pardon my ignorance but is that the np242 tcase? It has 5" of lift on 32/11.50/15 BFG KM2's. The Jeep has 190k miles on it. Clean title, never in an accident. It's clean as a pin inside and out. Guy seems firm at $3,500. Have a budget of $5,000 so that'd leave me some play money. I'm going to look at it this weekend. Anything specific I should look for aside from usual 4.0 Jeep issues? This will mainly be a toy and primarily used at Brown Mountain OHV, Patriot Mountain Off Road Park and possibly The Flats. If anyone has any spare parts laying around let me know!
 
That would be a 242 transfer case.
What kind of lift does it have?
Everyone will tell you the dana 35 will go boom. They seem to do that on occasion with hard use, but can be made to survive with 30 spline axles.

If you are considering that zj, I would suggest finding a xj of roughly the same year.
It would have a hp 30, and stronger 29 spline 8.25 axle. Same motor, trans, and either a 231 or 242 transfer case.
Nothing against the zjs, but on a budget the Xjs are cheaper...

As far as the flats go, my old tj seemed way undersized as far as tire size goes for that park. And it was on 35s. Not saying you cant have fun there, but.......
 
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To be the 242, it should have 2 hi ranges, 4hi full & 4hi part time.. failing everything else, get a rag and a light and look for the round tag on the transfer case.. look for pinion slop/leaks.. check trans fluid and shift time cold into reverse.. (health indicator for trans, slow cold to reverse is starting to get worn out) check chain slop in the transfer. Other than that the usual stuff. Fluids, steering, driveshaft, rust, etc.
 
If you plan on keeping it 33's or smaller, I would consider getting a dana 44HD from a 96-98 v8 zj. It bolts in and can be found cheap. They are more than up to the task and they just come out with a Spartan locker for it (which I highly recommend).
 
The 242 is a good transfer case, I like the 231 better, but both are better than the 249 (no 2wd option). I will say that I grenaded a D35 in my 93 ZJ with 30x9.5 tires backing up a steep driveway, so I have no confidence in that axle. Like said above, a D44a (also called a D44hd) was found in V8 versions in the rear of the second generation ZJs (96-98), they are a direct bolt in, but more than likely will have 3.73 gears while yours probably has 3.55s, so a re-gear will be needed.

Aside from the rear axle, I would use some of your money for some rock sliders, as the unibody under the doors will take a lot of abuse, and will get to the point the doors won't close. would also invest in a radiator support, preferable one ith a couple places for some shackles, this will give you front extraction points. Next would be a steering box brace, as those are prone to rip off the unibody with over sized tires and 4 wheeling. Lastly, beat the snot out of that thing and have fun. If you kill it, then take your parts off and get another ZJ and repeat :rockon::D
 
That is an NP242. Great Tcase IMHO. I swapped my 249 for a 242. 96 was the first year for OBDII, so they can have some, er, quirks, but are still just fine.

Also, the AW4 trans is not compatable with the ZJ without a lot of work and a CEL.

ZJs are great. I love mine. Its like an XJ, only better.
 
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