I'm curious. I have two 98 Grand Cherokee Laredos with the Selec-Trac 4WD. I notice when I shift them out of 4WD on either of them, it takes AWHILE for it to totally disengage. Is there something that you need to do when you shift out of 4WD (Part-Time or Full-Time) so it shifts out immediately? Every once in awhile I engage the 4WD to make sure its working correctly. But even in the snow when I would disengage the 4WD in either Jeep it took some time for it to disengage. Do any one else has this problem and know a solution for the 4WD to engage quicker?

First are all 4 tires the exact same size? If so are they all inflated correctly? These are the first things I would check. If those are correct then maybe you need to do what I do and put the transmission shifter in Neutral then shift your transfer case into whatever you want, then reverse 2-3 feet then forward at a slow speed for 2-3 feet. That is how I have to do myself currentley.

You may also look under your jeeps and make sure your shifter rod bolts are secure. I recentley noticed mine were very loose and I actually lost 1 of the 2 bolts, so I tightened one and still have to replace the other.

Hope this helps and makes sense.

dell520 is dead on the money. The issue is that no matter what, there will still be some pressure on the gears. Slowly moving backwards shifts the pressure to the back side of the teeth, giving them a moment of slack that can allow the gears to move out of 4wd.

First are all 4 tires the exact same size? If so are they all inflated correctly? These are the first things I would check. If those are correct then maybe you need to do what I do and put the transmission shifter in Neutral then shift your transfer case into whatever you want, then reverse 2-3 feet then forward at a slow speed for 2-3 feet. That is how I have to do myself currentley.

You may also look under your jeeps and make sure your shifter rod bolts are secure. I recentley noticed mine were very loose and I actually lost 1 of the 2 bolts, so I tightened one and still have to replace the other.

Hope this helps and makes sense.


The one jeep has bridgestone dueler at tires 235/75R15 and the other has goodyear wrangler rts tires 235/75R15. They are all inflated properly also. I will try shifting out of 4WD with both of them with the method you state above. And I would figure that with the one Jeep having 145,000 miles and the other having 123,000 miles that the shifter rod bolts might be loose. I'll check them also and let you guys know how I make out. Thanks a lot.

The one jeep has bridgestone dueler at tires 235/75R15 and the other has goodyear wrangler rts tires 235/75R15. They are all inflated properly also. I will try shifting out of 4WD with both of them with the method you state above. And I would figure that with the one Jeep having 145,000 miles and the other having 123,000 miles that the shifter rod bolts might be loose. I'll check them also and let you guys know how I make out. Thanks a lot.

Do you know the trucks history? If it has 145,000 miles on it, oddds are the transfer case fluid hasn't been changed in a while because a lot of people don't know to do that. When I first bought mine, I had trouble with the 4wd, and after I changed the fluid, it shifted in and out no problem.

Also, when you shift the lever make sure that you do it firmly, I found that plus what they all said above to help the best!

good luck!

Do you know the trucks history? If it has 145,000 miles on it, oddds are the transfer case fluid hasn't been changed in a while because a lot of people don't know to do that. When I first bought mine, I had trouble with the 4wd, and after I changed the fluid, it shifted in and out no problem.

Also, when you shift the lever make sure that you do it firmly, I found that plus what they all said above to help the best!

good luck!

yeah i figured people do not change the fluid in the transfer cases so yesterday i changed the fluid in the one and i'll do the other one tomorrow. it does shift out better now. i tightened the bolts on the shifter rod on both of them and that helped a lot too. thanks guys.

No problem. Glad to help.