Q: I just recently aquired an 87 jeep wrangler and am confused on why i can't get it into 4 wheel drive. When i move the shifter it just moves freely back and forth and there's no "catch" to differentiate the gears. I could possibly be stupid and missing something painfully obvious but any help would be appreciated. Thank you I just checked the linkage, and it's all hooked up and connected. haha i just figured it out and yes i'm an idiot. My gear selector knob was on incorrectly and instead of moving forward and backward like your supposed to it looks like it's telling you to move the shifter left and right. Thank you all for the answers
A: If the linkage is connected properly, then it sounds like a problem with the transfer case. There should be some feel to the gears as your move the transfer case shifter. You most likely have a NP231 which is a fairly reliable transfer case. Also check that the bushings are all in place in the linkage. Try rotating the gear selector on the side of the transfer case by hand to see if you can feel the gears. There are detents in the selector cam that you should be able to feel. If not, then the linkage may be broken internally. Mike http://www.mikestrawbridge.com/jeep-cherokee-off-road.shtml