Sweet! Cause if it works for you, I'm using that idea on the t56 for my 2wd, cause the chevy t56 is much cheaper than the viper t56.

 

Ya that 242 looks good! Just wondering, did yours come stock with the big ugly counter balancer on the tail housing?

 

Its weird... my factory 231 that was bolted to the 46rh had that big ugly counter balance on it. My 231 that was bolted to the nv3500 didn't. And the new 242 doesn't either. I have no idea how they decided when to use that counterbalance.

 

I guess on the later models they felt like they didn't need it. Maybe it was there due to a part not balanced when manufactured or something. I hate it, but keeped it on just incase. The rubber wore out on it, there was no replacement. So I got some thick rubber sheets I had and made something for it. The rubber sheets is what they cut engine belts out of. That stuff is cool!

 

Hmmm... that could be the case for my 2nd 231, cause it came out of a '96 dakota, but this 242 came out of an '89 jeep cherokee... not exactly a later model!!!

 

My '96 Dakota (build date 8/95) had one. After replacing the t-case, never put it back on.

After looking in the parts manual, the damper is "w/ Auto Trans."
It seems to have disappeared starting in the 1997 parts listing. Apparently they figured out it was useless?

 

So here is the procedure on how to swap the input shafts. The pictures are of the 231 coming apart, the 242 has slightly different internals, but the same procedure works...

1) Remove the tail shaft housing. There are 3 bolts holding it on, and then hit it with a rubber mallet until it breaks loose.

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2) Next, to get the rear bearing retainer off, remove the retaining clip and speed sensor. Then remove the 4 bolts and beat it with a rubber mallet until it slides off.

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3) Next, remove the rear cover. There are 3 bolts that are different than the rest. VERY IMPORTANT...MARK WHERE THEY GO!!! The two bolts with the washers are for the guide pins, and right around those there are slots to slide a pry bar under to pry the cover off once unbolted. There is no need to beat it with a rubber mallet.

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Once unbolted slide the rear cover off.

4) With the rear cover off, pull the mainshaft and shift rail up and once they are unseated and there is slack in the chain, take the chain off. The pins on the shift fork slide right out of the guide plate on the 231, but require some extra motivation on the 242. (Sorry, I didn't get pictures of this). It should now look like this...

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The circled part is high/low range planatary gear assembly. The input shaft is in this.

5) Unbolt the front bearing retainer. There are also prybar slots on this peice, just look around the edge tolocate them.

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6) Remove the retaining clip.

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With this clip removed, the planatary gear assembly will slide out the back. It should look like this:

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7) Remove this retaining clip from the planatary assembly.

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The input shaft should slide out.

Here are the input shafts side by side...

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Assembly is reverse. Be sure to clean all gasket surfaces and use a 1/8" to 1/4" bead of black or red RTV gasket maker on the rear cover, both bearing retainers, and tailshaft housing. Also make sure the retaining clips didn't get stretched on removal and are seated properly. (One of my clips got messed up). One thing to note, the older transfer cases use a wider input shaft bearing, and I had to put my 231 bearing in the 242 for the 231 input shaft to fit.

 

Thats cool Brian, though what exactly is part time 4X4

 

Part time 4x4 is what every 4x4 truck has. It locks the front and back axles together and can only be used on slippery or loose surfaces.

Full time 4x4, or all wheel drive, has a differential between the front and rear axles to allow them to spin at different rates while your turn on pavement.

 

That sounds like it would be a disadvantage if off roading or even if you get a wheel off the ground