Stuck in "PART TIME"

[96Cherokee]

So I'm here on Vancouver Island and trying to bring my Dad's '94 Cherokee Country back to life.  It hasn't run for over a year.  I got it started, but it needs a new battery.  While it was running, I took it for a drive around the block, and I can get it in 4 LO, and 4 PART TIME, but it won't go into 4 FULL TIME or 2WD anymore.  The lever just keeps settling back into 4 PART TIME.  I've tried it in neutral, reverse, drive 1st gear etc.  I've had a '96 Cherokee since new, so I do know how these things are supposed to work.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  I'm on my way out to get a new battery!  Thanks guys!

[FiEND]

try rolling about 2 km/h and then shifting it.

[Pookapotamus]

the lever it self actually moves in to part time or is it just that the light does not change to full time? if the lever is moving you are probably looking at adjusting the linckage so that it stays. if it is that the light does not switch it is probably because it has not run in a while and just needs time. both my 92 and 95 xj took a while to switch back and forth quickly but after repeted use over a month they started to loosen up and switch properly.

hope this helped answer your question.

[96Cherokee]

The lever moves, but if you go to 2WD or 4 FULL TIME, it kinda springs back to 4 PART TIME which is in between.  I know I'm actually stuck in 4 PART time because of how it feels to drive (taking any turns).  Anyway, I got the new battery and I'll install it tomorrow and try this stuff again.  Thanks for the replies.  Any other ideas are more than welcome!

[cLAY]

Watch the linkage from underneath while your dad shifts thru the ranges. See if you can see if the linkage is binding of flexing, maybe it popped out of one of the bushings. Try helping it along with a pry bar or something.

[96Cherokee]

Update:
Installed the new battery today.  Went down to the gas station to fill 'er up, and get the tires back up to the proper pressure.  On the way there, I kept fiddling with the 4WD selector, and some strange things were happening.  The PART TIME light started to flicker, and then shut off.  I tried to switch back and forth between the different positions, and it wouldn't even light up anymore at all but I knew it was still in PART TIME due to how it was driving.  So I filled up, and took care of the tires, and then on my way back to the house started fiddling with the lever again, and the PART TIME light came on again.  Fiddled some more, and it popped into 4 FULL TIME!  Then I left it there a bit, and tried to go into 2WD.  CLUNK!  It worked!  I went back and forth between the different positions, and tried 4LO again, and everything seems to work now!  Yay!  I'm going to have to make sure this thing gets driven more than once a year now!  Thanks for all the help everyone!

[morerpmfred]

my 242 transfer case did the same thing and i changed the oil in it and now it shifts all the time.

[jpthing]

That reminds me of one time when I was headed home from maclean and there was this kid stopped by the intersection to the highway in one of those newer fancy nissan pickups (frontier?) and he was nearly in tears...he had just bought the thing, probably hadn't even made two payments and had taken it out wheelin' and now it was stuck in four low...and he had to go to work in an hour or something...he had tried the panicked call to the nissan dealer (said to tow it in, they'd have a look). I offered him to give it a try, he looked a little dubious, but he was desperate so, I jumped in. a few tries moving forward and backward very slowly and steering while pressing the button and "ping!" it went. Sometimes my suburban tcase is a little weird too, it also has the supid electronic pushbutton controls, like buddy's nissan. 

LONG LIVE MECHANICAL TCASE SHIFT LEVERS!!!!!

[S-FLY]

The spring inside could be getting old.  They make a rebuild kit for the np242 as well.