He doesn't have a locking front end, it is on all the time.

Even with the old vacuum lock, shifting is by a lever on the floor. If
this lever on the floor will shift to 2 wheel drive, you are freaking
'IN' 2 wheel drive no matter if the front axle is a vacuum release,
permanent locked, or manually locked!

There is no such thing as having to go into reverse to 'unlock' front
hubs or axles period! That cannot happen on "ANY" Jeep!

Once the shifter has moved to 2 wheel drive, the front driveshaft is no
longer connected to the drivetrain, therefore there can be no 'binding
up'. The older vacuum collar cannot 'bind up' when the driveshaft is
not connected....

Now if your gear shift won't come out of 4x4, then yes, you do have to
maybe back up to shift the transfer case.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Jeff Strickland wrote:
>
> The hubs lock through a vacuum mechanism. There is a collar of sorts that
> slides over two splined shafts to connect them, this collar moves on command
> of a vacuum system. Sometimes the shafts and collar can bind, and going in
> reverse will release the bind and allow the collar to move back to its home
> position. This is not in the manual because it is not "required". It is
> helpful though. You can also release the binding, if present, by changing
> the load on the drive train, you can do this by letting off of the gas and
> turning the steering wheel from side to side.
>
> If you shift out of 4WD, and can hear the resulting clunk from the movement
> of the collar, then you do not have to do anything else. In theory, all you
> need do is shift out of 4WD, and eventually the vacuum system will pull the
> collar back to its home position. In practice, the collar can stick and the
> remedy is to try going backwards for a few feet.
>
> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
> > I just purchased a 2nd-hand 1994 Cherokee with the 5-speed manual,
> > part-time 4WD tranny. The previous owner told me that you needed to
> > back it up to unlock the hubs after having it in 4WD. I had to do this
> > for my 88 Trooper. But I haven't seen anything in the Jeep owner's
> > manual about backing up to unlock the hubs.
> >
> > Do I need to back to unlock hubs, or not?
> >
> > thanks,
> >
> > Tom
> >