If you replace the plastic clip with the Metal 1/4 E-retaining ring, you will never ever experience transfer case linkage fail,
it's an easy fix, maybe too easy... hard to believe isn't it!?

 

The dealership didnt have the plastic bushing in stock, so i have to wait 4 days for it to come in, due to the holiday weekend. I had them put it in 2x4 so i could at least drive it in the meantime. That advance adapters cable upgrade is looking better and better. I would really like to hear from someone who has one though, hopefully someone will chime in. I figure if the bushing broke at 10K miles after using 4x4 about 5 times, its only a matter of time unitl it goes again.

 

they ordered me a few extra bushings just incase it happens again, i figure its a safe bet to keep a couple in the jeep, seems like a few people are doing this.

 

That's really, really sad. I just don't understand why Jeep wouldn't have fixed this yet. I have the '07 unlimited model with more/less 80K miles on it, have been up in the mountains climbing over boulders several times and one of the small small platic pieces on mine just failed after my wife took it out on the sandy beach! I went to the dealership here and they were out of stock and said it would be three to four days to get it in. I just told them nevermind because I had already read through other threads on here that explained the problem and a much better way to fix it. Besides, I needed a little plastic fastener (plastic screw with plastic anchor) that they charged me six bucks for! They said the little fastener was originally ten bucks and had now been discounted to six bucks. It probably has .03 cents worth of material and engineering in it...

 

I wouldn't bother getting extras. Just repair the broken one, then zip tie or use the retaining clip idea and you are under the jeep once (well for this issue anyway). Better than replacing the clip every time. Remember it breaks at the most inopportune time. Hence the reason you were shifting to and from 4wd.

 

Mine just broke yesterday but on the other end of the cable. That end is really a pain in the ass to get to. You have to try to completely remove the console. I didn't get it done because of the emergency brake handle. I ended up just lifting up the front of the console to expose the shifter to find the cable disconnected and the bushing disintegrated. I went ot the dealer and they did not have any in stock and there weren't any in LA either. It will be a week. I fixed mine with a brass bushing for a Ford door hinge from Autozone. The bushing and an e-clip and it was good to go.

This break would have been terrible on the trail since it is super difficult to get to. I simple service access panel on the council would fix the problem as well as a better design of connectors.

The worst part of the whole thing was that it was the first time I EVER tried to shift the transfer case into low range. (I should have done that when I bought it last month. I would have found that it was broken and probably would not have bought the Jeep)

 

I'm sure mine will break too at some point! But I shift into 4 hi and 4 lo alot and it hasent broke yet, you really have to be gentle when shifting.

 

Why is it that nobody makes a brass version of that white part so it can not break ?

 

I made a brass version of the white part and used a cotter (think this is the name) to hold it on. I used a tubing fitting.

 

Do you have pics?