My 4WD will not engage why?

Tiny
DODGEFAN2008
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
  • 1997 DODGE RAM
Hi, I own a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 W/ a 5.9l 360 and a dana 44 axle. My problem is the 4 Wheel drive will not engage, the transfer case engages and the front drive shaft spins but the wheels do not. I just replaced my actuator or "automatic vacuum shifter" cause all the signs pointed to this. It did not seem to work I still do not have 4 Wheel Drive. The only other thing me or anyone I know can come up with is somehow the vacuum lines are plugged with mud or something any suggestions?
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:31 PM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,755 POSTS
Yes the vacuum lines could be a problem. It may not be getting any vacuum from the engine. Also, is there a vacuum resivour (black plastic ball) under the truck? Make sure vacuum is getting to it too. Does the truck still have the small hard plastic vacuum lines that regular hose plug into? If so, check in the engine compartment. Many times I've seen the plastic melt near manifold or crack.

Let me know what you find.

Joe
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:31 PM (Merged)
Tiny
DODGEFAN2008
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  • 3 POSTS
Ok, ill check that out. Thanks for the tip
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:31 PM (Merged)
Tiny
DODGEFAN2008
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  • 3 POSTS
4 wheel drive is fixed, the line was plugged like originally thought and was not getting vaccum. Thanks for your help.
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:31 PM (Merged)
Tiny
MARCUSJ011891
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
  • 1997 DODGE RAM
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 162,000 MILES
Why should I shift my truck into neutral before engaging the 4 wheel drive? The other day I accidently shifted into 4 wheel drive without being in neutral. In this case should I be worried if I tore something up in my truck?
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
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Actually, I believe the vehicle has shift on the fly 4wd. Basically you can go from 2wd to 4wd while moving. However, you must stop and put the vehicle in park or neutral (I can't remember) when shifting to 4wd lo range.

When you shifted it to 4 hi, did it make a noise (grinding)?

Let me know.
Joe
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
MARCUSJ011891
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
What happened was I tried to shift the truck in 4 lo and then when I shifted to drive the light never came on. Without shifting the truck back into neutral I pulled the 4 wheel drive lever to make sure it was in 4 lo and then when I gave it a tug it proceeded to shift into 4 lo while my truck was still in drive. While I was stopped, my truck was still in drive when I shifted into 4 lo and it didnt make any noises really except I heard the 4 lo engage as normal. The only time it has ever made a grinding sound was another incident when I was trying to shift out of 4 lo it grinded but I was stopped and my truck was in neutral at that point in time. Im just paranoid I guess because I just bought the truck and I dont want to tear anything up in it. Im sorry if the way I am explaining the situation is confusing but I cant figure out how to put it in words.
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Actually I understand very clearly. What you did shouldn't hurt anything. As far as the grinding you heard in the past, come to a complete stop, place the vehicle in park and then shift from 4lo to high range. Placing it in park will prevent the transmission from spining when you hit neutral on the transfer case. Therefore it shouldn't grind for you.

Again, you didn't do anything wrong. It will be fine.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Joe
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
MARCUSJ011891
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Thanks for all your help involving the 4 wheel drive. I do have one more question. The other day I noticed sort of a squeaking or more of a creaking sound in the front end when I was turning the wheel. I also felt it pulling in the steering wheel while I was making a turn. What could cause this?
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
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It could be a few things. First, make sure the ball joints are properly greased. Also, check the sway bar bushings to make sure they are not dried out or cracked.

Let me know what you find.

Joe
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
MARCUSJ011891
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
Although I havent had the parts you mentioned looked at, I did check the power steering fluid level and it was way low. I think this might be the problem but if the fluid was low would that cause it to do what it is doing?
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
WRIGSCOT
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
  • 1997 DODGE RAM
  • 5.9L
  • V6
  • 4WD
  • MANUAL
  • 171,000 MILES
Okay, so I just purchased the truck listed above 1500 SLT. We did a test drive around a few blocks and everything seemed fine so I bought it. Rookie mistake, I did not take it on the highway. Later I did just that and found it to be shaking and not wanting to get up to speed without shaking more. After I get where I am going I notice a small leak coming from the transfer case. Then I start really questioning the fact that I just picked it up for $2,000.00 and now I think I am seeing why. It is stuck in four wheel drive, it does not even try to engage two wheel drive. Also, on a whim I just looked up the transfer case model (233c) and find that it is for a Chevrolet according to Google, and to top the cake it appears that a liquid gasket was used and that is why it is leaking now.
Will this transfer case actually work for my truck and just needs a real gasket? Or do I need to find another transfer case? I do not have too much money and currently laid off until work starts backup after the holidays so hopefully someone has a easy answer that is not dreadfully expensive. I am not going to hold my hopes up too much for the cheap solution but cannot hurt to have a glimmer, lol.
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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It would cause a noise. Not a creaking but rather a screaching.
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
WRIGSCOT
  • MEMBER
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Here are few pictures of what I am talking about, hope it is of more help.
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
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Let me put some of your fears to rest. A Chevrolet transfer case will not bolt up to a Chrysler transmission. The mounts are different too. The round label shows "New Process". That is actually the name of the company that manufactured the transfer case. They make parts for a number of car and truck manufacturers, so it is not uncommon to find internal parts that interchange from one vehicle to another.

As a point of interest, GM manufacturers roughly 80 percent of the parts they use in their vehicles, and they often sell them to other manufacturers. A good example is the MAP sensor and automatic idle speed motor used on your truck. Those come from GM. Chrysler, on the other hand, buys about 80 percent of the parts they use and they make the other 20 percent. They can shop for the best price, and when one supplier cannot keep up production or has a quality problem, they can go to a different supplier. That is why we used to find three or four different manufacturers for half shafts on 1980's front-wheel-drive cars. The shafts from any of the suppliers interchanged on the cars, but parts to repair a half shaft were different. A lot of rear drum brake parts are the same too between GM and Chrysler. Chrysler's turn signal switches in the mid 1990's had three part numbers printed on them. One was Chrysler's, one was Toyota's, and one was for someone else.

The liquid gasket you found could be original. RTV, (room-temperature vulcanizing) sealants have been around since at least the mid 1980's. It was first used on rear differential covers. Now you will find it on engine oil pans, transmission pans and rear covers, and valve covers. The problem with cork or fiber gaskets is that too many of us think that if tight is good, tighter is better. In fact, over-tightening pan bolts often leads to splitting the new gasket, and a leak.

Chrysler has two RTV gasket sealers that I am very familiar with. The first one is black. It cures a little more rubbery and is pretty easy to scrape off, but it has one major problem. It will not bond and seal through a film of oil or transmission fluid. Both sealing surfaces must be perfectly clean and dry. This is a problem for do-it-yourselfers with the older A604 front-wheel-drive four-speed transmissions in cars and minivans. When you do a fluid and filter change, fluid will still be running out of one area even if you let it sit overnight or for 24 hours. My coworkers each had their own preferred method of overcoming that, but my favorite was to reach up into a little well and splash my finger around to get the fluid out. After that, it takes a good minute for that well to fill up again before the fluid runs over and resumes running down onto the flange. I had the pan cleaned up already, and the bead of sealant applied. That extra one minute was plenty of time to spray the flange clean again with Brake Parts Cleaner, wipe it off, and slap the pan in place and get the bolts started. Typing that explanation takes a real lot more time than actually doing the job. The point is, that black sealant works just fine as long as both surfaces are clean and dry.

Chrysler also has a gray sealant that will bond and seal through a light film of oil or transmission fluid, but you still want to try to have dry surfaces. If you happen to overlook a little fluid running onto a sealing surface, you most likely will not have a leak with this gray sealer. It does cure a little harder, and it takes more elbow grease to scrape it off next time. Without going into all the gory details about when my mother ran over a chunk of metal, let me share that I used this gray sealer to build up a patch for the 3" by 4" hole in the side of the gas tank. That "temporary" repair lasted for over 23 years before the rest of the tank rusted out, and never developed a leak.

With both of these sealers, once the pan or cover is bolted tight, you can pour in the fluid right away. You do not have to wait for it to cure first. One more thing to watch for is when you take the bolts out, look for a blob of that sealer on the end by the threads. This is not a problem with factory-applied sealant, but when the rest of us put it on, we tend to put on too much, and some can ooze into the bolt holes. That can make a bolt feel tight when it really is not tight enough to do its clamping yet.

That sealant in your second photo is definitely not a factory job. Being smeared all over like that is not a sign of a professional's work either.

As for the shaking, describe where you feel it and under what conditions. If it is felt in the steering wheel, the best suspect is a front brake that is not releasing properly. Most of the time that is an easy repair. You can identify that by stopping on a slight incline, shifting to neutral, then observing if the truck will creep down-hill on its own when you release the brakes.

If the transfer case is stuck in four-wheel-drive, you will get some shaking when going around corners since the wheels are turning at different speeds. The best suspect for that is the vacuum switch screwed in on top of the transfer case. If the "4WD" light on the dash turns on and off properly, that switch should be working, but there is also a vacuum-operated shift fork on top of the passenger side of the front axle housing. Check the vacuum supply at the two hoses attached to that actuator.

A broken tire belt, bent wheel, and rust or other debris stuck between the rotor and wheel or between the rotor and the hub it is mounted on are other things we will need to consider. This type of shaking is always going to caused by something that is rotating. Worn ball joints, tie rod ends, control arm bushings, and track bar can allow this shaking to be more pronounced, but those parts never cause shaking by themselves. We'll discuss the track bar later. Their common symptom is excessive steering wander.

Here is a link to an article that might give you some more ideas:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/steering-wheel-shakes-when-accelerating-or-braking
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
REZ_FORD
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1996 DODGE RAM
I replaced the cv joints and seals in the front axle of a dodge ram 1500 4x4, know the 4wd won't work. I think the vacuum switch on the axle is shot, but I don't know. Any suggestions?
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)
Tiny
COONHILL2007
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  • 5 POSTS
Try taking the cover off the 4wd vacuum actuator on the front axle and make sure the shift fork is around the sleve that locks the axle shafts. If it is, test for vacuum at the two lines. One should have vacuum with the lever in 2wd and the other when its in 4wd. If not theres a vacuum leak somewhere.
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 AT 12:32 PM (Merged)

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