I just Bought a 1995 Dakota 4X4 Club Cab with a 5.2 L 318, and it has no 4WD. The guy i bought it from said it started making a rumbling/grinding noise in 2HI and when he took it into Midas they told him the transfer case chain was broke. When i looked at it, the case was covered in ATF and it appeared that the front output shaft seal was mostly gone and the transfer case was run dry, but i'm not sure for how long...Is this worth fixing/rebuilding or should i just start looking for a different one? Apparently he had been driving it that way for over a year, and never bothered to fix it. I have a feeling the gears may be bad.

 

i replced mine, i had holes and cracks on my TC due to the chain was broken inside, it cost me over 340 to get a used one off of another 93 dakota. i dont know how much it would cost to repair but sounds like you should invest in a new one

 

my local junkyard said i could get one for $250 if they had one in the yard, they'd hafta go look...Is this a good price for a used one?

Plus i don't know if the chain is broke, that's just what Midas told him...I believe a snap ring may have broke and possibly took out the synchros.

 

It depends on what is wrong with it. But most likely it is better to replace it. Just make sure the one your replacing it with is not trashed too.

 

It snowed today, so I tried out my 4WD just to see exactly what it does...When i move the shifter into 4H the light comes on and i can hear the vacuum switches working, but when a load is put on the drivetrain it wants to pop out of 4H unless i hold it, and then i can hear a grinding noise, almost like the forks aren't moving far enough and the edges of the gears are rubbing together. It does the same thing in 4L. Could this be as simple as a linkage adjustment, or is it something more??

 

Remove the detent plunger and see if its still intact.

 

You mean the shift detent pin, right??

 

Yes. That is a spring loaded pin whos job is to hold the shift plate still. If its popping out of position, it sounds like that pin is not doing its job.

 

It looks a little scuffed but not bad. That still doesnt explain why i hear a slight crunching noise when in 2WD though. Maybe low on fluid??

 

If you're hearing crunching noises and its not staying in position, it sounds to me like its time to take it out of the truck and open it up!

But just to rule out the linkage adjustment as a possibility, loosen the linkage, put the transfer case in 4Hi, put the shift lever in the 4Hi position, and tighten the linkage. Should only take about 5 minutes to adjust. You'll need a 9/16 wrench to turn the transfer case shifter.