Hey everyone,
I have a 91 Dakota 4wd. This is my first 4wd Dodge. My question is should you be able to turn the front driveshaft "freely" if it is not in 4wd? I've had 10 or so 4wd S-10 and you could always turn the driveshaft freely. This makes me wonder if my front hubs are staying engaged and not unlocking. I checked the fluid yesterday and it had differential fluid in it. So according to the FAQ board I drained what was left,it was very low, and put ATF fluid in it. From my understanding it is supposed to have ATF fluid right?.....By the way I always search the forum before posting any threads.

 

i believe the shaft always spins with the wheels because it gets disconnected at the transfer case not the hubs you need to put diff fluid in the diffs you should also change the transfer case fluid at the same time

 

Since yours is a 91 you should have a CAD Central Axle Disconnect. NOT LOCKING HUBS.
As long as the CAD is working properly yes it should spin freely, with some slight resistance. Unless it is faulty or someone swapped in a newer axle without a CAD.

94-up doesn't have a CAD, so theirs will not spin freely.

 

Thanks guys. I'll check when it warms up a bit. It's 23 and snowing right now.