Last night as I was driving down my snowy street I put my Durango in 4wd.

When I came to the next stop sign I noticed the 4wd light was not on. I shifted back into 2wd then back into 4wd and the light came on but as soon as I let go of the floor shift (ie it 'settled' into place from the all-the-way-back I was holding) it flickered and went off. I repeated this again a couple times and it finally came on and stayed on.

My questions are:

-What is causing this?
-Is it a cheap fix (it never is, but how expensive are we talking)?
-Something I can do? (I am very much NOT mechanically inclined, but could handle something pretty straightforward)
-Is it just the light or is 4wd really disengaged when the light is off?
-Can I assume that 4wd is actually engaged when the light is on? Because of the initial flickering I started wondering if the light could ever come on w/out really getting 4WD. I tried flooring it in the snowy parking lot I was in and sort of felt like the rear end was kicking out more than it should in 4wd, but I was in a hurry so I didn't really have time to get a good impression for sure...

I have a 2000 5.9 R/T w/ full time 4wd, so I was actually shifting it from full-time to the "4WD LOCK" position.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

theres a lil switch on the transfercase. it senses your in 4x4. its a common problem if your 4x4 dash light doesnt work. its a $35 part. I guess it would be hard to tell with an AWD if your in 4x4 or not to tell if its actually the switch malfunctioning or its your transfercase. do you hear any noises when it does this? or does the light just blink off and on sometimes?

 

Last night was the first time it's ever happened. I've used 4WD numerous times over the winter (I bought it in October).

The transfer case doesn't make any noise and I just had the gasket replaced in December by the dealership since it was leaking (to the tune of $600). When I first got it back the light came on by itself but very dim. I brought it back to themand they said the the 4WD switch on the t-case was loose from the work they did and they tightened it. Since then it's worked like a charm until last night.

So it's just the switch? Sounds like a cheap fix?

Should I assume when the light is off I'm not in 4WD?

Thanks.