I have a 98 Durango that has just blown out the second front differential in 3 years. Both times it cracked open the casing and required the fire department to be called after the gear lube ignited (pools in the skid plate and burns).

I've talked to several mechanics about it, and none seem to have a good answer as to why this keeps chewing them up. One said the only explanation was that it was low on fluid (I'm reasonably sure it wasn't), and another said that this generation Durango, along with some Dodge trucks, require a special gear lube from Chrysler. I've never seen that mentioned anywhere, but it does make a little sense since I was running standard 80/90 gear lube in the differentials both times. (But then why don't I have problems with the rear diff?)

It does have trouble coming out of 4wd back into 2wd, but I'm religious about double checking that it's in 2wd by making a sharp turn on dry pavement whenever I've used 4wd.

The thing is rock solid reliable other than this problem, but I work second shift and have to drive home in the middle of the night, frequently in the sort of weather that you don't want to be standing on the side of the road watching your vehicle burn in. I need to figure out what the problem is and get it taken care of.

Any ideas what's causing this thing to chew up the front diffs?

Also, would there be any significant disadvantage to removing the skid plate? At least then if it blows out another one the lube would just dump on the ground and I wouldn't have the fire issue to deal with.... (I don't do any significant offroading, the worst the underside would ever see would be a deep snow drift....)

 

The problem is you aren't fully out of 4X4.

Let me guess that you have the NV242HD case. It has 5 positions where others only have 4.

2WD
4PT
4FT
Neutral
4LOW

You need to back that transfer case up and get the axle bind out BEFORE driving on hard grippy surfaces:

Here is all the information you need:

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...nv-242-hd.html

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...ow-hi-awd.html

https://dodgeforum.com/150365-transf...nv-242-hd.html


If you shift correctly the problem will be eliminated. No need to remove the skid plate.

 

Yep, you nailed it, that's the transfer case I have.

Thanks for the info (although the 3rd link seems to be broken....). It makes perfect sense and exactly fits the scenario both times it blew. Both times it had been in 4 FT to get around on slippery roads, then shifted back to 2WD once on better roads.

As I understand your information, because going from 4 FT to 2 WD passes through 4 PT, it's getting stuck there, so if you hit a dry highway the axle bind starts adding up and something eventually has to give.... That basically right?

When I switch back to 2WD, I always reverse and swerve side to side for a bit, then test by turning sharply to see if it still does that 4WD "hop". This last time, though, although I was in the vehicle, I wasn't driving. When we turned it felt fine to me from the passenger seat, but it's entirely possible that without my hands on the wheel I missed something I would normally have caught.

Given that you actually pinned down the model number of my transfer case based on that short description, I'm inclined to believe you over the mechanics who are telling me it's some problem or another with the gear lube.

Here's another question for you. If someone else is driving and needs to use 4WD, would it be OK to tell them to just leave it in 4 FT, even on dry roads, until they get home and then I'll just take care of shifting back to 2 WD? (The information on the sun visor says that 4 FT is suitable for "all road conditions", while it says that 4 PT is only for "loose road surfaces". I take this to mean that it should be OK to drive on a dry highway in 4 FT....)

Is it just me or was this some bad engineering on Chrysler's part? Sure, this is all manageable for someone who takes the time to learn the intricacies of the vehicle, but driving this transfer case "properly" is beyond what most people want to deal with, and requires steps not explained well in the owner's manual. I'm thinking they could have done better on this.... At the very least the indicator lights on the dash should tell you what mode the *transfer case* is in, instead of just telling you where the shift lever is like it currently does....

 

Oh, while we're at it, I'm looking to buy another 4x4 for my wife to drive in the winter when her minivan wont' cut it. I'd like to get her a Durango (1st gen body style), but I definitely don't want her to have to deal with the "complicated" shifting process.

She was cool with the shifting process in my old Jimmy (put tranny in neutral, push button on dash, done). This whole "swerve back and forth in reverse" is more than she wants to deal with.

What year do I need to be looking for to get the push button shifting as opposed to the lever on the floor?

 

the 2001-2003 model years have an electric switch on the dashboard which you just turn to put it in/out of 4wd, done even have to stop moving to switch it, just turn a simple ****.

 

This T-case was only installed in 1998-1999.


If someone drives you truck and you want to ensure you pull it out the CORRECT way then leave it in 4FT position as you are correct. Let them drive home and you ensre it is out. One issue is that could create more than usual axle bind, but as long as you ensure it is fully out there shouldn't be another issue. But I wouldn't go driving a long time that way as you ware out the case. The best thing to do is not use any 4X4 unless you need it. Try to Google the link that is there (that is broken) and you should find what your looking for.

Now you have one of the best T-cases out there so don't think of it as a pain in the ****. Think of it as a kick **** T-case that it actually is.

 

The '01 to '03 electric tranny switch is located on the lower left hand corner right below the vent you see in the above pic. I have an '01 SLT so I know. I usually like to engage the 4WD when the road gets slippery by slowing down under 10 mph and engaging the 4HI for driving. 4LO is for getting out of snowbanks (no need to dig the D out ). I usually keep it under 40 mph but that's during extreme snow conditions. After you get to better traction, you can switch back to 2WD and off you go. Easier than the older t-cases.

 

I had the same problem not getting it out and i just recently tried the reverse and turn wheels both ways and my Durango got out of 4FT like butter. Defiantly the best thing i Read up on here.

 

Ya, but the old T-cases VERY rarely ever leave you stuck. No Electricity-All Manual The manual is the best way to go!...

Yup, if you do it correctly the NV242HD T-case is the best one here "if you understand it".


I have a Shift-on-the-Fly NV241 Transfer Case on my Ram, it is a Manual shifting case (the best...IMHO). The thing doesn't like to shift unless I place the Automatic trans in Neutral. I really HATE having to do this because if you don't shift fast enough you grind the **** out of the gears and have to shut the motor off. I can shift easier moving slightly and this allows the gear to mesh while shifting.

Anyway to get to my point, even with the NV241 Transfer Case I have in my Ram, I still shift out and do the reverse and wheel turn REGARDLESS. It's clearly peice of mind that the T-case WILL be fully out. And I always test it after cranking the wheels as far as they go and hitting the gas on some grippy asphalt to see if I have and any front end hop concurring that the the 4X4 is fully out. It's simply an insurance policy not to replace un-needed parts..

 

The last time I used 4WD, I got it back into 2WD ok, but it took a good mile total, several attempts, of driving in reverse and turning the wheels before it finally shifted. One stretch I know for sure was a little over a quarter mile just in one attempt. This was all on gravel covered in a sheet of ice, so not much traction at all to be creating large amounts of axle bind. Slippery enough surface that it took a VERY light touch on the throttle just to get moving in 2wd, a tad too much throttle and it just wanted to spin.

I'm usually able to get it shifted pretty easily in 20 - 25 yards.

In detail, the procedure I've been using is: Come to a stop, tranny to neutral, case to 2WD, tranny to reverse, back up and turn steering wheel back and forth for some distance that seems like it should be "far enough", tranny to drive, crank steering wheel to lock and check for wheel hop.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong? Or maybe a mechanical problem I need to look at? Or was the case just maybe in a bad mood that night?

Another idea I had, would shifting the case to neutral before going to 2WD decouple everything and help release the axle bind? Possibly doing it on a slope so I could let it roll a bit while in neutral? Seems like it might, but I don't know enough about the internals of the case to say for sure. Might just have to experiment and see if it seems to help.

Just makes me a little nervous now about using 4WD. It's not always easy to find a suitable area half a mile long to safely be swerving around in reverse.....