Slightly incorrect.

If you have the NV231 case then you will only have a Green light "4WD Full Time" and there will be no Yellow light bulb in the "4WD Part Time" window as that was only reserved for the NV242HD case build. They still installed the Green light "4WD Full Time" in all instrument clusters regardless.

So, they used the same instrument cluster in 1998-1999 but only installed the added Yellow light bulb behind "4WD Part Time" if the truck was going to have the NV242HD case.


People that have the NV242HD case when they shift into 4HI the Green light behind the "4WD Full Time" will illuminate. When they shift the case into 4PT the Yellow light bulb behind "4WD Part Time" will illuminate. This way the driver knows whether the transfer case is in 4HI or 4PT.


So you should verify the transfer case by slipping under the truck and looking:
Now that we know yours should be the NV231 case in your instrument cluster you will only have a Green "Full Time" light bulb in it with no Yellow bulb installed behind the "Part Time". Now start your truck and immediately look down at your instrument cluster and see if the Green bulb lights then goes out, it should!

If it doesn't light then you have a burned bulb. If it does light then you have either a bad selection switch located on top of the linkage going into the case (drivers side 3/4 the way up the Transfer Case), or you could also have a bad connection or corrosion there at the harness so look at it good.

 

I thought that NV231 case was only part time with no full time and the NV242 case was both part and full time. Guess I was wrong then.

 

evon, you are correct, the 242 has 2wd, 4ft, 4pt, n, 4lo (not sure on the order)

and the 231 has 2wd, 4pt, n, 4lo

they are arguing a bit over how to name the cases which doesnt make much of a difference as long as we are all actually talking about the same thing

 

I'm just confused on what hydra said. I thought if you have the 231 case you would only have the yellow part time light lit up in 4WD and if you had the 242 case you would have both the yellow part time lit up in 4HI and 4LO and green part time light lit up in 4FT.

I'm just asking because hydra is smarter so I'm wondering if I'm wrong.

 

Correct but incorrect at the same time;

A mechanics term for "Part Time" and Dodges approach to the NV242HD is two completely different things. All the cases for these Durangos are considered "Part Time" cases except the AWD 242. What I mean by Dodges approach is the NV242HD case has an extra position called "4PT" meaning that it has 5 different positions not just 4 as normal transfer cases go.

In the NV242HD it has 2 - 4X4 HI selections. One is a fully locked front to rear drive shaft "4PT" Part Time (for part time use only), and 4FT which has an internal coupler/differential to allow slippage between the front and rear drive shafts (for all road conditions).

Here is some more information:

NV242 TRANSFER CASE
The NV242 is a full and part-time transfer case
(Fig. 1). It provides full time 2-wheel, or 4-wheel
drive operation.
A differential in the transfer case is used to control
torque transfer to the front and rear axles. A low
range gear provides increased low speed torque capability
for off road operation. The low range provides a
2.72:1 reduction ratio.
The input gear is splined to the transmission output
shaft. It drives the mainshaft through the planetary
gear and range hub. The front output shaft is
operated by a drive chain that connects the shaft to a
drive sprocket on the mainshaft. The drive sprocket
is engaged/disengaged by the mode fork, which operates
the mode sleeve and hub. The sleeve and hub
are not equipped with a synchro mechanism for shifting.
The geartrain is mounted in two aluminum case
halves attached with bolts. The mainshaft front and
rear bearings are mounted in aluminum retainer
housings bolted to the case halves.

OPERATING RANGES

1. 2WD (2-wheel drive),
2. 4x4 part-time
3. 4x4 full time
4. 4 Low
5. Neutral

The 2WD and 4x4 full time ranges can be used at
any time and on any road surface.
The 4x4 part-time and 4 Lo ranges are for off road
use only. The only time these ranges can be used on
hard surface roads, is when the surface is covered
with snow and ice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NV231 TRANSFER CASE
The NV231 is a part-time transfer case with a low
range reduction gear system. The NV231 has three
operating ranges plus a Neutral position. A low range
system provides a reduction ratio for increased low
speed torque capability.
The input gear is splined to the transmission output
shaft. The input gear drives the mainshaft
through the planetary assembly and range hub. The
front output shaft is operated by a drive chain that
connects the shaft to a drive sprocket on the mainshaft.
The drive sprocket is engaged/disengaged by
the mode fork, which operates the mode sleeve and
hub. The sleeve and hub are not equipped with a
synchronizer mechanism for shifting.
The geartrain is mounted in two aluminum case
halves attached with bolts. The mainshaft front and
rear bearings are mounted in aluminum retainer
housings bolted to the case halves.

OPERATING RANGES

1. 2WD (2-wheel drive)
2. 4x4 (4-wheel drive)
3. 4 Lo (4-wheel drive low range
4. Neutral

The 4x4 and 4 Lo ranges are for off road use only.
They are not for use on hard surface roads. The only
exception being when the road surface is wet or slippery
or covered by ice and snow.
The low range reduction gear system is operative
in 4 Lo range only. This range is for extra pulling
power in off road situations. Low range reduction
ratio is 2.72:1.

 

Ah I see. I did a 231 to 242 swap last summer. The 242 is a great case but like you said, you have to know about getting it out of 4WD and back into 2WD correctly.

Anyways back to the original question, any update on getting the lights to work? There is a switch screwed into the top of the transfer case that tells the cluster 4WD light to light up in 4WD. But first check the bulb in the cluster to see if it's still good.

 

I tried holding down the trip button on the cluster then turning the key on but all that did was make hardly any of the dash lights go on?

 

to my build sheet I have the 231HD unit.

I did what you said, started my truck, immediately looked down at the cluster, and no green 4wd light. Did it again to be sure, same result. So, hopefully, all I have is a burnt out bulb in the cluster.

Now, is that easy to replace, or a PITA? :-)

 

Basically what that does is a test of the cluster, I'm not sure if it will light up the 4WD lights or not since those are directly connected to the switch and just pass through the cluster. If you saw "chec" in the odometer and the needles move then it went into test mode. All of the red lights on the top row on the cluster are LEDs and won't burn out, but everything on the bottom row are actual light bulbs that can be taken out and replaced.

 

To get the cluster out, pull the dashboard bezel off (I usually have to tilt the steering wheel all the way down and move the gear lever all the way down to 1), it just snaps back on. Then it's pretty simple from there, just remove the four black screws around the cluster and pull it forward, no need to worry about any wires or connectors. If you turn the cluster the right way you can keep the gear selector needle assembly in the cluster still attached and get to the bulbs. You just twist the bulbs a little and they pull out, but you might need pliers to twist them because some are in there pretty good.