I was able to replace the switch, dropping one nut from the linkage gave me a lot more room to swing a 22mm wrench, replaced it and now my "4wd part time" light on the dash works! Thanks everyone!

 

Your welcome.

Ya their a b!tch to get to, but glad you got it.

 

Before your replaced that switch did the 4wd light come on when you turned the ignition on and the gauges did their check where all the lights in the gauge cluster come on? In my Durango the 4wd light doesn't come on at all when you turn the ignition on or when it is put into four wheel drive so i'm assuming the bulb is blown.

 

No matter what I did the light on the dash never went on. I thought it was a blown bulb too and took the dash off, replacing and testing bulbs until I had what I knew were good bulbs in the 4wd lamp socket.

Since I had ruled out the bulb pretty much the only thing left was the switch (I could/should have jumpered the connector to test it but I was 99% sure it was the switch, and it was)

 

Alright, i'll have to check mine too then. Thank you

 

Just because you have a 1998 doesn't mean you have a 242HD transfer case. You should scoot under the back of the transfer case and look about 3/4 up the back side on the round tab and look for the model number. If you don't have this case the light bulb isn't installed because they only made 1 instrument cluster.

Yes, that means they either put in the case and installed a bulb, or they didn't and you don't have it.

 

has the 231HD case, and only the 4wd part-time light in the dash goes on when in any 4wd range -- no lights at all before I changed the switch.

242HD had both part-time and full-time modes and bulbs; learnt this from prior long discussions mostly involving Hydra :-)

 

Searching this section sure brings up a lot of this information doesn't it?........