I just bought a used 1999 Dodge Durango 4x4 Maginum without the owners manual. I've only had it one day & I absolutely LOVE IT! It has a few minor problems & blemishes but nothing that can't be fixed. This is also the first 4x4 I've ever ownede or anyone in my family has ever owned. This might seem like a silly question but what is the correct way to put this SUV in 4x4 mode in case I need to use it. I "think" I know but just want to make sure before I have to use it. It has the 2H, 4PT, 4FT, N, and 4L. My guess is, it is supposed to stay in 2H all the time instead of N when I driving normally correct? If someone could help me out I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks

 

Congrads cluttrell,welcome to the forum....
At the top of the 1st Gen Durango page you'll see the sticky's I think line
9 is the DIY (do it yourself) in there you'll find links to the factory service manual(FSM) and owners guide.
2H is your normal driving selection, the 4 wheel selections you use if/when needed,N will disengage the driveline, so yeah you're thinking correctly.Poke around in the DIY,you'll find a lot of info on your truck and how to operate it,and a ton of helpful people here at the forum....

 

you have what was known as a full time shift on the fly transfercase

2wd is for normal driving
4pt is for snow/wheeling
4ft is for snow(if its light and you are back and forth onto pavement and snow you can safely leave it here for a little while)
4lo is for very low traction situations where you need extra power, example: pulling a boat up a slipper boat launch

to shift INTO 4wd you simply slide the selector to the 4pt or 4ft or 4lo while coasting at less than 20 mph

to shift back into 2wd is more difficult with your case, you need an empty parking lot so that you can back up and swerve some, you slide the slector into 2wd and back up turning the wheel back and forth (left to right) for about 100 yards to relieve any axle bind, then make a sharp turn to verify that you are out of 4wd, if not do it again and repeat until you can make a sharp turn without any extra dragging.

 

Glad you like your first Dodge. I've been a Mopar lover for almost 40 years (ever since I had a ride to school with a friend who's rich daddy owned a Hemi Challenger), and I've loved....well, most of those I've owned. My first "Dodge" was a '71 Plymouth Fury III with a 440, 4 barrel that I bought for a couple of hundred bucks from an older man who couldn't see well enough to drive anymore. That was in 1980. I've owned so many since then, I really can't remember them all, but I never had one that I actually didn't like....well, except maybe the K-car I had for a few days before I gave it to my ex-girlfriend.

 

Congrats on the new aquisition and welcome to Durango ownership.

To add to the already provided good info, your transfer case is unique in that you have the best of both worlds.
You can run 2WD, 4WD, 4WD low, or AWD.

The great benefit of FT4x4 or AWD is that you get the benefit of power at all 4 tires in all weather conditions.

Both my 01 and my 04 Durangos were AWD. You pretty much get in the car and go. The mileage penalty from AWD is little to none since the hardware is still present whether or not it is under power.

For 95% of everyday driving, AWD is THE way to go.

Don

 

Congrats GJ, the durango's a beast! The one I have is just the base model SXT with 4x2 but I still love it! In fact, everything I currently know about engines I actually learned HERE! So welcome again and to those who helped me these past 11 months, THANKS!!

 

I disagree. By leaving the t-case in AWD constantly you're just wearing out the front driveline for nothing, not to mention slowly wearing out the t-case itself. This might not be the situation with the second gen Durangos (don't know what t-cases they have), but these cases definitely won't benefit from being in AWD all of the time. There will also be a noticeable difference in fuel economy as there is with most AWD systems vs 2WD.

For normal road conditions stay in 2HI and it you do use 4WD or AWD follow shrps' procedure for shifting back to 2WD. I know it might seem annoying but its better than having you transfer case explode (yes, explode)

Any way welcome to the forum gjcluttrell

 

Technically, if there is some type of slippage in the transfer case when it's in AWD you should be all set because even when you're in 2wd everything in the front drive line is still moving. Only some vehicle have an axle that unlocks when you take it out of 4wd but with these Durango's everything stays connected in 2wd except in the transfer case. So the extra wear and tear in the front drive line in 2wd versus AWD should be the same. The only difference would be in the transfer case.

 

Not entirely, in AWD the front cv joints will be helping drive the vehicle and putting force and stress on them while in 2wd the front axle is disengaged from the t-case and the cv joints are just being turned by the wheels as is the front driveshaft

 

the front driveline is pushed along in 2wd anyway, however the strain on the front end is alot less when it is just spinning and not being driven by the engine

that said for normal driving 2wd is the position you want to be in 90% of the time

now in n8ech he probably had a later model 1st gen which did come with an AWD t-case, these had 2 (or 3 options) AWD (all wheels all the time period) (4hi lock in some cases) and 4lo (also locked) in these cases it is fine to drive in AWD all the time.


however for the OP 2wd should be the position his case is left in most of the time.