I have a 99 Durango SLT 4wd with 31x10.5 r15 bf goodrich Mud Terrain tires so they're a stock size so I should'nt have a problem with them. It has 2 inch cranked torsion bars and I have a what I suspect to be a transfer case problem. When I make somewhat sharp turns in 4wd on any road surface, dry or wet pavement, mud, snow, or even solid ice, my vehicle just stops. It comes to a dead stop, it feels like everything is binding up and it takes quite a bit of power to get it to even move. 2wd is fine and 4wd is fine going somewhat straight, but when i turn a little sharp it just locks up. I'm at a loss right now as to the problem. Any help is greately appreciated.

 

First off you shouldn't drive in 4wd on pavement unless you have a position marked 4HIFT, otherwise you're doing to blow up your transfer case. The reason why it doesn't want to turn is that the front and rear axles get locked together in 4wd (not in 4HIFT though, which is why it's safe to use on the road). Normally the front wheels need to turn at a different speed than the back ones to turn so when they're locked together in 4wd something is going to need to slip, which one or more of the wheels on slippery surfaces. If you drive on pavement in 4wd what will end up slipping will be your transfer case.

 

I only used pavement to make the point that it binds on any road surface. I've had to do several thousand miles this winter with the roads being about 50/50 pavement and ice. I can't get anywhere in any decent amount of time in town cause the rear tires spin so much and on the highway if im in 2wd and theres a cross wind at all im doing cookies at high speed. So I have to keep it in 4wd. But it binds up and won't move even if all 4 tires are on glare ice when im making a somewhat tight turn.

 

That's just how part time 4wd works, it's going to want to resist turning. Using the 4wd on dry pavement is just asking for trouble. You really should shift into 4wd on the ice and back to 2wd when the road gets dry again. You shouldn't use the 4wd over 45mph or so either.

 

I know what you're saying but im on a loose road surface,like the packed ice in a parking lot, and I'm pulling into a spot making a sharp turn and it binds up and I have to practically pin the throttle to get it to move at all. Even when I'm on ice it binds up and wont move, none of the tires even have traction. The roads are ice for a few hundred feet, then a little dry pavement, then a few hundred feet of ice again. By the time I shift it back into 2wd im on ice again.

 

If you think there's a problem the only thing that I'd think could be causing something like that would be the cv joints, since they're the only part of the 4wd system changing state when you turn the wheel.

 

I found a nice muddy/icy parking lot today and stuck it in 4wd and drove around in it and did a bunch of tight circles and no problems, drives great. I think my turning problem was due to the fact that its been below zero every morning for the past couple months practically and I could have had some ice build up under there. The truck wasnt warmed up at all when I was experiencing the problems.

 

Maybe the grease in the CVs was still really stiff too.

 

question, 5.9 2000 durango 4wd. i have a 4lo a 4hi and 2wd and neutral, are those considered fulltime on those?

 

nope you have a part time t-case