Hey folks, I have a 99 durango 5.2 with part time 4 wheel drive. The 4wd engages with no issue although I'm not crazy about how it feels or sounds, a little whinny, but when I take it out of 4wd it won't disengage for a while and when it does, it does it with a lurch and a bang. I feel like the transfer case is going to explode. Now if I stop the car, disengage the 4wd and put it into reverse and just back up 10 or 20 feet it comes out of 4wd immediately without so much as a peep. Have to say I haven't checked the fluid levels on the transfer case yet as its been nothing but snowy and frigid here in the northeast but any hints of what this might be. Can it just be a low fluid level or something more $$serious$$$$.
Thanks

 

which transfer case do you have? if you dont know this which 'modes' does it have? (4hi 4lo 2wd 4ft ect)

there is one case available in these trucks (it has in order i believe 2hi 4lock 4fulltime n 4lo) which you NEED to back up in order to disengage the case properly, its just the nature of how they managed to fit so many different options into it.

 

Shrp is right with the backing up. The problem is axle bind as the front and rear axles are locked together when in 4 lock, so doing the backing up trick might be necessary for you. I've found that coming to a complete stop, putting the transmission into neutral, then the transfer case into neutral, then case back into 2wd followed by transmission into gear will usually disengage it too, but not every time. Trying to make a tight turn should reveal if you're out of 4wd or not.

 

I don't know what transfer case I have, not about to get on a wet snowy garage floor in 9 degree weather to find out but the shifter handle says 2D, 4D, N, L, 4L. In 14 years my wife and I have never used anything but 4D. In fact this morning with the car in the garage I tried to shift it into L and 4L and couldn't get the shifter to go there(unless you have to be moving to do it).The indicator on the dash says Part Time 4WD. Until this winter I was able shift in and out of 4wd while on the go(letting off the gas and coasting when I did it. This is the first time it won't disengage cleanly which is a bummer because if I'm driving on a road and come to a stretch that is snow covered I like to throw it into 4wd and then when the road goes back to clean pavement I want to take it out. Stopping and backing up on a main road is really not an option.

 

You've got the 231 case then, which usually doesn't give trouble coming out of 4wd. That said part time 4wd is not meant for use on the road, only loose surfaces. Now if the roads are covered in snow and ice it should be ok, but if it's just patchy with mostly pavement between, it's going to cause the case to bind up and cause problems for you. That's just the nature of part time 4wd.

 

If regular maintenance hasn't been done or 4th is used regularly you could have a loose Chain. With the shifter when you move it from 4hi to 2hi does it move easily?

 

+1 Check the fluid level, maybe time to change the fluid.