I have a 98 Durango which I take off highway fairly frequently. Often it is not necessary to shift out of RWD, but frequently enough I end up using 4 Hi or even 4 Low. When 4WD is no longer required and I move the shifter back to RWD, however, the front differential does not appear to disengage. You can still hear the "whirring" sound, and the RPMs are absurdly high for RWD.

This has happened since I bought the truck about 2 years ago. Usually, I end up keeping the truck in 4WD til the end of the trail, then letting it sit in Neutral while I air back up. By the time I'm aired up, it has disengaged.

However, I was in Canyonlands NP last week and it simply refused to disengage. Let it sit for ~20 mins while airing up, no luck. Drove about 10 miles with the shifter in RWD but the front diff clearly still engaged. Finally I started smelling burning gear oil and figured I'd better stop. Gave it about an hour, no dice. Ended up leaving it sit overnight, and it was OK.

I don't think it's supposed to be that way, however Hasanyone had this problem, or can suggest a solution? Thanks...

 

Try backing up in reverse aprox. 40 yards then shift to drive. Your shifter might need to be adjusted.