I've got a 2001 dakota with an nv233 xfer case. recently I've had a hard time transfering into, and out of 4wd. With the key in the runposition, and engine off the tranfer case will not shift from 2wd to 4hi, or 4lo. with the engine on it will shift from 2wd to 4lo, but not 4hi. after shuting engine off, it will shift from 4hi to 4 lo, but not from 4hi, to 2wd. however, it will shift from 4lo to 2wd.

HELP!!!

 

You may want to check your owners manual on how to shift into 4wd. Most will tell you for 4hi you can switch while driving at any speed in gear.
For 4low you will want to be at a slight speed. 2-3MPh transmission in neutral, engine running.

Also you may want to post this in the 2nd Generation Dakota sub-forum. I will move it there for you.

 

I bought this truck brand new and have never had any problem coming in or out of 4wd. I rarely swapped into hi on the fly, and always below 10mph. 4 lo was always from a stopped position. I had backed into a spot, which may have had a slight bank of snow two weeks ago in 4 HI, at which point it switched nicely. Later in the day when I left the spot, it would not switch out of 4 hi. I pulled off to the side of the road, and tried reverse, and it would not attempt to shift. I shut it down, and put the switch into 2wd, started it up and it still did not switch. I then put it into 4lo, and it switched. when this happened I switched it into 2wd, and it went ok. the previous entry, is how it behaves now. Thanks for putting me into the correct sub-forum. Kind of new to this whole forum thing

 

Well the 233 is electonically controlled, so you have a transfer case control module that decides when its safe to shift and then shifts it when its safe. You typically should be rolling for it to shift into 4hi, and you need to be stopped with the transmission in neutral and your foot on the brake for it to shift it into 4lo. If thats what you are doing and its not working, your tccm could be damaged and needs replacing.

 

You don't NEED to be at a stop. A small roll will get things moving easier.

You can also check the stickies for a link to download the service manual. And just below that is the owners manual from a 2004 Dakota with the Nv233. Check pg 155 for how to shift correctly. It does say you can do 2-3Mph to shift, or a dead stop.

 

We had some warmer weather yesterday, and after about a 50 mile drive, I decided to see how it worked. Everything worked fine. after parking for about two hours, and things kind of cooled, It started acting up again.