Ok, I have done a search thru all this .... but I dont have an answer to my question yet ... and I do have a few others to go with it now.

1) I had the same problem as pretty much everyone else seems to have .... my 4wd stopped working ... then started to sound like it always wanted to engage. The dealer told me the CAD went ... and to unplug the vac. lines until I replaced it .... so I did ... and it stopped grinding. Now I spent $208 and bought the part from the dealer (using a shop discount) and I just got done replacing it .... now it does not lock into 4wd and my 4x4 light doesnt come on .... any clue what happened?

2) Also ... I see plenty of book diagrams (I have a haines manual here) but it doesntshow which way the fork is suppose to face. It says the offset side should face the front dif. so I believe it is facing the correct way (since it bolted right back in without a problem), buta true picture would be better.

3) I see alot of postings about the posi-lok .... I am wondering what is actually better, and when you do use it .... do you still have to use the 4x4 lever to place the transfer case into the right gears? I am considering taking it back to the dealership and getting the posi-lok if it is a better way to go.

4) off the 4wd topic now .... I have a sport truck and I am changing most of it into an slt style ... I am wondering if anyone knows about the interior map light set up. My truck does not have the temp. and compass set up, but my parts truck does and I want to swap it ... but the connections are different. Ive gotten the wire all the way down the drivers side pillar, but lose sight of it as it goes into the dash ... any clue where it goes from there so I can swap it in my truck? and also the seats in my truck are not power and theparts truckare and I want to swap them, but cant find any power wires under my seat for this .... do all the truck have the wires there just in case or do I have to wire them in myself?

Thanks for any info.

 

welcome to the forum. i have the same problem with the 4x4. with the posi lock (which im lookin into my self) the 4x4 lever is still used. you engage the 4x4 lever, then pull the cable on the posi lock to engage 4wd. i just hate to see you spend 200 and not have it work, because the posi lock is around the same price from their website.

 

Here's where I got mine.
http://www.windrockoffroad.com/catal...bmit=Go+%3E%3E
Download the pdf. It has the full instructions and pictures to give you an idea. There are so many steps on it that it seems a little intimidating but it's easy.
When you put yours back together I wonder if you missed the collar so it's not moving it.
I like mine better than factory cause I can put it in 2L or leave it engaged and shift from 4h to 2h and then back without worrying about the axle engagement. This is mostly during tight turns when wheeling. If you don't wheel your truck and only use 4 when it snows or something mild like that, you may not want another thing to pull on when trying to shift into 4.

 

im gonna skip right to 4....
the map light w/compass and temp will be a lot of work to put in, you will need to also put in the external temp sensor, replace the CTM, and add a mess of wiring

as for the seats no the wiring wont be there either but that's not hard to hook up to a switch

 

You have to check all the vaccum lines. Theres a connection on top of the tcase which is a PITA to get to that might have came unhooked or one of the times might be cracked. It can suck troubleshooting it

 

I am going to check the vac. lines again ... before I put in the cad ... there was vacuum at that end ... already checked to make sure thats where the problem was. So I will cdheck again and see ... if there isnt any there ... I will follow it up to the t-case ,,, Thanks for the help

 

Well, I went thru it all ... I replaced the two lines at the CAD ... since they broke in the cold tonight ... and it still doesnt work ... but the light comes on now ... so there is vacuum making the connection ... which makes me wonder why the CAD is moving and turning the light on but the 4x4 wont lock in.

So I went and took the CAD off again ... spilling the gear oil I just put in yesterday (this is got me so mad I forgot about the oil). Then I decided to see if the piece that connects the 2 axles will slide easily ... well guess what .... I just found my problem .... the two axles dont line up, therefore I cant get the piece over the two axles .... and the 4x4 wont work. So at this point I think I have to have someone rebuild the front axles ... there goes alot of money ... along with the $210 I spent on the CAD .... which I didnt need in the first place.

Hopefully this helps out someone else before they get lost trying to figure this one out.

 

Ok, latest update from my wonderful mess. I spoke with someone who "knows" all about dodge trucks .... since the parts guy at the dealership had no clue what was wrong with my truck .... and this guy says its the inner bearing in the axle. I guess its a pressed in bearing inside the front axle and needs someone who knows what they are doing to replace it. I was told if I can find someone to do this for less than $1400 I am lucky. So now I really need to think about what I am going to do at this point. If anyone knows more about this, please let me know. I cant find much info about this issue other than what he has told me.

 

ok, don't panic yet.
going back a couple of posts.. you replaced vac line and you said the light was coming on.. IIRC the light is operated by the shift fork moving over towards drivers side, and depressing a plunger or making contact ? on the switch. the same shift fork takes the coupling collar with it, which slides over the splines of the two axle halves. if you are getting a light - but no coupling, then something seems wrong to me. could your shifting fork be on backwards ??? there is an offset, and there is a right and a wrong way for it to be installed. take a second look at this.

also, in order for the coupling to slide over, the axles must align, so forgive me for stating what you probably already know, but for best testing put the truck up safely on 4 jack stands or lift, where you can rotate, test, observe what happens. and unfortunately to test the cad while you watch, you either have to have engine running or a hand vac pump to simulate vac - so safety first !

yes, there is an inner bearing/bushing ? but there was a thread about this time last year from someone who had a similar problem, and i thought he replaced a bushing ? either way, its servicable. it could be expensive, because based on year and mileage, you may end up replacing a lot of worn out parts such as hub bearings, u-joints, seals, maybe even ball joints..

ok, those of you that have done this, what's the real story ?

 

download the 2001 service manual here.
https://dodgeforum.com/m_340929/tm.htm

page 3-28 and 3-29 show the removal and installation of the outer shaft, cad, seal, inner shaft and replacement of this "intermediate axle shaft bearing" and then the seal. its not $1400 worth, although it does take a special tool or homemade threaded rod press. it might take me or you all day, but i can't see it being more than a 2 or 3 hour job for somebody that knows what they're doing. if the hub bearing breaks during removal, thats another $200+.

i see the axle seals on autozone and rockauto, but not the intermediate bearing. how much slop is in yours ?