I have a 01 1500 4x4 5.9 and my 4wheel drive will not engage at all, i mean it will shift smoothly but I know what it feels like when it's engaged but it hasn't done it in a while I think that it has something to do with the vacuum shift motor on top of the shaft but now what my question is is there a way to get rid of that vacuum crap and put an electric one in it's place or something similar? Any help would be appreciated

 

Posi-lock is your best bet. You can buy one from summit, jegs, or numerous other places for around 200, or, you can pick up a 10 dollar locking throttle cable from Napa, and do your own....... Some fabrication required.

Check your vacuum lines. Some of the favorite problems are lines burning thru on the passenger side exhaust manifold, or, the steel lines in the frame rusting out.

 

also could be the Transfer case switch....

pull both small lines from the CAD, and see if theres vacuum on the outside line in 2wd, then shift to 4hi, and see if the vacuum changes to the inner line. this is with the truck running of course

 

check for around 17" of vac from the red line at the cad in 2wd and the same from the black line in 4wd.

we can go from there.

 

Ok I'll check all the vac lines in the mornin but I'm not on the up an up on these terms ya'll are usein wats a CAD?

 

look on the back side of the front axle on the passenger side. its a unit that goes into the axle. Hard to miss.

 

http://www.dodgeram.org/tech/repair/..._engagment.htm

 

the cad is the rectangular fixture on the passenger side axle tube. it has multiple lines running to it, 2 of which are vac lines (the red and black lines i was talking about).

if you can check the vac w/ a gauge at those two lines we can decide whether or not the problem is the vac supply or the cad itself

 

Ok I know what that is just didn't know the term that ya'll were usein, thanks though, I've gotten under my truck and the diaphram on the cad is loose as heck I can move it side to side bout a 1/2 in. would that be my prob?

 

Yes, that is a problem, maybe not the whole cause, but replace it and go from there. Or get the PosiLok if you want to go that route.