i'm saying your jerking problem probably has nothing at all to do with the cad, and it sounds like the cad is working perfectly normal. its job is to lock and unlock the front axle halves. it either works or it doesn't and it sounds like yours is working. it can malfunction and grind horribly, as you experienced in your first shift. once it stopped grinding and locked up, its job was done.

once the cad locks the 2 axle halves together, then you have what dodge calls part time 4wd, and you will feel any binding, slipping, or other feedback that occurs. its interesting that yours seems normal at slower speeds, and then goes crazy at higher speeds.

since the truck is new to you, i'd start at the beginning and verify that the front and rear tires are the same size, and that the front and rear gear ratios are the same. if they are not, you'll not be able to use 4wd. the reason being that our trucks have no center differential, and equal rotation is applied to the front and the rear with no slippage, except at the tires. if/when the tires slip, you'll feel it.

 

ya well i know that the tires and rims are the same size because i just bought them. I am begining to wonder if the front gears are a different size i know the guy i bought it from was bragging about the 4:56s in the rear so i will have to take a look. It never even occured to me to check the gear ratios when i changed the fluids last month.

 

Somebody in another fourm said that if the gears were different from the front to the back that i would know by now because i would have blown up the tcase or the drive shafts. So with that explanation i assume that mine are the same because i have used 4wd several times now, i just get the same results with the wheels throwing me everywhere. I think i will find a muddy road on the way home and see if it still throws me side to side.

 

I don't really know how to determine what is wrong, but if it is throwing you from lane to lane I think something is broken. I have used the 4x4 many times in light snow where there is still dry pavement, sure you can feel the tires catch a bit, but it sure doesn't throw you into another lane. Really the only time I ever feel real bad jerking is when trying to turn, going in a straight line hardly does anything even on totally dry pavement.

 

when shifting into 4lo shift the trans into neutal then let in roll then press the brakes and come to a compelete stop and shift in to park and with foot still on the brake shift the tranfer case in to 4lo then shift the transmission in to drive and there will be no grinding of the transfer case

 

So i just engaged the 4x4 in a flat parking lot just to see if something binds and stops me from idling forward and it does. I cant go forward without giving it quite a bit of gas.

 

see the other thread for how to check gear ratio.

 

So i thought i would put closure to this problem and let the ppl who didnt know that i found out that the gears were different. 3.92s in the front and 4.56s in the back. Thanks for everyones input.

 

And the transfer case didn't blow up?
I would be having a word with the previous owner in that situation.

 

Ya i will be having a word with the po kinda pisses me off that he never told me anything about the gears being different and its not really something you think of to ask if the gears are matched front to back. I am a little angery with the whole situation. Hopefully the t case is ok after i do the rp i will have to check out the t case.