I recently bought a 2002 Ram 2500 (2nd gen body style) and 4wd was working fine until the other day. I put it in 4wd and it was just reving up like it was in neutral. I then realized that the light wasn't lit on the dash so I played with the lever and realized it wasn't engaged all the way. It seems to have a second click into gear. Thinking nothing of it I drove off and the truck seemed to handle ok. Later on I was driving making a turn at slow speeds and it was jumping which I assumed was normal since 4wd was engaged. Almost immediately I started hearing a clunking as the drive shaft spun. I took it out of 4wd and back into 2hi. While driving I put it back into 4wd and the same thing. I tried a few more times and then the noise disappeared. I then realized that I was no longer in 4hi. I stopped the truck and did the same thing again by taking it out of 4hi and back into it and now when I accelerate it makes a grinding noise from the transfer case. There are so many different things I have been reading about what this could be but nothing that is exactly the same. I have read about the snap ring, as well as the 4wd actuator. BTW when in 4hi or lo the same thing happens, and I can see the drive shaft spinning under the cab, but the front tires never spin. Please help. I hope I don't need a new transfer case.

 

Read this and follow it to the T first. http://www.dodgeram.org/tech/repair/..._engagment.htm

 

With a foot of snow on the ground this is very difficult that is why I was hoping someone had the same problem. I can't even get the truck out of my driveway and my garage isn't big enough for this truck. I tried looking for the vacuum hoses on the actuator, but was only able to find 1 and I also noticed that I was able to move the motor back and forth every easily. I am not sure if this is normal or not.

 

A lot of people have the same problem, and that is how you diagnose it. There is no miracle cure sorry to say.

 

you've got a couple of things going on -
t-case is not shifting right or staying engaged.
t-case is grinding, other than when shifting in/out of 4 LO
something, maybe driveshaft, is thumping when in 4wd.

push/pull front to back on your front and rear drive shafts to see if the t-case shafts are moving back and forth. that's the snap ring problem.

thumping might be the front drive shaft u-joints. the double carden thing. if so - you can probably ignore it and get through the winter with normal occasional 4wd use.

if i recall right, some up and down movement of the cad motor is normal

 

thanks for the info guys. I broke down and just decided to take it to the shop since I can't check these things with so much snow. The guy there seems to think it's the chain in the transfer case. Far beyond my abilities anyway so at least it's going to be fixed right.

 

i back him. no noise in 2wd?

 

Not that I can hear but there is so much crap on the road its hard to listen

 

spin the front drive shaft by hand with the truck off and in 2wd, do you hear it?

 

Sounds to me like your missing a vacuum line on the shifting motor if you only found one. I believe there should be 2, one to engage and one to dis-engage. I had the same issue where my drive shaft would turn but tires didn't and I had to trace the vacuum lines and hook them back up. After that it shifted fine with no noise. You could still have an issue in your transfer case but, if your drive shaft is turning and your tires aren't that problem is not in the transfer case, it will be in the axle, ie. shifting motor, vacuum lines, ect...