I posted a while back, and someone gave me a troubleshooting link for 4x4. Nothing on it helped. So I will try again. I have a 2000 Ram 1500 5.9l 4x4.. Only, the 4x4 doesnt work. The 4wd light stays on unless I put the shifter into any 4wd or N.. Then it goes off.. In any of these gears, I still have no 4x4.. I have tried engaging in Drive, reverse, Neutral, nothing. Now, the transfer case Is ALWAYS engaged, unless I shift it to neutral.. In 2wd, it is still engaged, but the axles do not turn with it.. I dunno what would cause this, and honestly, right now, if there is a quick easy way to temporarily shut down the transfer case till I can get in there and get it fixed, I would be more than greatful to know how. I am in the process of moving, and the cost of Gas is absolutely killing me when I dont need this running.. Thanks a bunch.

 

so have you tried to manual move the linkage from under the truck? and get it to dis engage. if nothin else id say try to put everything in neutral and disconnet the wire harness and vac lines to the transfer case.

 

First think I would check is year of manufacture on the t-case. Shift patterns changed around 98, if yours is older, then what the **** is telling you is a lie.

Put the front end up on jack stands, with the t-case in 2wd, you should be able to turn the front driveshaft by hand. Neither front tire should turn.

 

I havent tried to shift it manually.. I have never messed with a four wheel drive unit. Ive had several, but this is the only one I have issues with. Im not sure I know how? lol! I will Jack it up and give that a try, and if not, I will more than likely try what Ryan said, at least till I can get it serviced. I have put it down in 4w Hi when the light went off, and drove it. It still has the transfer case engaged, but not the front axles.. Thanks! Will let ya'll know.

 

the best and safest way to troubleshoot it is to put the truck up on 4 jack stands so you can not only crank it up to get vacuum, but you can also run it (or just turn the wheels) in gear and follow what does and does not work.

start at the t-case and make sure its actually shifting.
next test is for the turning of the front drive shaft (obviously - that's critical).
next is axle lock so the front wheels turn.
---this is where the CAD comes into play and either locks the axle for power, or allows the axle to spin uselessly in the tube.

--the light can be false, but it normally does come on/off based on movement of the CAD shift fork.

--to see the CAD operate, remove the cover on the back of the front axle and see how the vacuum line is attached to the CAD which is attached to the vac diaphragm which is attached to the shaft, which is supposed to be attached to the fork, which is supposed to slide the collar back and forth, which is supposed to turn the light on and off. its a bit mysterious at first, but once you take it apart and look at it - it sort of makes sense in a rube goldberg kind of way.

you'll want to look at this. http://dodgeram.org/tech/repair/4X4/4x4_engagment.htm

 

Thanks a bunch for the info.. I appreciate everyones help.. As soon as I get a break from moving, hopefully tomorrow, I will jack it up and check it out. I do want to run something by you. Tonight I got curious, rolled it in drive down the hill and shifted from 2hi to 4hi, nothing.. (I noticed a clicking in reverse I thought may be due to the transfer case locked up in 4hi, and it DID disappear when I shifted it) Anyway, I tried a few more times, no difference, other than the light. When I got to the highway, I stopped and put the truck in N, then the transfer case in N, then put the trick in drive, and it would not go anywhere, exactly as it is supposed to.. So I put it back in N and shifted back into 2hi, with a LOUD clank, and put it back in drive, and took off.. Well, The whole truck shook, and it pulled BIG TIME, if I barely moved the wheel right, it pulled hard to the right, and vise versa.. I could not get it over 20 mph, (Like 4lo, only it wasnt restricted by the motor, it was whining, so loud I was afraid to go over 20, it got louder the faster I went..) I pulled over as soon as possible, and went from 2hi to 4hi and back with no difference, until I put it back in N (both truck and transfer case) and then again in 2hi.. Another hard clank, and it was driving normal again. When I jack it up I will be checking everything including TC Fluid.. Anyone ever had this problem? Obviously something is wrong?

 

Drop the rear driveshaft, pull the tail housing off the t-case, and check and see if the snap-ring that is supposed to hold the shaft and bearing in place has abandoned the shaft. It's a common failure, and can cause some interesting problems.

 

Will do when I Jack it up. I'll run through the lists and let ya'll know what I find. Thanks again!

 

just something to know. usually with the engine running - once you shift the t-case into neutral, it may not shift back out to 4LO or 2HI without an excessive amount of grinding. so you don't really want to shift into t-case neutral. you want to shift THROUGH it to 4LO or 2HI as hard and fast as you can, also when going through t-case neutral the transmission should be in neutral and speed under 5 mph. it might say all this on your passenger side sun visor (as if the driver can see it here)

the only shift on the fly shift we have is between 2HI and 4HI.