I told you just to lock it in last time :b lol they are a known failure, and always fail when you need them

 

Yup, and I agree. You were right to say so. Back in November I did go to have that done, but you tell the service manager one thing (I want the axle locked) and his mechanic does another (replaces the actuator). And now, $300 later and I now have an appointment for Monday to make sure what the problem is and have them correct it, as it might still be under warranty. If they replace the actuator again, once the weather warms up here, I will lock the axle myself. I just can't do it myself now because I don;t have any place to work on the truck where there isn't snow or ice on the ground.

Just as a refresher, what method did you use to lock the axle, as I've seen many ways of doing it? (Locking the fork in place, clamping the collar in place, etc.) Note: I just read through the thread and seen you used a hose clamp. I am assuming you clamped the collar in place on the axle, correct? If so, did you also leave the fork in place over the collar or did you remove it altogether?

 

I hear you on the snow and ice lol. I just used a hose clamp (uses a Philips screw) to hold the fork over into 4wd. Was cheap easy and has worked now for months. Even doing a 4wd burnout it held up. I used it in snow and ice and off-road. My problem was no matter how I installed the actuator, after about 2 months, the seals would fail and it would fill with gear oil. Plus the delayed engagement of 4wd sucked when getting stuck. Now it is instant.

If you wanted a stronger and cleaner install EMS Offroad sells a one piece chromoly one piece axle shaft. It also moves the axle seal to the end of the axle tube. I think it costs $250. I'm doing that when I rebuild my factory 2500 axles.

 

Thank you for the info on the one piece axle. Okay, so you clamped the fork in place and not the collar. That would be safer and less chance in having the clamp come lose while spinning on the axle. Makes sense.

As far as the actuator itself, I won't know until Monday, but I experienced the same thing. The new one worked for about 2 months and then I started having problems. At first it was harder to shift into 4wd, then I had to put the truck into neutral before it would work. Next stage was putting the truck in drive or reverse moving slowly in order for it to engage and then some grinding or hard to disengage. Now when it's in 4wd, the shifter isn't as far back as it should be and the last time that happened, it would slip out of 4wd and start grinding. Just not worth the aggravation.

 

Is the T-case hard to shift, or does it just take a while for the light to come on?

On my 96, one of my problems was moisture in the vacuum lines. When it got below freezing, the lines would freeze up, and 4wd simply would not work. I ended up pointing my torpedo heater under the front of the truck for a while, then blowing out the lines. Never had a problem after that.

The steel lines that run along the frame also like to rust out, giving you vacuum leaks.....

 

If the steel lines are rusted OP SSTubes makes a stainless steel kit for the lines.

 

Originally, it was hard to shift into 4wd, accompanied with a bunch of other problems (grinding, slipping out of 4wd, waiting for the light to come on, etc.), but after I had the actuator replaced back in November, it was a lot easier to shift. Still had a spot where it gave me a slight resistance, but a lot better and smoother and I felt comfident the problem was resolved. The light also came on within a second or two of shifting.

About 2 months after the new actuator installation is when it became harder to shift, to the point now, it just won't go into 4wd without putting the truck into neutral, drive or reverse and slowly moving it until it slips into 4wd. It's just too hard to shift into 4wd and when it finally does, the shifter itself doesn't look like it is as far back as it should be and the light does take a lot longer to come on.

When this recently started, we did have some single digit to below zero weather and I thought that might have been the problem, but as it warmed up to the mid 30's and 40's, there was no improvement. It's gotten colder now with more snow, so that of course hasn't helped.

I have recently replaced brake and gas lines that have rusted through, so there may very well be a vacuum line that has done the same, as you have mentioned. We will find out on Monday, as I'm sure they will check the vacuum in the system first. The actuator may not be the culprit. Either way, this vacuum system seems to be a nightmare for a lot of people and bypassing it might be a way to rid myself of a big headache. We are suppose to have more snow and I need to get the plow back on, so I have to resolve this as quickly as possible.

After we get some warmer weather here, I'll have to check everything out myself carefully and make some final decisions and repairs.

 

That sounds like a transfer case problem...

 

Start by checking the linkage, if it's loose or rusted it won't fully move the shift fork, hence the vacuum switch is only partially pressed and it delays the cad engagement and makes the gears grind.
If the linkage is good, then there's something wrong inside the case.

 

You are supposed to be moving a bit when you shift into 4wd..... If you are stopped, in gear, there is a fair bit of tension on the driveline, and getting things to engage while under tension doesn't work very well.