Pulling the fuse has cut power to the T-case, as it doesn't engage 4wd anymore. There is no sound coming from the motor that I can hear, maybe if I listen up close it possibly is whining?
When I get the chance I will disconnect the feed from the shift motor. This may stop the 4wd light from illuminating up on the dash?

 

Doubt it. Likely just set a couple different codes.

 

4wd Service light come off on and on. It will stay on for awhile at times but eventually goes off.

Less frequently the Lo 4wd drive will flash on and off but never stays on.

Drops sometimes into 4wd by itself - usually at slow speed like backing into a driveway.

My Dakota can be off and locked up and I can here the transfer case motor engage and disengage. - multiple times.

What is the solution/cause?

 

Certainly sounds like the exact problem with mine.
After scanning the truck and it showing a fault with the electric shift motor, this is possibly your cause. I think there must be an electrical short or bad internals in the shift motor.
I pulled # 42 fuse out and haven't had it dropping into 4wd anymore. Though the SVC 4wd light will still chime and display on the dash at times.
I will purchase another Electric Shift Motor in the near future, but other vehicles and spending money on them is priority at the moment. I can still drive the truck now and 4wd isn't needed at present.
Have you pulled the fuse?

 

Did not pull the fuse.

Ordered a new transfer case motor.

 

Let us know how you get on

 

I had not known but my son changed out the transfer case motor on Saturday.

I didn't leave the house on Sunday. And on the way to work on Monday I was expecting the 4wd Srvc Light to come on it did not.. That is not totally unusual and just figured it would come on soon after leaving work. Again it did not. .... most of the time ir would come on after 10 minutes or so of driving but at other times, it would come on right at start up.

Anyway, I suspected he may have changed it out and sure enough the old unit was in the the box from the new unit.

He said it was a quick 30-40 minute job.

BTW - I never mentioned ... I don't off road and only use 4wd in the snow up here in Buffalo, NY.. The issue popped up out of no where


He took a video which is attached. The old one sounds like there is a bunch of marbles in it when he shook it. In the video he shakes the new one first then the old unit.

He said he's curios and will take the old one part.

 

Is there a core charge on the part? If so, may not get that back if you take it apart.

 

Thanks for letting us know the out come.
It must be some sort of electric solenoid inside the shift motor for the noise its making. Magnetics and ball bearings come to mind.

 

As of yet, I haven't got around to getting my issue sorted. Haven't had anymore issues since pulling the fuse, however the SVC light virtually is on 90% of the time, so obviously and faulty engaging motor.
This weekend I got stuck in the wet muddy grass with a trailer hitched up and trying to reverse was not happening. So I put the fuse back in to get me out of trouble, engaged 4wd and all was good.
Loaded up the drift car and set off, forgetting to pull the fuse. 500 yards from home it engaged 4wd again. Ok no problem, I only had a reverse back a 100 yards around the corner in the wet.
Well, you can guess what happened.......You can't reverse successfully in 4wd with a loaded car trailer around a sharp corner at night where there are no street lights on the slippery road!! The truck would start to slide sideways. We tried frantically to get it out of 4wd, pulled the fuse a few times hoping this would disengage the system. In the end we disconnected the battery for 10 seconds. Finally restarted the truck to find she was out of 4wd, carried on reversing onto my driveway. Lesson learnt. If you haven't gotten around to replacing gone bad parts, but need 4wd, pull the fuse as soon as you are done with 4wd!!!
Rock Auto, here I come.........