Hey Everyone! Posting a couple of issues in separate threads this time.

Finally put the insurance on the ol' girl and plated 'er up.

I'll post the update in my 'build' post LOL... But I had an issue/question

We had several inches of snow. Now the manual states the Dakota can be put into 4wd while in motion (not 4-Low, but normal 4wd)

So I had it in 4wd so we could get 'down the hill' with all the snow and leafs. Worked fine. Took it on the highway at low speed and switched it to 2WD at a slow speed (maybe 20mph tops?) And she indicated it exited 4wd..and a few seconds later A loud noise from under the truck and a bit of a jerk.

This happened a couple of times. Transfer case appears to be okay. I returned back to our work space and jacked up all 4 wheels onto stands. Checked all fluids (Low, but acceptable. First run in after all....topped 'em all off) Had the wife start the truck on the stands and run it through the paces. This time she was going a slow/moderate pace and put it into 4wd. Flawless. She then took it out of 4WD. Didn't give us a huge 'noise/jerk' but you could tell the front wheels where still 4wd locked even though the switch was in 2wd mode and the indicator was showing not in 4WD or 4-Low. After a few seconds it kicked itself back to 2WD. with a slight shudder.

We're thinking we're going to be better off ignoring the manual and using the 4WD when needed- And when the 4WD isn't needed? Bring it to a complete stop and then return to 2WD and bump it forward and back a touch. Just to ensure it doesn't self-destruct.

Is this considered acceptable? No codes for any transfer case issues. The 4wd and 4-low, etc.. All seems to work fine. And the 4-Hi only seems to do that noise and 'jerk' when the truck is in motion and the switch returned to 2wd. I hate the idea of having to obtain another transfer case. This one was the nicest looking one they had at the yard. The other yard has several transfer cases removed and tossed into the back of their trucks. (People snag the transmissions and leave the transfer cases tossed to the side or thrown in the truck bed.) This time of year with the lousy temps and snow really curtails my 'Pick and Pull' time...

I'll post my 2nd question on another thread.

Thanks!

S-

 

Are your tires all the same size? If not it will cause the transfer case to bind up and be difficult to shift out of 4x4.

 

Physically the tires are the same size. Different treads and the rear tires are worn almost to the wear bars. We where supposed to have the rear tires changed out as well to fully match the fronts, but that didn't happen due to the minor issues noted.

S-

 

yes different tire sizes could cause binding but it shouldn't if you have all 4 tires in the air they can spin freely, to clarify is this a floor shift or electronic shift transfer case? If electric I would wonder if the shift motor is binding up/failing, how many miles on the unit? could be getting worn inside too

 

Sadly it's the electric. The one that was in the truck had leaks and the shift motor was a basket case. We found one in the local P&P yard that came out of a really clean 2005 that was in a front end collision. (The last owner spent a ton of money on the truck before the accident) No leaks and the shift motor seems to operate normally.) Oddly enough when we had it up on all 4's you can hear the shift motor run and 'click' as expected. But when we took it out of 4wd it did the run/click thing (no 'service lights' for the 4wd came on) I saw that it didn't disconnect the front drive shaft initially. We had to apply the brake and fully stop. Then it releases each time. Once it's in 4wd it seems to be fine.

The only wild card: When the 4wd is active I can hear what sounds like metallic static..like a metal rubbing noise. Sounds like the same sound our Journey made before tossing the intermittent shaft bearing. When its out of 4wd the sound is still present, but very diminished. I'm not sure about that one. We do have a bad wheel bearing at the RF wheel with a bad CV axle. (just a torn boot) I'm aware when a wheel bearing goes bad it can make all sorts of oddball noises. Additionally the load/stress on the bearing will change quite a bit when being used to 'drive' and not just free spin. When the truck was up on all 4's that noise was gone. As in, no weight load on the wheel bearing. Before I can chase that noise down, I'll have to ensure the known problems are addressed.

We're used to the old school systems where you'd have to exit the truck/suv and lock hubs...etc.. So it wouldn't be that huge a deal to come to a full stop to disengage the 4wd. (And the manual clearly states the 4wd isn't to be used at all times, unless driving on snow covered roads or mud boggin') In my area we usually get slammed with snow, so it probably wouldn't get switched 'off' until we came to a stop.

I'm just a bit fussy, I like to have all the features work. We're running out of somewhat warm days to figure things out on this ol' girl. So if we can just adapt and run it as is until spring time- That'll work for us. This is a backup vehicle that the wife can use to bebop around town after we take her 88' T-Bird off the road for the wintertime. So we'll have to pick our battles and prioritize.

S-