Hey all, I have been reading this forum for a while But this is first post. I accidentally drove in all wheel low for almost a week. I drove probably 100 miles on highway and city so all speeds up to probably 80mph. I did notice it was driving funny and engine had a smell but didn't know what it was. I was going to bring it to dealer to check out smell and lack of power and that's when I realized what I did. Anyone know if I could have done any damage? Have not driven it since to see if I notice anything. It's a 2013 crew with Hemi.

 

wow....how does THAT happen? Im thinking that smell wasn't the engine. Any 4wd (low or high) shouldn't be driven at those speeds on dry pavement.

I would say there is damage to the 4wd system somewhere at this point.

 

Yeah, definitely want to get it taken in to the dealer. You didnt notice that blinking "Low" indicator on the dash?

 

Not sure how you missed the indicator light. Sounds like you could have overheated the transfer case. Best case is simply cooked oil, but they'll probably need to tear it apart to check.

 

I think my daughter must have put it in low and my wife noticed it. I didn't see the blinking light until she pointed it out but at that point it was probably about a week of everyday driving. I felt it but didn't know what it was and was waiting until I had a chance to bring it to the dealer. I just drove it today for the first time since then and it feels fine now. How would I know if something was damaged? Is there anyway for me to tell without bringing it to dealer? What could I have damaged? Bbtkd thanks for reply, if the transfer case oil is cooked can I cause further damage by just driving in AWD?

 

If you smelled something and that something had to do with driving too much in 4WD on pavement and at speed, then at minimum you've cooked the transfer case oil. You'll need to have it changed. You could take it to a transmission shop you trust not to just tell you it needs overhaul. Not sure if the dealer can tell if the oil has been changed - probably won't have a tamper seal. You could just have the transfer case oil changed and get their read on it - whether they see anything troubling in it and whether it should be opened up.

I see your dilemma - if you take it to the dealer and admit the mistake, the warranty likely won't cover the resulting work. You would think that once repaired, the original warranty would be back in effect. I suppose if a transmission shop changes the oil and it seems to be ok, you could just drive it and if it has problems, then you could try taking it in for warranty repair. They'd probably figure it out though. Might just be easiest to take it to the dealer in the first place.

 

That is definitely one of my dilemmas. I don't have a tranny shop I know well enough and don't want to void warranty if I don't have to. What's the chance no damage was done?. Th seems to drive fine now. I've owned other 4wd but not AWD, and with those the RPMs would be so high at any speed that it would be impossible to drive any serious speed or distance in low. I was thinking maybe the Durango went back into AWD at some point on its own even though switch was on low or that because the RPMs never got too high that no damage was done.

 

No idea what the chances are of no damage.

 

The best policy is honesty. I am troubled by all the comments on this and other auto forums about lying to the dealer or hiding the use of aftermarket parts to avoid warranty questions. These actions are considered criminal fraud in many jurisdictions, but mostly they are morally wrong. What ever happened to taking responsibility for one's actions?



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There is no way you could drive on the highway in 4 low.

Even if the dail is set to low the tranny needs to be in neutral in order to go into 4low and the transmission won't change past first gear, I believe.

I tried this once while waiting for gas one day and you could feel a jerk from the transfer case moving from low to high.

It's always good to have the dealer check things out regardless.