NO ..........no....................NO !!!!!

I have an 03 Hemi with a floor shifter.
To engage 4X4 low, you MUST be still rolling at about 3-5mph no faster.
Put the stick shift on the column into neutral, then GENTLY pulll back on the floor shifter until it engages 4 lo.
You might here or feel a few crunches, until you perfect your technique.
You have to "feel for the gear".
When you have the floor shifter in 4 lo, re engage your column shifter to D or Drive.
If you try to engage 4 low stationary..........well good luck trying to do that!
To pop it back to 2wd, do the reverse.
The key here is to still be rolling at around 3-5mph.
Its real easy if you do that.
As for not driving or turning on dry pavement, with the pavement being dry and a high friction surface, the transfer case "binds" as the front and rear wheels struggle to turn at different speeds.
DON'T do it.
There has been many a novice 4 wheeler try it and been left with a transfer case full of smashed gears, or oil leaking on the floor!
Also, I regularly shift into & out of 2wd -4wd hi and back whilst driving at 30-50 mph but ONLY on the straight.
I do this about twice a week just to work over the 4wd hi system etc and keep all the linkages free and working.
It's the same concept as running the AC in winter twice a week, just to "lube up" the seals and keep the AC system healthy.
The manual lever seems daunting at first, but with practice it's cool and more reliable it appears, than an electronic shift on the fly.
Please you guys with SOTF, don't flame me about that last comment. It's just what I've experienced.
If you take the truck out for a test drive make sure the 4X4 light stays on solid when engaged in both the hi and low modes.
It must stay on solid, if it blinks, there's a problem.
Hope this helps?
Al.

 

hey question on this, with the **** in the dash, i see where the light is for nuetral but how do you get it to go into nuetral if for say i was going to tow it?

 

Well... I hope you have the owners mannual handy... you're gonna need it... It's not as simple as you think... I did it once.. jsut becuase i wantedd to see it work... there was sumtin about haveing the engine off.... but key in off posistion.... push N button... turn key on.....or something.. can't remember exactly and it too cold to go outside and read about it.... But it does say right in the book or sumone else will be more sure then i am....

 

If your seriously considering buying this truck you really need to check out the 4wd when you test drive it. I was looking at a jeep a few years ago. I tried putting it in 4wd and the indicator light wouldnt go on saying it was in 4wd...the sales person shrugged and said "beats me if its working" so i took it back to the stealership parking lot and walked away.

Good luck.

 

+1 [sm=goodidea.gif]

 

i have a 2004and the gears are ordered like this
4L
N
2H
4H
just to be safe you should always come to a complete stop, put the tranny in nuetralthen go to 4WD

 

There is alot of information here, and some is different. Just take the truck for a test drive. Engage the 4wd on pavement, then try to turn. If it jumps around, you know it works. Also, crank the wheels full lock left and right at a stop, then accelerate slowly. If you hear any binding, its bad. I would say talk to someone on here who uses their truck strictly for 4wd. I havent used my much, so I dont know hod different this new age crap is. I am used to old trucks and you can pretty much do anything you want with those.

 

my wifes durango has the ****, never had probs but if it gets stuck i 4l or sumpim got cost leats on my ram i can shift out and get or....... well see

 

I didthe 2H to 4H whileparked and in the driveway and 4wd light came on solid. I have nottried 4L yet. Fly what I have been reading here, I am glad to have the floorSOTF.

The manual say 2H-to-4H can be madefrom a stop or at speeds up to 55MPH. It also says that when in motion, the transfer case wil engage/disengage faster if you momentarily release the accelerator pedal after completing the shift.

My "new" '05 hit 5600 miles today.

 

Yep................the transfer box will shift "on the move" from 2wd-hi and into 4wd-hi with SOTF.......................but you try doing that into 4wd-low when either stopped or going faster than 3-5mph and without the column shift in neutral or any of those combinations.
WHEEW.......that's all I'll say.
Al.