Well in this case, there is evidence of heat and there is no better explanation. Maybe there's more to the story, like loss of gear oil. One thing for sure, there is no way that kind of heat is generated by an exploding transfer case.

My 70 wagoneer with the buick 350, TH400 and D20 xfer case and puny dana 44 in the rear with a dana 27A in the front has never granaded anything. I do baby it and don't jump it. 4WD low and 1000 rpm and it crawls over anything. I don't use it much anymore though.

 

i dont have any brandnew vehicles but on the older ones im quit sure it states clearly in the owner manual not to exceed a certain speed in 4hi. usually its around 55mph. maybe the new trucks are different but i doubt it. and even then you want to be sure your not running on dry pavement.


another thing, 70mph is way to fast for ice and snow covered road. good thing your truck broke. other wise you may have caused a 20 car pile up. let this be a lesson

 

I was doing 130kms this evening in 4 lock, no problems at all.

Mike

 

Thanks for the comments everyone. Much appreciated.

Just an update now. Our local dealership has been through a few levels of discussion with Chrysler and today (2 months since the breakdown) Chrysler has announced they will not repair the damages under warranty. What is interesting we still have not heard what caused the problem in the first place or where we did we break a rule in the owner's manual or warranty guidelines.

Reviewing the the 2011 Dodge Ram owner's manual thoroughly and the only place they talk about speeds is when talking about 4WLo. If speed limits was an issue for 4WH they would have mentioned it. I wonder if speed limits are mentioned in a US manual vs our CDN manual??

So we have a truck sitting in a yard broken down and we are paying monthly lease payments even though we cannot use it.

Thanks folks. More updates as they arrive.

 

Before I close for the night. Someone mentioned tires could have been part of the problem. This was questioned by the Engineers of Chrysler as well. In the manual it makes it very clear that wrong size tires could be the problem.

Well in Oct we had two tires put on by the Chrysler dealer because we had leakage issues. So all tires are exact same types and makes. Chrysler dealer pointed out this is the way it had to be. So the tires were measured and information was passed on to the Engineers. It did not come back that the tires were the problems. With only 23K km on the vehicles tires should not be the problem. So we can rule this area out.

 

time for a lawyer?

 

I actually have to disagree on this. 23kmi is about half worn. You also should not have needed new tires. Either the valve stem was leaking or the rim bead was leaking. If rim bead was leaking, the dealer should have scuffed the inner wheel bead up with a wire brish and used tire bead sealant. Also, should have changed out the valve stem seal. Tires only leak around the bead unless there were patches. If a dealer told you otherwise, you should have been able to have those tires prorated by the manufacturer for defects!

Well, 2 new truck tires on one axle and 2 used on the other can be the difference of 1/2-1" in height difference. This can cause a problem.

So, a new tire that measures 33" has a circumference of 103.5"
A used tire that measures 1/2" smaller has a circumference of 102.1"
and a used tire that measures 32" has a circumference of 100.5"

A New tire that is 1" larger will have a difference of 3.5" in its circumference. it's not uncommon for truck tires to have this difference because new tread is very deep. if your old tires are at 8/32nds(appear like they have alot of life left) they are actually 1/2" shorter than the new one's(if at 16/32) If you have a Light duty(i.e. 1500, you prob only have 13/32nds new) E load tires have more tread.

So, you can see how this can make a difference! It would mean that the NEW tires up front were being dragged/pushed 1/2 that circumference distance. This is probably why things were heating up, because there was excessive pressure fighting back. Yes, even if they were slipping, constant slip still means pressure and heat, especially on the highway.
I would blame the Tech who mounted the tires on the truck stating they were safe to use in 4wd if the tires on the other axle were about 1/2 way worn. This would not be a problem if you were on local roads, but highway..yes..

 

I would also, get the truck to a non-dealer location. Get the front end damage removed. Put the diff cover on with the insides removed(empty). Keep the front driveshaft off so you only have 2wd.
Seal up the crack and trade it it when lease it up or early like nothing is wrong with it.

Most leases go to auction, it wont ever be put up on a lift and inspected so the chances of a dealer knowing about the issue is few and very far between. If a dealer that takes it in on trade isn't going to verify it in their garage before they make the purchase, that is their problem.

If they aren't going to warranty it, then stick it back to them.

 

when it comes to binding in 4x4 it has lass to do with speed than it does traction. In your manual it does say DO NOT engage 4wd on hard surfaces. You had 4wd engaged on the highway. You have also said the road was snow covered but your driver was able to drive at 110kmph which would mean you were on a hard surface with no slippage or the driver was being a complete idiot by driving so fast.

I agree with Chrysler this was operator error.

 

Easy there bud. Just because someone was driving at 68mph(110km/h) doesn't mean it's operator error.
Several members have traveled at or above those speeds with 4wd engaged. if Chrysler wants to restrict speeds, they should have put it in the owners manual. We are talking about physical breakdown by mechanical error. This is very different from what is considered "safe" driving.

i understand what you are saying about safe speeds, but that does not maen it operator error, or the need to call people idiots. A more appropriate statement would be;"irresponsible".