let's pretend
 

Let's pretend someone with a 2005, 2500 Series CTD attended an antique tractor auction. Posssibly, the muddy field and the heavy trailer caused the driver to put the truck into 4 WD (just the standard electric select 4 WD, not the "auto" version). Perhaps the excitement of NOT spending money at the auction could account for the driver then driving about 300 miles on the Interstate to the next gas station -- where lo and behold -- a little red light showed the truck to be in 4 WD. IF there was a driver dumb enough to have done such a thing, would any damage have been done to the front drive units?

RE: let's pretend
 

I thought that truck sounded like it was in 4 wheel drive. Just joking. I'm by no means a mechanic, but I am guessing that you will need to change the fluid out at the very least. It is not designed for the high speeds, but would probably sustain them for a good period of time if they were "theoretically" left in 4.

RE: let's pretend
 

You can drive a 4wd vehicle on concrete/asphalt in 4wd mode....but it's not a good idea to do it all the time. Since you were hauling a trailer, I would be kinda worried like you. Since the vehicle is fairly new, I would think you wouldnt have any problems.

I'd have it looked at all the same.....but I think you could be ok...this time.....the guys to ask would be Drew or The Burning Rom

RE: let's pretend
 

You don't want to go too fast in 4wd on the road...

RE: let's pretend
 

I'd get it checked out, going 300 miles in 4x4 mode doesnt sound too good.

RE: let's pretend
 

Well i lived in Alaska from 1976 until 1996 and in the winter my dad would drive in 4wd all winter as would I when I became old enough... Now oddly enough i did the same thing as you here in utah about 3 months ago driveing from the vegas area back to St. George Utah about 130miles and I really didnt notice untill the next day when i was driving to work everytime i turned a corner my steering wheel would jerk and be hard to control... i never noticed this in alaska for the 4 years i drove in Alaska so i didnt really think of being in 4wd... so when I got to work i was rather worried about the jerking and what not so i drove to a mechanic who was very nice and tried to not laugh at me when he pulled my truck out of 4wd now at that time he said it wouldnt affect my 4wd and that i would be fine and I couldnt help remember the 7 or 8 months out of the year in Alaska that we would drive in 4wd with no problems at all...I am no mechanic obviously and i dont know if it would hurt to be in 4wd full time but from my experiance me and my dad never replaced a 4wd system...

RE: let's pretend
 

You can leave it in 4WD all day, all week, all month for that matter and not hurt it PROVIDED that you are on some sort of semi-slippery surface - because the problems occur in turns when the front axle takes a larger radius than the rear (basic physics - check out your tracks sometime). If you are on dry surfaces the wheels can't slip to compensate for the difference in distance the front goes from the rear in turns - so something eventually binds or twists up. (like drive shafts or axles or...?) But chances are if you were on the interstate and not turning much you'll be fine. And you are likely to have noticed a problem if you were making a lot of turns - like the jerking mentioned above. (I'm surprised you didn't notice a different noise and a little less power while in 4WD - that usually tips one off - turn the stereo down and pay attention!)
(oh yes, in theory if you answered every turn in one direction with a turn in the opposite direction of the same magnitude, you'd not have a problem...but that's tough to do)

RE: let's pretend
 

just as others have asid, you should be ok. the only time you would need to be worried would be if you were making a tight turn and you began to bind up the front axel.

the one thing I would have on my mind would be the chain the t-case stretching, but I doubt you went far enough to cause damage.

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RE: let's pretend
 

These things are spinning all the time whether in 2wd or 4wd. True the front axle MIGHT have run a touch hotter because the gears were applying force rather than just free wheeling when in 2wd, but they would still run the same RPMs. You should be able to smell the gear oil in the axle to see if it burnt up (yes it can smell very distinctive when burnt), but in all, I wouldn't worry about it. Then again, it never hurts to change the lube just because, but I wouldn't if you don't have very many miles on them.