4 Wheel Drive won't kick in???

[jjwilliams]

Hi Guys,
I've got a small problem with the Ram and was
wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this.
I've got a '97 Ram 1500 with 30,000 miles on it
and the four wheel drive isn't engaging. It shifts
in and out of four wheel easy enough in the cab,
but the front tires aren't engaging. I checked
the vacuum lines to the vacuum motor, and they all
seem to be fine. I've got an appointment set up
at the dealer for tomorrow night because I just
don't have the time right now to devote to this
little problem. Just getting started on an
addition to the house and we have our local Rock
Fest coming up, so not much time for anything else. If anyone has any ideas, the help would be
graetly appreciated. And if anyone is interested,
here is the link to our local Rock Fest:
http://www.rock-fest.com/
It is a pretty good time. If anyone is going, let
me know. We can get together and have a few beers!

Thanks in advance for any help with my problem.

Jeff

[Checkmate]

Does the 4 wheel drive light come on ??

[jjwilliams]

Checkmate,

No, the 4WD light does not come on. I had my
wife shift it into 4WD so I could watch the
front drive shaft, that turns when shifted
in, but the front wheels don't lock in. I'm
kind of thinking it is the vacuum motor, but
maybe I'm overlooking something more obvious.

Jeff

[RufusTheRam]

definitely sounds like a vacuum leak or a problem with the CAD. you can test it by running a line straight from engine vacuum to the engage port of the CAD. if your 4wd works, then you've got a leak somewhere. if it still doesn't engage, then it's a problem with the CAD most likely. the most common place for leaks is behind the engine, where it gets hot, brittle, and cracks/burns.

[herc61]

Check to see if you have vaccum at the Cad. If you don't you might have a leak or the switck on the transfer case might have gone bad. It's a easy fix if it is the sitch and is only $26. Good Luck

[jjwilliams]

Thanks for the info guys, as much as I hate to
take the truck back to the dealer, I'm going
up there tonight to see if they can take a quick
look at it. If they figure they can't get to it
right away, I will just have to set aside some
time and maybe a few beers and get it done myself!!

Thanks again.

Jeff

[jeepnmatt]

read thru these:

http://www.moparchat.com/forums/show...threadid=46046

http://www.moparchat.com/forums/show...threadid=45028

the "search" function is an amazing thing...


matt

[J-BODY]

At the front vacuum motor on your front axle the "black" vac line engages 4x4 when the lever in the cab is moved to a 4x4 selection, the "red" line dis-engages it when the lever is moved back to 2wd. Check that first. If either side doesn't have vac depending on lever position, trace the lines back. If lines are good, and I have seen a few of the metal ones rub through, check the vac source at the 4x4 vac switch on the top of the transfer case. If you have vac to the switch, remove the switch and make sure the pintle is not stuck (most common prob I find).

[jjwilliams]

Thanks again for all the info. I did take it into
the dealer "argh!!" and they did find a burnt vac
hose back behind the air cleaner. I didn't think
$35.00 was to bad to fix it, all though I wish I
would have had the time to fix it myself.
jeepnmatt,
You're right, I should use the "search" function
more often, but I don't get here to often and
this way I get to communicate with you fine
people every once in a while. It's nice to have
a place like this to come to for advice and friendly chat when I get the chance to!

Again, Thank you to everyone for your input.

Jeff

[Checkmate]

glad you got it fixed easy enough.

[jeepnmatt]

i think it was worth $35 to have the dealer fix it. fixing it was not fun at all...

matt