Hreat video man. Just bought an 06 4x4 sport. Wouldn't shift into 4x4 so I'm watching videos to figure out how it all works. I hope this is the simple easy answer!!!! Very good explaining how it works!!!!
Hello sir thank you for answering my question about my transfer case wiring not being connected because the connectors are different so I don't have to worry about my transfer case shifting to 4 low by itself while I'm on the freeway
I'm glad it helped. That's why I do them. I found out about a month later that the plug wasn't making a good connection. It worked for awhile and then it went back to flashing and not engaging again. I replaced the plug and have been good ever since. Thanks for the comment
These are shift on the fly 4x4, you can actually engage them up 25-30 mph. To put in 4 low you have to put them in neutral tho. Thanks for the informative video, mine was the transfer shift motor.
Oh heck yea I'm subing to your channel! I consider myself a pretty creative "workaround" guy but SUCK at anything electrical. Even the way you pulled strands out of those wires to create a better jumper was an awesome lesson for me. I just tried to totally guess with mine on the bench and probably fried something unnecessarily. Heading out to the garage to try the bench test your way now! There was ZERO chance my bench test method was going to produce any movement I assure you ha! UPDATE: I just finished watching the video and now I'm wondering if I am just binding like your's may have been. First I'm going to bench test my OEM original that I pulled previously just like you did it. If that doesn't work, then I will pull my replaced actuator and inspect that alignment with the passanger front tire up like you did and see if it is just an alignment issue that it doesn't like when it starts up and runs diagnostics. If that looks good then I'll bench test the replaced one to see if it is a premature failure part. Wow, what a great video. I am really curious if the colors of your wires correlate to a 2017 RAM3500 but I WILL report back on all of this in a second "update here on this post". Thank you!!!!
Good video. I have 4 wires from front actuator on 06 1500 Dodge 4+4 #2#3 wires are positive #2 is supposed to turn negative when switching to 4+4. Back to 12 volts in 2+4 . But stays positive doesn't change. Continuity tested wires all way to firewall. All good. New actuator. Transfer case definitely kicking in. Any suggestions please.
Good job on this video...I learned a lot. I wonder if it was possible that you did not have the fork in the sleeve, when you put it together again. Also, the remaining wire might be a limit switch so the computer knows that it is in 4wd.
I'm sorry this reply is so late. I never saw it til now. No. I had the forks on the sleeve alright. I've discovered that you just have to turn your wheels a bit until the splines line up. I'm not real impressed with how these work. My '97 dodge doesn't have these problems. I think you're probably right about that wire. Thanks for watching and the comment.
@@ericdavis9992 No. You don't need to jack it up. That's just what I did to see what was going on. You just need to be moving and turn your wheel a little to get the two shafts to turn at a different rate of speed until they line up. If you have the 4-wheel drive engaged, the fork on the actuator that goes around the sleeve will keep pressure against that shaft, so when they do line up it will slide the sleeve over the shaft to connect the two. Hope this makes sense. If not just let me know. I'll try to be more clear. Thanks
Man we all love 4 wheel ..but man it can be a pain and aggravate the hell out of ya..thanks for the video glad ya got yours wkn.. I'm looking at one right now that will not engage but it's not making a noise at all in any way great looking and great driving truck otherwise but the price difference of four wheel and not four wheel is pretty significant and I want four wheel. Anyway the guy doesn't want to come down much off the price even though four wheel is not working at all. So I'm trying to figure out is it worth it
I'm sorry this reply is so late. I just saw your comment. So I guess any comment is too late now. But if you have this dilemma again just know that there are two actuators for the 4-wheel drive. The other is located on the front of the transfer case. When it works its very loud. So make sure you check for that one too. Thanks for watching and for the comment.
I have the same issue on the same year and model .. 2007 Big Horn Hemi 5.7 4x4 SLT ... I swapped out the old for a new actuator and still have the same problem of not engaging .. will pull it apart and check for spline alignment .. your video made sense of the problem and I'm hoping it will be a good fix .. plus I am going to test the old one also .. I'm an employee of an auto parts store so I'm hoping for it to work out .. Thank you
I found that you need to drive it around a little with it in 4-wheel and turn the wheels to get the splines to line up, so the sleeve can engage. Also, mine is still working but my light will sometimes still flash even when it is engaged, so don't let that fool you. Good luck.
One thing bothered me when you were troubleshooting: the fact that the original and new actuator returned the fork to the 4WD OFF position when you de-powered the circuit. Me thinks that the "ground" you were using was actually a ground for the, say, 4WD Off position. Whereas that ground was/is supposed to be supplied by the rotary switch in the cab in its 2WD position. So, to select the 4WD ON position, the switch would then ground the ON coil and drive the fork to engage the axles. The Off coil would then be un-grounded and so would/will not have returned the fork to the 4WD Off position as it did in your test when you removed the lead from the ground to the battery. Of course, you could just use a volt-ohm meter (They're cheap enough these days and sometimes you can pick one up free at the local Harbor Freight sometimes) and run some continuity checks back to the switch to see what it's doing. Or use your trouble light to check from the battery positive of the vehicle battery to each pin. It'l light up if any of the pins on the connector are supplied a ground. (It won't light on the powered pin) Unfortunately, without a schematic or re-doing the test, you can't know. See if you can find the .pdf manual to download for free. I've got one for my '96 gen 2, V10-engined beast and it has helped tremendously. Unfortunately, though, my 4WD actuator runs on vacuum. Going camping in a few days so I completely bypassed the system with two long vacuum lines to the cab and operate the actuator with a small manual vacuum pump as a temporary fix. Works like a champ! Cheers!
Yes I did. Sorry I didn't show that. I did it a couple of days after. Didn't take much. You just put it in the front differential. There's a rubber plug in it. It's located right next to actuator electrical plug. Pull the rubber plug out and fill it up til it starts coming out. Then put the plug back in. Mine takes 75W 90 gear oil. Thanks for the comment.
I’m having a similar issue, the actuator works fine on the bench, the T-Case shift motor is working fine, I even replaced the TIPM but still the 4WD keeps blinking. Any advice ?
Check the plug. After I made this video it eventually turned out that my plug was bad also which I think is why I was still having trouble getting it to engage there at the end. I didn't know that at the time. I didn't have much of a need to use it for awhile so it was months later that I finally figured it out. I went to a salvage yard and found one. It's easy to replace. It actually has a plug a little higher up so there's no rewiring. You just unplug that little section and replace it. Good luck
@mgewaily did you ever solve the problem completely? Is yours the laramie with 4auto? Replaced my actuators a few times, now the tipm has been replaced and was working for a bit but hit some ice and abs went nuts, surged the electrical in the truck and 4wd service came up and then disappeared after a restart Sound familiar?
@@problemsolvingbradI did fix the problem, turns out it was the speed sensor by the wheels, the wire for that was cut, once I spliced it everything worked perfectly.
Because when I rebuilt this engine I put a high volume oil pump in it. From what I've heard and read, these engines don't distribute a lot of oil. Especially at idle. They're kind of made to run at higher rpm's, So I wanted to give it all the help I could.
I'm actually having trouble with mine again, but I know what it is. I have a loose connection in the plug. I fiddled with it and had it going for awhile. I guess I need a new plug wire.
The connection is prone to being fouled up with dirt and grime, or wires getting pinched. Which is a total bummer since it's 4x4, and usually you don't need it until you're in the muck.
@@dlmcbride2388my cruise control is out as well, is there a correlation with that problem and the 4wd not working? I also have a 4wd problem and it doesn't appear to be the actuator
I discovered later that the plug going into the actuator was also bad. That's why it wasn't engaging. I replaced it and never had anymore issues with it.
My bolts on my 2017 RAM 3500 turned off 9 1/4 turns each and another youtube video that "looked" like they knew what they were doing on my year claimed 15 foot lbs on the bolts FWIW. Not sure on this year of course
Sounds like you have some wires touching somewhere that aren't supposed to be. I'd inspect your wires to make sure someone hasn't spliced something in somewhere. Then I'd check where the wires come together. Like the switch or the plug. Put your tester to work. Good luck
Ur supposed to get hopelessy stuck in 2wd and then use the 4x4 thats the only way to test that lol Side note one damm wire on actuator rendered my truck usless 4 a year
Exactly. It's always fun to crawl under your truck in the mud. Been there. Yeah. About a month after making this video I figured out that the plug was bad also. That's actually why it wouldn't engage there at the end. I went to a salvage yard and pulled another one. It's worked perfect ever since.
I'm having the same issue with my 08 hemi. Your video has been extremely helpful and want to say thank you.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching and for the comment.
Hreat video man. Just bought an 06 4x4 sport. Wouldn't shift into 4x4 so I'm watching videos to figure out how it all works. I hope this is the simple easy answer!!!! Very good explaining how it works!!!!
Thank you. I'm glad it helps you. Good luck with it.
Hello sir thank you for answering my question about my transfer case wiring not being connected because the connectors are different so I don't have to worry about my transfer case shifting to 4 low by itself while I'm on the freeway
I changed everything eventually changing the timpt or fuse box and it worked
You just saved me at least 600 bucks. !!!
Thanks man !!
Appreciate ya!!!
I'm glad it helped. That's why I do them. I found out about a month later that the plug wasn't making a good connection. It worked for awhile and then it went back to flashing and not engaging again. I replaced the plug and have been good ever since. Thanks for the comment
These are shift on the fly 4x4, you can actually engage them up 25-30 mph. To put in 4 low you have to put them in neutral tho. Thanks for the informative video, mine was the transfer shift motor.
Thanks for the info.
Oh heck yea I'm subing to your channel! I consider myself a pretty creative "workaround" guy but SUCK at anything electrical. Even the way you pulled strands out of those wires to create a better jumper was an awesome lesson for me. I just tried to totally guess with mine on the bench and probably fried something unnecessarily. Heading out to the garage to try the bench test your way now! There was ZERO chance my bench test method was going to produce any movement I assure you ha! UPDATE: I just finished watching the video and now I'm wondering if I am just binding like your's may have been. First I'm going to bench test my OEM original that I pulled previously just like you did it. If that doesn't work, then I will pull my replaced actuator and inspect that alignment with the passanger front tire up like you did and see if it is just an alignment issue that it doesn't like when it starts up and runs diagnostics. If that looks good then I'll bench test the replaced one to see if it is a premature failure part. Wow, what a great video. I am really curious if the colors of your wires correlate to a 2017 RAM3500 but I WILL report back on all of this in a second "update here on this post". Thank you!!!!
the axles have to be moving a little bit so the sleeve can line up on both axle shaft splines & leave in gear for 4x4 high and moving,
Yeah. You're right. Sometimes when I know the 4 wheel drive is engaged the light still flashes like it's not. Thanks
Good video. I have 4 wires from front actuator on 06 1500 Dodge 4+4 #2#3 wires are positive #2 is supposed to turn negative when switching to 4+4. Back to 12 volts in 2+4 . But stays positive doesn't change. Continuity tested wires all way to firewall. All good. New actuator. Transfer case definitely kicking in. Any suggestions please.
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome. Hope it helped. Thank you
Good job on this video...I learned a lot. I wonder if it was possible that you did not have the fork in the sleeve, when you put it together again. Also, the remaining wire might be a limit switch so the computer knows that it is in 4wd.
I'm sorry this reply is so late. I never saw it til now. No. I had the forks on the sleeve alright. I've discovered that you just have to turn your wheels a bit until the splines line up. I'm not real impressed with how these work. My '97 dodge doesn't have these problems. I think you're probably right about that wire. Thanks for watching and the comment.
@@troyt9007 so I’m having the same issue with my 07 are you saying to jack up 1 side and align it how???
@@ericdavis9992 No. You don't need to jack it up. That's just what I did to see what was going on. You just need to be moving and turn your wheel a little to get the two shafts to turn at a different rate of speed until they line up. If you have the 4-wheel drive engaged, the fork on the actuator that goes around the sleeve will keep pressure against that shaft, so when they do line up it will slide the sleeve over the shaft to connect the two. Hope this makes sense. If not just let me know. I'll try to be more clear. Thanks
@@troyt9007 ok thanks I’ll give it a try I really appreciate it I ordered the actuator already but I will definitely try this 1st thanks again
@@ericdavis9992 No problem. Good luck
Another video of the same actuator install I viewed the guy said 20 pounds torque on the bolts
Thanks for the info.
Hope you remembered to put the oil back in.
Man we all love 4 wheel ..but man it can be a pain and aggravate the hell out of ya..thanks for the video glad ya got yours wkn.. I'm looking at one right now that will not engage but it's not making a noise at all in any way great looking and great driving truck otherwise but the price difference of four wheel and not four wheel is pretty significant and I want four wheel. Anyway the guy doesn't want to come down much off the price even though four wheel is not working at all. So I'm trying to figure out is it worth it
I'm sorry this reply is so late. I just saw your comment. So I guess any comment is too late now. But if you have this dilemma again just know that there are two actuators for the 4-wheel drive. The other is located on the front of the transfer case. When it works its very loud. So make sure you check for that one too. Thanks for watching and for the comment.
I have the same issue on the same year and model .. 2007 Big Horn Hemi 5.7 4x4 SLT ... I swapped out the old for a new actuator and still have the same problem of not engaging .. will pull it apart and check for spline alignment .. your video made sense of the problem and I'm hoping it will be a good fix .. plus I am going to test the old one also .. I'm an employee of an auto parts store so I'm hoping for it to work out
.. Thank you
I found that you need to drive it around a little with it in 4-wheel and turn the wheels to get the splines to line up, so the sleeve can engage. Also, mine is still working but my light will sometimes still flash even when it is engaged, so don't let that fool you. Good luck.
I am having the same issue on an 08 after replacing the actuator.
@@troyt9007 question for you. 2005 ram. my 4 wheel works fine going straight, but grinds when making tight turns, is this normal????
No. That's not normal. you'll feel it pull or kind of resist a little when you make tight turns, but it shouldn't grind.
One thing bothered me when you were troubleshooting: the fact that the original and new actuator returned the fork to the 4WD OFF position when you de-powered the circuit. Me thinks that the "ground" you were using was actually a ground for the, say, 4WD Off position. Whereas that ground was/is supposed to be supplied by the rotary switch in the cab in its 2WD position. So, to select the 4WD ON position, the switch would then ground the ON coil and drive the fork to engage the axles. The Off coil would then be un-grounded and so would/will not have returned the fork to the 4WD Off position as it did in your test when you removed the lead from the ground to the battery. Of course, you could just use a volt-ohm meter (They're cheap enough these days and sometimes you can pick one up free at the local Harbor Freight sometimes) and run some continuity checks back to the switch to see what it's doing. Or use your trouble light to check from the battery positive of the vehicle battery to each pin. It'l light up if any of the pins on the connector are supplied a ground. (It won't light on the powered pin)
Unfortunately, without a schematic or re-doing the test, you can't know. See if you can find the .pdf manual to download for free. I've got one for my '96 gen 2, V10-engined beast and it has helped tremendously. Unfortunately, though, my 4WD actuator runs on vacuum. Going camping in a few days so I completely bypassed the system with two long vacuum lines to the cab and operate the actuator with a small manual vacuum pump as a temporary fix. Works like a champ! Cheers!
Great video. Did you add oil in the housing? If so how. Thanks
Yes I did. Sorry I didn't show that. I did it a couple of days after. Didn't take much. You just put it in the front differential. There's a rubber plug in it. It's located right next to actuator electrical plug. Pull the rubber plug out and fill it up til it starts coming out. Then put the plug back in. Mine takes 75W 90 gear oil. Thanks for the comment.
Mon problème était exactement pareille..un fil abs avant était déconnecté....finalement trouvé...
I’m having a similar issue, the actuator works fine on the bench, the T-Case shift motor is working fine, I even replaced the TIPM but still the 4WD keeps blinking. Any advice ?
Check the plug. After I made this video it eventually turned out that my plug was bad also which I think is why I was still having trouble getting it to engage there at the end. I didn't know that at the time. I didn't have much of a need to use it for awhile so it was months later that I finally figured it out. I went to a salvage yard and found one. It's easy to replace. It actually has a plug a little higher up so there's no rewiring. You just unplug that little section and replace it. Good luck
@mgewaily did you ever solve the problem completely? Is yours the laramie with 4auto? Replaced my actuators a few times, now the tipm has been replaced and was working for a bit but hit some ice and abs went nuts, surged the electrical in the truck and 4wd service came up and then disappeared after a restart Sound familiar?
@@problemsolvingbradI did fix the problem, turns out it was the speed sensor by the wheels, the wire for that was cut, once I spliced it everything worked perfectly.
You have to be rolling when you turn the knob for 4hi. Allows the splines to engage
what about for 4 low???? mine blinks.@@gabrielmckinnon5862
Don't you add oil???
You do if you need it.
why is your oil pressure gauge so high????
Because when I rebuilt this engine I put a high volume oil pump in it. From what I've heard and read, these engines don't distribute a lot of oil. Especially at idle. They're kind of made to run at higher rpm's, So I wanted to give it all the help I could.
I had same problem but wasn’t sending power had to use a jumper wire
I'm actually having trouble with mine again, but I know what it is. I have a loose connection in the plug. I fiddled with it and had it going for awhile. I guess I need a new plug wire.
@@troyt9007 yes me to
The connection is prone to being fouled up with dirt and grime, or wires getting pinched. Which is a total bummer since it's 4x4, and usually you don't need it until you're in the muck.
Be in neutral and roll back an inch then engage 4 wheel low then go to 4 high
@@Curtis.44 About 2 weeks after making the video I found out that I had a bad plug too. Put a new one on and it engages every time now. Thanks
Does cruise control work
Yes. Mine works
@@troyt9007 mine doesn’t dodge said relay on fuse panel was out
@@dlmcbride2388 Hopefully it will be a cheap an easy fix for you then.
@@troyt9007 $1800
@@dlmcbride2388my cruise control is out as well, is there a correlation with that problem and the 4wd not working? I also have a 4wd problem and it doesn't appear to be the actuator
I think you should of put in gear and then tried 4wd again but might of might not thanks for sharing
Yeah. I eventually did do that. Even now though sometimes I know the 4 wheel drive is engaged and the light still flashes like it's not. Thanks
Should be rollmg to make shift uless going into 4 low
I discovered later that the plug going into the actuator was also bad. That's why it wasn't engaging. I replaced it and never had anymore issues with it.
My bolts on my 2017 RAM 3500 turned off 9 1/4 turns each and another youtube video that "looked" like they knew what they were doing on my year claimed 15 foot lbs on the bolts FWIW. Not sure on this year of course
Oh ok. Thank you for that.
ours engages by itself we have the opposite problem !! 😢
Sounds like you have some wires touching somewhere that aren't supposed to be. I'd inspect your wires to make sure someone hasn't spliced something in somewhere. Then I'd check where the wires come together. Like the switch or the plug. Put your tester to work. Good luck
I had the same problem and had to replace to timp men aka fuse box
Mine was the tipm as well
Ur supposed to get hopelessy stuck in 2wd and then use the 4x4 thats the only way to test that lol
Side note one damm wire on actuator rendered my truck usless 4 a year
Exactly. It's always fun to crawl under your truck in the mud. Been there. Yeah. About a month after making this video I figured out that the plug was bad also. That's actually why it wouldn't engage there at the end. I went to a salvage yard and pulled another one. It's worked perfect ever since.
Put your seatbelt on instead of saying that you’re sorry.
Ok. I did. You can re-watch the video. It should be fixed now.