I just bought a new 2004 dodge diesel quad cab 4x4 long bed pickup truck.
Here is my question

How come when I have the vehicle's 4 wheel drive shift lever in 2 wheel drive high is the front wheel drive shaft locked up. I rolled underneath the vehicle to check this out and the front wheel drive shaft does not move when I grab it. The vehicle does not have locking hubs. It has automatic hubs. Any insight into this issue would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

From what I understand it does not have locking/unlocking hubs. The front shaft spins all the time.

 

Did you add automatic hubs? If not, then they're always connected. You wouldn't be able to spin the shaft in 2hi unless the front wheels are off the ground.

 

grizzly,

What makes you think it has automatic hubs? Many of us want automatic hubs but they do not come on the Dodges and I know of no aftermarket ones either. The axles are locked up at the wheels all the time on the '04s. The engagement happans at the transfer case. The front shaft is always connected.

Wetspirit

 

Everyone here is correct. The front driveshaft, axle, etc. are always rotating. The only disconnect is at the transfer case. Personally, I love it and think it is the best way to go. Faster engagement, simpler, and no vacuum worries.

 

That feature put me in a 2wd. No more often than I use 4wd, I'm not going to pay the fuel penalty of having all that junk rotating all the time.

Dodge is way behind Ford and Chevy with this feature. My M151 jeep has the same system as the Dodge. Very crude.

 

Iagree with most. I have had GM 4X4s and they are the worst when trying to get them to go into 4wd. Ford is not much better and they have been lost with inferior front drives on their trucks for years with their buckboard front suspensions and the faulty hubs. Dodge connects faster and better than the competetion from my experiences. I still prefer the Dana drives though.

 

Here's how hard it is to get it into 4wd AND lock the hubs in on my Ford--turn a switch on the dash.

Same goes for taking it out of 4wd--turn switch the other way. It uses electronic shift on the transfer case and vacuum hubs. In seven years of use, zero problems. No maintence required, either.

I have never had a problem getting lever-shifted transfer cases into 4wd; taking them out of 4wd used to be problematic until I started doing it this way: If the lever seems to be stuck, drive forward with the wheels cranked hard left (or right, it does'nt matter). After a second or two, reverse the direction of the turn while holding light pressure on the transfer case shift lever. It will pop right out. Turning hard in one direction "winds up" the drive train in that direction. When you reverse the turn, it starts "winding up" in the other direction, and at some point in between reaches zero windup and the lever shifts with ease.

 

Instead of being a Dodge critic for the lack of automatic hubs, how about we consider the following?...

Fuel economy DOESN'T suffer to any great degree.

Unlike its lesser brethern ( GM & Ford), the Dodge 4WD is positive and immediate. It locks and unlocks reliably and NEVER drags one wheel.

For those who seldom use 4WD, there's nothing worse than finding out that due to lack of use your CV joints have junked themselves. Better they should spin and get warm. They last much longer.

Oh... Get yourself into a situation where you can't move forward or backward with your prize Ford or GM and you need to drop it into 4x4 mode. Then you'll understand the wisdom of Dodge and why a RAM will move when the others won't.

Don't believe me? Try it! RAM is a truck, not a SUV. Buy a Jeep if you want to disengage the front end. At least it works.

 

What a crock.

Dodge does it this way because it's cheaper.

 

CP -

Before you use the word "crock", take some time to think about what I said...

I've owned Fords and what I stated is the truth. The auto hubs require a certain amount of roll (either backward or forward) to engage. Put yourself in a garage where you can't move forward, nor can you move backward due to a huge pile of snow... You'll have no 4WD!

Or head down a nice interstate that's mostly clear, but with patches of deep snow where it's been drifting. Drop the old girl into 4WD and plow through the bad area. Then, on the other side, turn off the 4WD and I'll guarantee one wheel will remain engaged. Mostly just a severe irritant... Until you hit the next slippery spot. Then it's downright dangerous! But what do I know?

My Dodges (from my '91 with manual hubs to my '99 with auto hubs) never suffered from the Ford and GM problems. They dropped into and out of 4WD without hesitation... And at whatever speed I was traveling! My '94, though, suffered CV problems from time to time because of the lack of use. I expect salt and moisture was a big factor.

So... If economy remains unaffected, performance remains the same (or better), and the total package becomes simpler - Please educate me as to why this is a crock? And what's wrong with eliminating the cost of uneeded parts?

Of course ( in looking at your Bio) you pilot a 2WD, so I guess you know a crock when you see one.

 

I currently own a 4wd Ford with electronic shift on the fly and have never experienced what your talking about.

I owned a 4wd Chevy with manual hubs and never experienced what you're talking about.

I also own a 1967 M151 with full-time, non-disconnectable, 1950's designed 4wd, ala Dodge.

There is no free lunch. Turning all that stuff, all the time, takes fuel. It also exacts a wear-and-tear toll, that, unless you have another truck with hubs to compare mileage and maintenance costs to, you can't know what it costs compared to one that doesn't spin its front differential all the time.

But what do I know? Yeah, I "pilot" a 2wd Dodge, because IMHO, the Dodge 4wd isn't a very good design. If I could only have one (diesel) truck, and it had to be 4wd, I would probably buy a GM. Ford is out right now because of the 6.0, and Dodge is out because of their 1950's Power-Wagon front drive. As it is, I don't have to make that choice.

 

CP -

I didn't think we were discussing manual hubs. They're a different animal. Keep them engaged and you have the same system as Dodge. Disconnect them and you've got 2WD no matter what. We're speaking of auto-hubs here.

Dodge 4WD is crude, heavy, and brutal. It doesn't matter whether a stick or switch to engage... It's not all that civilized as you pointed out, but it's reliable, it's positive, and it's immediate.

I've owned a '91, a '94, a '99, and now a 2004 CTD. All were excellent trucks. The '91 had manual hub locks, the '94 & '99 had auto locks, and the '04 is without. Before that I owned a string of Bronco's, so I do know of what I speak. The last was the absolute worst as far as 4WD went. What a joke!

Economy between the '04 600 and my past CTD trucks isn't enough different to mention. Reliability on all of the Dodges has been great. The "wear" you speak of may be more in your mind than in fact. Seldom does a bath in warm oil do much harm to components. Bearings that get to warm up and lube themselves don't rust and sieze. Warm lube and components take stress better than cold one's. Am I wrong here?

I'm not making excuses for Dodge. Feel free to design a set of lock-outs for AA and Dodge. Get rich on all the takers, but I'll bet they'll be few and far between. It's just not worth the effort in most situations.

Go out and purchase a Ford or GM. Good vehicles all, I'm sure. Make yourseld happy by getting a complete disconnect of the front end if it suites your tastes. Preach to the world that Dodge is cheap because they failed to meet your expectations. Maybe they are.

For myself I'll take my 2004.5 over any of the past RAMS. It does easily what most others dream of. It's a 4 WD on-road vehicle that will go off road when needed. It's powerful, comfortable, and reliable... And the door gaskets are my worst complaint.

And, of course, your opinion is as valid as any... But there are others. Mine included.

 

CP, you'd take an IFS 4x4 front over dodge's SFA just because of no hubs?

 

Yep.