4WD issue?

[SnoKing]

did you try to determine what the black stuff on the board was ? doesnt look like mud . unless its a bit of the fipg sealer

That is a sign of over heated circuitry. That is why asked to see a picture of the other side of the board. There will be burnt components on the other side. Here is a picture of my RV hot heater that had the control card fail this summer.

 

[DGamelin]

No I didn't, it wasn't mud it was sealed very well, I was in a hurry just to get the axle unlocked. Ran to TX and back. The light come on once on the way back for a couple of minutes. I hope it isn't the drivetrain control module. My 04 had Spyntec manual hubs with the 4wd stick on the floor. I loved it, shifted smooth at any speed never had an issue with the 4wd or front wheel bearings and had 2wd low which was really great for backing up big loads with a manual trans. The electronics in these new truck is just a hassle waiting to be worked on.

 

[DGamelin]

Here is what the back side looks like. It was burnt, looked like it got corroded first, They use salt here. One of the circuits from the lead on the bord was burnt through. the new one didn't have silicon so I took it apart to seal it. This is a very cheaply made part. There is a picture of the new one also. Works now.

 

[crazy jerry]

Here is what the back side looks like. It was burnt, looked like it got corroded first, They use salt here. One of the circuits from the lead on the bord was burnt through. the new one didn't have silicon so I took it apart to seal it. This is a very cheaply made part. There is a picture of the new one also. Works now.View attachment 131240View attachment 131241 View attachment 131242

is the one without sealer the one your dealer put in or did you buy it on your own ? the ones ive seen from cm gearworks are genuine aam and had sealer. if its genuine aam that seems strange it doesnt have sealer unless it was just a bad egg that slipped out the door. also the gears are white not black.
even though they seem like a cheap part ( hopefully the internals arent china crap ), we have a few 14+ work trucks near 100k that havent any trouble from the actuators . we use 4x4 alot in winter. offroad in mud etc. the lack of failure threads on ram forums i visit confirms even further that they appear to work good most of the time if you ask me. you just drew the short straw this time. luckily theyre a 15min install and a measly $125 or so

 

[DGamelin]

It is out of warranty, we did it at our shop. It has a 135k on it. Other then the silicon, one looks just as generic as the other. The housing are identical, the original printed circuit board has a little more solder. The new one has lube of some kind on the gears the original didn't. Same motor in them. It is not OEM, my dealer wanted a fortune for the part. It is hard to believe they are not made by the same people. Maybe the OEM had higher standers. The 4wd only gets used in the winter, that doesn't help. And the truck doesn't get used unless I am going to a auction. So it does sit a lot. This is the first non maintenance part I have replaced, so I am happy. Hopefully my new truck will be here in a few months, then I will be selling this one. Your right it was a quick fix.

 

[crazy jerry]

well if your parting ways with the truck very soon then i could understand not buying the genuine part.
just the fact it doesnt have sealer is a red flag something is amiss. perhaps a cheap knock off im sure. and the gears could be made of velveeta.
for future reference, theres plenty of authorized aam distributors selling well below dealer prices. as i mentioned before, that genuine part from cm is only $125 plus maybe $10 postage

 

[DGamelin]

Who is cm?

 

[crazy jerry]

https://cmgearworks.com/