Electric Shift Transfer Case

[Dean Upson]

I got caught in a nasty wet snow storm last night and I had the oputunity to try out that new electric shift transfer case. I don't know how it will hold up, but it sure is a sweet, smooth operation, I was impressed with it and also I couldn't believe how well this nearly 4 ton truck handled in the snow with no weight at all in the bed, 2wd or 4wd this truck just kept going. It wasn't very deep, only about4-6", but it was wet and slippery and the terrain was very hilly. Also, the brakes are some improvement over my 98, they actually stop you.



Dean

 

[Fireman]

You know ? Iwas thinking about 4wd on my way to work this morning. I looked down at that switch and thought, " Iwonder if it even works ?" I think I'll take it out tomorrow and find out.



Fireman

 

[Dean Upson]

Hey Fireman,



Come on up to YankeeLand and you can get a real chance to try it out. Brakes seem to be a vast improvement over the G2's.



Dean

 

[Fireman]

Thanks, but...........No Thanks !

It's cold enough down here (20s this morning) ! Yea, those brakes are great.



Fireman

 

[mdepot]

I have a truck with an electric shift case. It worked fine... at first. A couple of years later the little indicator light went out. And it wasn't the bulb. Now no matter how much I push the little buttons, it won't shift out of 2WD. Looks like I'm gonna have to pay through the nose to have it fixed.



Next time I want a nice solid lever. Those don't burn out, and I'll trust knowing what drive mode I'm in lot more than what a little idiot light says.



P. S. The truck is a Chevy... My last.

 

[kwoods]

I may be wrong but from what I understand it doesn't matter if you have a button or a lever on the new ones, the 4wd is engaged electronically...

 

[mdepot]

Yea, that's part of my problem... By wishing for a lever, I'm also wishing for a manually engaged case, not an electric one. The trend these days seems to be that trucks are becoming more car-like. While that in itself is not an evil thing, I think it shouldn't be done at the expense of a loss of ruggedness or reliability. In my humble opinion, a push button electrically shifted case has a whole lot more that can go wrong with it than a simple lever connecting my hand directly to the guts of the case.

 

[Mathew Clausen]

Kwoods - I think (and hope - I am crawling under mine tonight!)you are wrong on the electric shift. NVG shows a 271 model (manual) and also a same spec 273 model with electric shift.



If both cases had electric shift - I am sure dodge would not put the handle at all - as it would be more expensive than just a switch. I hope I am right!

 

[Big MAK]

My 98. 5 had a lever (of-course) and I personally think it was more prone to problems since the 4wd was actually vacuum actuated. I have no idea why it had a lever at all. I agree; either be totally manual lever engaged or totally electronic. Part way with each doesn't make any sense. With the electronic it should be a simple matter to fix if a switch or relay burns out. The vacuum thing was ridiculous; it always sort-of worked.

 

[kwoods]

Originally posted by Mathew Clausen

Kwoods - I think (and hope - I am crawling under mine tonight!)you are wrong on the electric shift. NVG shows a 271 model (manual) and also a same spec 273 model with electric shift.



If both cases had electric shift - I am sure dodge would not put the handle at all - as it would be more expensive than just a switch. I hope I am right!

I have heard conflicting data on this issue so if you find out how the lever really works please let me know!!! Personally, I have the button but would have preferred the lever if it really does the actuating...

 

[Big MAK]

I think the lever engaged the transfer case but the front drive wheel's gears were engaged with the vacuum. But I don't know for sure...

 

[David Muench]

Originally posted by Big MAK

I think the lever engaged the transfer case but the front drive wheel's gears were engaged with the vacuum. But I don't know for sure...

On my 2001. 5 that's how it works.

 

[mdepot]

This is mixing things up a bit now. The transfer case itself is one thing, but the vac on the front axle is something else. Some trucks allow the front hubs to be disengaged from the front axle. This allows the front wheels to turn in 2WD without causing the front diff to also spin, thereby reducing friction drag and wear on the front diff, and increasing mileage. Older trucks (and current hard core offroaders) use manual hubs, remember those little twist knobs in the center of the front wheels in old 4WD trucks? Later they came out with other systems, including automatic locking front hubs, and a coupling sleeve disconnect in the axle tube. That sleeve disconnect system was powered by engine vacuum on some trucks. Still other trucks don't bother with the disconnect at all. (Newer Jeep Wranglers for example, I think). Not having a release at all increases strength and reliability by eliminating the extra mechanicals and points of failure, but at the expense of some mileage and wear. I don't know what the G3 Dodges use, but at least it's still a solid front axle on the 4WD 2500 and up. Glad to see Dodge didn't make the IFS mistake there...

 

[Rosco]

The 03' Ram heavy duty front axle is always turning. There are no hubs or center axle disconnect. This is good because once you engage the transfer case you have power to the front wheels. You no longer need to wait for the C. A. D. to engage. The downside is a fuel mileage penalty due to the constant axle engagment. I don't know about the lever t-cases really being electric thats just stupid, but I am going to get underneath the truck tommorow and see for myself. I will post my findings for you guys later.

 

[Mr.Goat]

I would have preferred the manual shift because in the end I feel it would be more dependable. But the Laramie pkge wouldn't allow it.



So far the little knob on the dash is working great. Shifts on the fly up to 50 mph. ( never tried it any faster). Shifting into 4 low is a little more tricky, you have to follow the steps in the owners manual to the letter or it won't complete the shift.



So far this has the 95 beat by a mile as it wouldn't shift on the fly above 10 mph in cold weather and even then your technique had to right on. So the little knob is welcome addition as I use the 4x4 a lot. Pete

 

[sag2]

The switch shift engages a small motor attached to the transfer case shift shaft. I suppose you could retrofit a shifter like on the 02 1500 if the lever could be attached to the transfer case shift shaft. Sounds like more trouble that it's worth.

 

[Mathew Clausen]

I didn't get to crawl under mine yet but tried putting into 4L today at the on-ramp light and could feel the cogs grind slightly as it was slightly rolling. Boy was I glad to feel that! The manual shift is a manual shift!