Old $29 Grommets kept me out of 4WD.

[WalterJ]

Greetings;
The pics show two grommets that failed after 14 years driving, mostly in the Midwest. The "ROD-GEAR SHIFT" ($43.50) fell out one day. I first noticed something amiss when I brushed against the 4WD gear shifter & it flopped forward! Whaaat.

If you're counting on manually shifting in/out of 4WD, do a visual chk on these grommets ($29). They're expen$ive & easy to replace; be mindful of their orientation. Like the man says "Pay me now, or pay me later."

By-the by, "Clyde" turned 14 years old this month & 300K miles. Wahoo!

 

[CBari]

They failed on my 03 about year ago this time of year. Got stuck out in a pasture on top of the ground. I check mine now every time I am under the truck.

 

[Motorhead]

Those things look like they were oven baked at 450* I'll check mine on my 2007, 5.9.
Had similar bushings on a old Mercedes that went bad that made so I couldn't get it to stay in PARK.

 

[WalterJ]

At first I thought how cheap Dodge was, to use hard rubber grommets to retain this shifting rod...then I wondered how long a cotter pin would last in the midwest snow & salt. Oh well, just reacting to the price, not thinking clearly, eh. Should be good for a loong while now.

 

[jhenderson]

The guy who bought my 04 just suffered the same failure. He’s not complaining. 400,000 + miles of New England driving.

 

[Doc Holiday]

I think its a Dorman part, but O'reilly Auto has the same thing for next to nothing $9.99 each. I replaced one and have a spare.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...shing/14078/4527219/2003/dodge/ram-2500?pos=0