2016 2500 front end grinding in 2wd

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Ixlr82fast4u

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Mount Vernon Washington
Ram Year
2016
Engine
6.7 diesel
Hey guys , I’ve searched through the threads for this one
I drove back from eastern Washington basically all day in 4wd because it was all ice,
I got over the mountains then was able to switch to 2wd, drove another 100 miles or so at around 80mph noticed the service 4wd light come on with a high pitch grinding sound coming from the front , the noise went away and the light went away, we made it all the way to our exit and when I let off the throttle the light turned on and the grinding noise came back, as I was slowing down the grinding noise went in time with the speed all the way to a dead stop the we heard a big thump, the noise suddenly went away. I checked under the truck and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
Start driving again , all good, then the light turned on at around 35mph and the grinding sound.
It kind of sounded like the transfer case ? I don’t know ,
I had my kid turn the 4wd switch while I was under the truck, the transfer case actuator and the 4wd actuator made noise like they are working.
I pulled the 4wd actuator on the diff, pulled that apart, played with the gears that run the fork, no binding or broken teeth, there was some moisture in there , cleaned it up and sealed it. The color in the diff slid back and forth very easily. I’m about to pull the transfer case motor
Any hints on what could be wrong would be appreciated.
 

crazy jerry

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if the fork and collar teeth showed no signs of grinding then it may have been the tcase motor like you suspect
 
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Ixlr82fast4u

Ixlr82fast4u

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if the fork and collar teeth showed no signs of grinding then it may have been the tcase motor like you suspect
Thanks Jerry, this would mean it has a mind of its own, I assumed they either work or don’t work, I was in 2wd when this happened so it was trying to go into 4wd or 4Lo at freeway speeds argh!
Do you know if it’s just switched 12v power that works the motor or does it have a bcm?
 

crazy jerry

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mine has a lever on the floor and im not sure how the electric version works. might have to get a shop manual and check the wiring diagram
 

smittyd174

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Had the same problem with my 2016 3500 towing my 5th wheel down south . After some research on another forum discovered cause for mine . The grinding noise is the 4wd actuator in the front axle allowing the disconnect inside to make a very slight movement causing the grinding noise . The fix was simple unplug the actuator connecter dry out and clean both connections. Put some die electric grease on it , done .
The cause was moisture in the connection and once the axle got hot it caused the problem. That's what I did and drove it another 3 + years no issues . Took all of 10 minutes. If the grinding was excessive and for long periods , change the fluid , I did not change mine and never had another issue . Good luck.
 
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