4WD issues

[Agronomist 123]

Hi folks
Where should I start with my 2013 dodge ram 1500. Went to use my 4 wd after heavy snow and nothing. No engagement,and no lights of any kind.

I also noticed my heated seats and steering wheel not working. Probably not linked at all but surprised me as everything did work fine.

Thanks

 

[chaosh1]

first thing would be to check fuses and relays. Most often that will fix power issues.

 

[jws123]

So when you turn it to 4 low ect it doesnt blink on the dash? If not your not getting power to the knob on dash check fueses.

 

[EricKBattleGround]

Your truck isn't exactly a 3rd Generation (2002 - 2008) so I am only going to provide this general observation.

Not all electrical issues are with fuses - grounds tend to also cause their own share of grief, particularly when either shared or when passing through a bolted connection. I did electrical designs and 3rd level tech support for heavy trucks for more than 20 years, and the stories of the un-solvable electrical gremlins that were finally solved by checking grounds are too numerous for me to remember. (The one I do remember involved a military truck whose lights would all come on whenever the brakes were applied...and that involved 4 bad grounds....)

The 3rd Generation has a key system ground (up to 20 different systems use this ground) bolted to the driver's fender - without a direct wire return path to battery negative. A little corrosion on the bolted joint is enough to cause issue. I do not know how the grounds differ on newer trucks, so I only offer this as an addiitonal reason for looking.

Look at any under-hood grounds, particularly any bolted to fenders - and any that do not have a cable going back to battery negative should be checked for corrosion by removing the fasteners, and then reassembling with a thin coat of grease (non-dielectric, of course ).

Eric

 

[Brandon-w]

Are there any abs codes? If there is an abs code 4x4 won't work. Especially if it's a wheel speed sensor. Are your 4 wheel drive selector lights lighting up I forget if 2wd lights up? It can be so many things in this case it's likely easier to get it scanned to be sure.

 

[Wild one]

As Erik states in post #4 check the grounds to.Sometimes you can tell if you have a ground issue by running it through a carwash and washing the hell out of everything under the hood and under the truck,and the grounds will make contact while it's still wet.