T-case won't go into neutral

[hkunz]

Hi there, I've just started towing my 2007 Ram 3500 4x4 Megacab behind my motorhome, and I've had some trouble getting the t-case into neutral. It's the electronic case, and we've used it for years towing the boat and 10,000# box trailer. 4Hi and 4Lo have always worked great. We've been using the factory manual, following all the procedures, but it is hit or miss if it will go into neutral.

Is there a spot to smack the t-case, or a wire to check, anything?

Thanks!

 

[hkunz]

OK, so we've tried the instructions in the manual, and it reads exactly like described above. We've also tried rolling, on the towbar, going forwards and backwards, pointing uphill and pointing downhill. We have a 2007 Ram 3500 single wheel Megacab 4x4 with the 5.9L Cummins and automatic. The truck has about 65,000 miles on it. We've been using it to tow our 30' boat and 26' enclosed car hauler for years. This last year we downsized, sold our Wrangler, and got a massive towbar for the Ram. The towbar works great, the instructions worked the first time, but now we've had no luck on engaging neutral on the t-case so we can tow it. My wife had to drive it a few times rather than flat tow because we couldn't get it into neutral. We towed from Havasu to Williams no problem, but on the return trip it wouldn't go into neutral no matter what we did. We stopped in Hackberry (on the old 66) and it went right in. Twice. Now on the current trip, it wouldn't go in at Havasu, Kingman, or Williams.

Is there something that needs a tap with a hammer, is there a connector I need to check, anything? I have difficulty getting up and down with my bad hips, so prefer a direct approach that I can take care of in one fell swoop, if possible.

 

[Brakelate]

Clearly, it does not like the "Needles Triangle"!

Sorry.

Um, I just sold my '07 with the Electronic Dial 4x4, so help me recall the choices.

You are talking Neutral on the Transfer Case, which if I recall correctly involves pushing the tiny little button on the shift dial face plate (?)
I don't recall the dial having a "real" Neutral option.

Sounds like something simple here... though you said you followed the manual to the letter. Is the Auto Trans in Neutral or Park when you do this? Motor running or not?

On a side note, you must be running a helluva Diesel Pusher type RV Rig to be tugging around such a beast as a casual "Tow Behind / Run to Town" rig.

 

[hkunz]

Auto in neutral, brake on, brake off, engine running, engine off, headed uphill, headed downhill; no change. I even drug it with the motorhome (tranny in neutral) for a few feet to see if there was something jammed. All the fuses are good that could affect it based upon the labeling, no codes thrown, diagnostics on the Banks iQ show no codes since Jul 4.

It is the little dial with 2hi, 4hi, and 4lo, and a recessed button that you push in with a pen for N.

I laid underneath while the bride cycled all the t-case settings. In all cases except N the solenoids clicked. I pulled the plug off to see if i could clean it a bit, put in back in, secured it, no change. I even smacked it with a hammer while she cycled it. The wires for the t-case all go into one plate bolted to the side of the case, and that's where the solenoid cycling sound comes from.

The pusher is an 8.3 Cummins, air brakes, Allison 6 speed, rated to tow 10,000. It did overheat on our last trip with the pickup behind it at the top of the grade into Williams when it was over 100 ambient, so I had to pull over for a few minutes.

 

[hkunz]

Electronic transfer case won't go into neutral; fixed

OK, for anyone who is keeping tabs, we think we have the issue fixed re: electronic transfer case won't go into neutral.

As we were waiting in line at the entrance station to go into the Grand Canyon, the guy behind us jumped out and asked if i had been using my brakes. Of course, i had been, i was in traffic in the middle of nowhere.

No brake lights, no CHMSL, and the fuse was good. I figured maybe the connector came loose or something from the brake pedal, so I laid under the dash and checked things out. It seems when they wired the EZ Brake controller into the brake system, there was a tiny bit too much strain on the wire, and by simply moving wires around and getting the strain out of them, the brake lights started working. On the off chance that I had two electrical issues at the same time involving the same area under the dash, i tried the transfer case again, and viola! it works.