Power Wagon Registry

With the 16.

Driving down the road in 2wd and this randomly pops up and drives the EVIC crazy. They have not been able to cure it. Going back tomorrow for the 4th time. Notice no 4wd lock light. It's uncommanded.

Hm. Havnt seen this happening to the new ones yet. Keep us posted.

This happened on my 16 last year on my way to Moab... Cruise control, about 80mph and got that on the screen. Hasn't happened since though, interesting to see its a persistent problem on yours. Good luck and definitely keep us updated.

Maybe some movement on the front axle disconnect? Tricking the sensor into thinking its operating maybe?

DirtyOffroad wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 31, 2018 1:31 pm

Maybe some movement on the front axle disconnect? Tricking the sensor into thinking its operating maybe?

Possibly, but I drive some pretty rough roads and this only seems to happen after the truck is 4-5 hrs. heat soaked @ freeway speeds. I'm thinking bad position feedback from the cad motor.

They changed a DTCM before and it went away for a while.

Did I ever tell you how much I hate having a CAD back in these trucks?

Does it only happen when cruise control is being used?

olyelr wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 31, 2018 4:07 pm

Does it only happen when cruise control is being used?

No. It's just random.

Well there has to be some sensor mechanism telling the computer the CAD is engaging. My guess is something is wrong with that.

olyelr wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 31, 2018 4:38 pm

Well there has to be some sensor mechanism telling the computer the CAD is engaging. My guess is something is wrong with that.

My feeling is that it's a bad positioning signal/voltage from the shift motor as in it's not up against it's retracted stop 100%.

My 14 has done the same since new. Dealer cannot “re-create”. I just live with it.

hammer40 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 03, 2018 9:57 am

My 14 has done the same since new. Dealer cannot “re-create”. I just live with it.

Well, the tech could get mine to do it yesterday when he wiggled the shift motor wiring harness. So, they ordered a new harness and new motor. The harness takes 3-5 days to get so I'm driving it until it gets here. Might go back trout fishing in WV for a week in the meantime.

I'm not going to live with it on a truck I paid that much for. The engineers that came up with that worthless mess can help the tech fix it.

Mine does the same but only after sitting through a cold night, and only for the first few miles going down the road. Bumps seem to make it happen more frequently. After warming up it goes away. Dealer was also unable to recreate it. I’ve read on the Cummins forums it is usually solved with a new transfercase position sensor and will mention it at the next service.

Just curious, do the new PWs still have the manual transfer case? If yes, what does "4WD Shift In Progress" mean?

Ducky's Dad wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 03, 2018 4:14 pm

Just curious, do the new PWs still have the manual transfer case? If yes, what does "4WD Shift In Progress" mean?

It still has a manual T-case. That message is for the stupid CAD unit they decided to put back in them. It means the shift motor is moving the collar to lock the two axle halves. Worthless as tits on a boar hog.

It's happening on my 2017 PW and the 2018 PW, haven't heard about it happening on the 2019 models yet. This needs to be solved ASAP, I haven't been able to find a 4wd shift sensor on my truck anywhere in any of my searches, even on Mopar websites! There has to be a sensor, electronic or pressure sensor somewhere malfunctioning.

This has nothing to do with the front axle disconnect on the PW, it is also happening on the Diesel Rams which have not front axle disconnect on the truck.

RobPW wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 22, 2019 2:03 pm

It's happening on my 2017 PW and the 2018 PW, haven't heard about it happening on the 2019 models yet. This needs to be solved ASAP, I haven't been able to find a 4wd shift sensor on my truck anywhere in any of my searches, even on Mopar websites! There has to be a sensor, electronic or pressure sensor somewhere malfunctioning.

Dude it's in the tcase and it's like $15 part. Get under your truck.

Diesels and power wagons have always shared front axles. The diesels have the CAD system.

Typically that light is the transfer case position sensor OffroadTreksvis referring to. Sometimes it’s a delayed shift of the CAD collar. This problem is figured out.

Fixed:
I was able to resolve my issue with part number 68211454AA - 4WD Switch with Magnetic Assist. This is simply a switch that sits on top of the transfer case and sends a signal to the computer that the transfer case is in 4WD.
This is for the manual shift transfer case. Mine is a BW 44-47.

Assuming you have a bad switch, the "4WD Shift in Progress" message is just the beginning of your problems. It only gets worse as the plunger is sucked further and further up into the switch housing over time (can no longer protrude far enough to indicate 2WD).

Symptoms:

• At first it was just intermittent "4WD Shift in Progress" - Dealer could not resolve issue on multiple attempts.

• Then a few months later the ESC light illuminated and the 4WD light flashed - Dealer flashed the computer but did not resolve issue.

• Then a month later, the dash lit up with ESC and 4WD lights, the front axle actuator engaged while I was rolling off a stop sign. I had to crawl under the truck and unplug the front actuator so I could get home.

• After I made it home - the dash light started flashing "4WD" and "Lo". The ESC light was on as well. The back brakes then engaged in traction control and the inside wheel hopped when I turned, as the computer thought the outside wheel was slipping.

I did not go back to the dealer, I did my research and determined this is the only thing it could be short of a bad computer or a wiring harness.

Test: Unplug the connector on the switch. Start Truck. The Shift in Progress message and any 4WD light will go away. You will see "Serv 4WD" since you unplugged the connector.

Note: When the computer thinks the T-case is in 4WD, the ESC light will illuminate on the dash.
Note 2: When this switch is bad it will not generate any codes as long as it is connected. The CPU simply thinks the T-case is in 4WD.

Bottom line - fix this before if breaks completely. It can leave you stranded. Unfortunately, the Ram engineers didn't think to have the truck return to a steady state of 2WD when this fails. Rather they had it send a signal that 4WD is engaged even though it isn't. It is engineered backward in my opinion.

Good news is that this is a cheap part and is a 30 minute fix. You will need a 90 degree pick to remove the connector and a 1.5" socket to remove the switch. Switch is located on top of the t-case on driver side.

In the picture attached, the switch on the bottom is the old one that failed. The plunger will not stay protruded so the signal is sent that the T-case is in 4WD.

TIP - don't forget the O-ring when you put the new one in.

HI, got a little info as to what I found this morning with the 4wd shift in progress message. I had it appear when pulling out of the driveway so I tried a little test. I held the shift lever lightly towards the 4 hi position and lightly accelerated and got the message let go and it went out , tried it again and same thing happened tried a third time and got no message unitl it almost engaged 4 hi. My thinking says it is either the switch not returning to normal position from normal flexing or a misadjusted linkage issue that puts pressure on the linkage when the body and drivetrain flex or it could be a combination of both.

My truck gives the same 4wd shift in process message and it's getting more frequent. In the past I've just shifted into 4wd and then back to 2wd, and that seems to stop the message. It is happening more often though.

rammit11 wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 03, 2020 7:07 pm

HI, got a little info as to what I found this morning with the 4wd shift in progress message. I had it appear when pulling out of the driveway so I tried a little test. I held the shift lever lightly towards the 4 hi position and lightly accelerated and got the message let go and it went out , tried it again and same thing happened tried a third time and got no message unitl it almost engaged 4 hi. My thinking says it is either the switch not returning to normal position from normal flexing or a misadjusted linkage issue that puts pressure on the linkage when the body and drivetrain flex or it could be a combination of both.

Been there. Done that. It will only get worse. At least get a switch and put it in your glovebox so you have it handy when it fails completely.

Q

Reviving an older thread because I found it and wanted to say thanks for the good info. For anyone wondering, the problem does still persist with 2019. My truck started doing this with 35k miles. I’ve ordered the part, but given that it’s still an AA revision, it too will likely meet the same fate in the next few years.