My '94 Ram 1500 4WD gas engine truck runs fine until I engage the 4WD,

Asked by Snaketony1 Jan 04, 2014 at 10:41 PM about the 1994 Dodge RAM 1500 ST LB 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Then in 4WD the engine shuts down after a short time and I can't get a restart until
stopped, shift lever in Park, shift back to 2WD, key off for a short time, key on, then a
restart in 2WD.  Works OK until 4WD is engaged, then the process starts over again..  
Any ideas what causes this?

4 Answers

44,685

Sounds like the linkage to the 4x4 is catching the wiring harness underneath.

1 people found this helpful.

Fixed it.. Found that the wire loom connected to the 4WD engagement solenoid had been rubbing against the drive shaft and wore through the wire cover. Apparently, the spinning of the drive shaft caused a magnetic field that shorted out the wiring causing the engine to stop. Wiring re-insulated, tied up and away where it had been pulled loose (from ice build up?), and no further problems. Loose wiring harness could also have been caused by the installation of the warranty replacement of the faulty factory transmission in the truck at 9000 miles.

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