I just bought a 2003 ram 2500 4x4 automatic. Was checking out the transfer case shifting. Had it in park and moved the shifter to N, then back to 2H and it started grinding. Or maybe I had it in neutral. Is that normal ? Should I turn the motor off. When I get home I'll check it out some more.

Hard to follow what you are saying as you are talking about what trans gear and transfer case gear you are in.

If the transmission is in park, and the truck is not moving, the transfercase should not grind while shifting as nothing should be spinning.

If you were in neutral in both the trans and transfercase, it is possible the output shaft was spinning. If you tried to put the trans in park or engage the transfercase while the output shaft is spinning you can get a grinding sound.

[This message has been edited by LitebulbwithaFiero (edited 05-28-2018).]

I have zero experience with Dodge trucks, but shifting while stationary is generally the wrong thing to do. Unless you have a fully automatic transfer case (which is seems you don't), there are specific requirements for getting into and out of 4WD - speed, transmission selector, etc. I would really recommend consulting the owner's manual for the procedure before something breaks.

Thanks for the advice. Just not use to an automatic. A manual transmission truck is getting hard to find.

Even in a manual there are still going to be requirements. Transfer cases are generally not synchronized and you need some movement into order to mesh the gears in or out, so transmission in P is almost always wrong ... although, in a manual transmission there is no "locked gears" position, only N. On my Suburban, shifting from N to 4HI requires the engine to be running and the transmission in N. Maybe yours is similar.

[This message has been edited by thesameguy (edited 05-30-2018).]