Looking at an '02 that has the electric shift transfer case (button on the dash instead of lever on the floor). I have never had one of these - all my trucks to date have a lever for the T-case.

Anyone run into problems or are they reliable?

i have had a service 4x4 come on in my message center, but never had a problem with that. the only problem i have is caused by my nbsu, its going bad and sometimes it dont want to go into low or come out of low. i didnt want it at first but i cant complain!

Guess I'm a newbie; what's an NBSU?

Switch that tells the truck what gear it is in. Known to go out if it gets wet too often. NSBU actually.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27740&highlight=NSBU

I've got about 110K on mine, no problems yet, knock on wood...

sorry, NSBU!! what was i thinking

If you go miles from nowhere, get a spare actuator for both the transfer case and front drive axle. Desert rats round here call them dildos (because of appearance). We all carry extras. No dildo/no four wheel drive.

You can manually shift the transfer case under the truck. Not good in two foot deep mud with your girlfriend moving the truck.

check the connectors on it before anything else.. had one come off while wheeling out on the back 40 and I was able to drive in 4 high, then not shift back.. tried shifting to 4 low, tada 4 low.. no shift up though... check engine light... looked underneath and one of the plugs had come off.. cleaned it up and plugged it back in, whala t-case works fine...

Why not just keep everything up top of everything, so all the wiring stays clear of stuff on the ground? that way we wouldn't have these issues as much...

I had my actuator fail in 4x4 low at around 65,000 miles. I checked the fuses, connections and all associated electronics with no luck. Since I didn't know to shift the transfer case manually, I had to get it towed to the dealership. IIRC, it was about $500.00 for a new actuator.

3rd truck with buttons since 99. no problems