Anyone HAPPY with Borg Warner 44-44 / Auto 4WD

Gump · Dec 12, 2016

I plan on using the hell out of my 4wd this winter. If it doesn't hold up I guess I will be getting a different truck.

SyN · Dec 12, 2016

Honestly! If I knew what I know now at the time of purchasing my ram I probably would have went ahead and spent a little extra and purchased the F150 with a 5.0L FX4. It is what it is though I don't do serious off-roading so hopefully there will never be an issue.
But when I need it and I expect it to work! It damn well better work. The first time it leaves me stranded it's gonna be a done deal.

Me being a Ford guy almost half my life, I know after driving a coworker's 2017 customized (leveled custom wheels/tires from the dealer) F150 FX4 lariat with the 3.5L EB. I would switch back in a heartbeat.

Gump · Dec 12, 2016

I've always been a mopar guy, but swore I'd never own a half ton until I drove this truck. If it decides to act like a girly truck I will switch back to a diesel. I have faith though. Not like this design has never been used before.

roadshow · Dec 12, 2016

SyN said:
Marty: I agree!

I do believe this transfer case was created for the grocery getter/Daily Comuter who sometimes needs a four-wheel-drive to help get them to and from. (those who very seldom leave the tarmac\interstate\highway/pavement). I am really curious just to see how deep of snow this transfer case would be able to handle (Non Off-Road) even though tires play a huge part in this as well.

It was definitely not created for the serious off-roader. These folks need to find a chain driven transfer case not the clutch type.

My sentiments exactly. Even if it's not leisure sport offroading but doing work in fields etc it's really easy to get stuck in a wet soft ground farm field in the spring/fall even in 4wd. Anyone who's driven vehicles off road with fully locking diffs in comparison to anything like an AWD will tell you it isn't even a contest. Although this truck eats deep snow even in ****** tires I could get by with AWD realistically, but I do leave the road so there's no question. Don't have a clue wtf I'm going to do for my next truck because it looks like it's getting harder to do what I do in a half ton and I didn't want to move up to an HD model. I'm already considering telling my family to get my brothers to step up to their farm jobs so I don't have to buy a truck based on their needs

Matty Moo · Dec 12, 2016

SyN said:
Marty: I agree!

I do believe this transfer case was created for the grocery getter/Daily Comuter who sometimes needs a four-wheel-drive to help get them to and from. (those who very seldom leave the tarmac\interstate\highway/pavement). I am really curious just to see how deep of snow this transfer case would be able to handle (Non Off-Road) even though tires play a huge part in this as well.

It was definitely not created for the serious off-roader. These folks need to find a chain driven transfer case not the clutch type.

I've driven down long roads where the snow was maybe 2' deep. It handles it just fine, of course this is without the Goodyears that come on the truck. When I've been in clay/mud or needed 4-lo it wasn't an issue either.

For regular 1/2 ton duty the t-case is perfectly fine. If mud bogs or extreme off-roading are somebody's thing then forget it.

VB712 · Dec 12, 2016

So apparently dextron III ATF can be used in the 44-44 instead of the expensive mopar stuff?

Hemi395 · Dec 12, 2016

VB712 said:
So apparently dextron III ATF can be used in the 44-44 instead of the expensive mopar stuff?

That's what I've read on other forums. Haven't actually tested this yet. Currently I'm running Amsoil SS Multivehicle ATF in my BW 44-44 and it works fine. If you're under warranty I would recommend staying with the Mopar 44-44 fluid...

Murphy Slaw · Dec 13, 2016

Rough count so far looks like 15 people are perfectly happy with it.

A handful don't like it, but didn't say they actually owned one, just didn't like the concept.

No failures up to this point in the thread.

6.7CumminsDrvr · Dec 13, 2016

Mine didn't fail but it did overheat and the "reduced performance" message popped up. I was just tooling around on the Eglin Reservation in loose terrain (Florida panhandle) with my wife and 3 girls, nothing difficult by ANY means. The sounds eminating from the tcase as the clutches engage and re-engage is wonderful

Edit: see avatar and you can see what the terrain looked like.

SyN · Dec 13, 2016

Yup: Once again---->Anything that involves extended time of med/severe Off-Road 4WD use with this Transfer Case best be thought out.

It is what some call the (Yuppie) Transfer Case!
As long as I have No issues with On-Road driving in Snow/Ice I will have no complaints. My TC will be receiving more frequent service intervals due to the clutch style design. 2qts is a cheap service!

I know Shawn towed his 5k-lb in-closed trailer within many snow/ice storms in Utah with no complaints about this TC. He towed most of the time in 2WD but some of the time in auto. He bragged a handful of times of how flawlessly this transfer case operated especially after he drained the factory fill of ATF out.

https://youtu.be/fd3BnOEIYXY

huntergreen · Dec 13, 2016

SyN said:
Yup: Once again---->Anything that involves extend med/severe Off-Road 4WD use with this Transfer Case best be thought out.

It is what some call the (Yuppie) Transfer Case!
As long as I have No issues with On-Road driving in Snow/Ice I will have no complaints. My TC will be receiving more frequent service intervals due to the clutch style design. 2qts is a cheap service!

I know Shawn towed his 5k-lb in-closed trailer within many snow/ice storms in Utah with no complaints about this TC. He towed most of the time in 2WD but some of the time in auto. He bragged a handful of times of how flawlessly this transfer case operated especially after he drained the factory fill of ATF out.

https://youtu.be/fd3BnOEIYXY

syn... for on road use in all conditions, your transfer case will be fine. i have traveled up the hill to get home many times in conditions other 4wd trucks owners shun. btw, its called breakneck road and runs parallel to a ski slope. never an issue. tires and skill also play a big role.

Hemi395 · Dec 16, 2016

I will say, my 44-44 has performed great in deep snow. However I have AT tires so there wasn't a whole lot of wheel spin.

But with that said, I do have beaches around me that you can drive out on. I just don't trust the 44-44 not to leave me stranded out on the beach because it overheated due to all the clutch engagement.

Guess it's for the better really. Driving out on the beach is a surefire way to rot the truck out prematurely...

PCT · Dec 16, 2016

crash68 said:
You don't. If you don't have the Auto 4X4 button, you have the Borg Warner 44-45 part time transfer case. The front shaft is not connected via a clutch pack like the 44-44.

They use the same fluid right? Do they have the same "issues"

Hemi395 · Dec 16, 2016

PCT said:
They use the same fluid right? Do they have the same "issues"

No the 44-45 takes ATF+4 and the 44-44 takes ridiculously expensive special fluid from the dealer.

And no they do not have the same issues. The 44-45 mechanically locks the front and rear wheels together for a true 4wd. The 44-44 uses a clutch to "lock" the front and rear wheels together except when the throttle is released, the clutch disengages. When the throttle is pressed again, the rear wheels spin a few revolutions before the clutch engages again powering the front wheels. This happens even in 4Lock and 4Low.

PCT · Dec 16, 2016

Hemi395 said:
No the 44-45 takes ATF+4 and the 44-44 takes ridiculously expensive special fluid from the dealer.

And no they do not have the same issues. The 44-45 mechanically locks the front and rear wheels together for a true 4wd. The 44-44 uses a clutch to "lock" the front and rear wheels together except when the throttle is released, the clutch disengages. When the throttle is pressed again, the rear wheels spin a few revolutions before the clutch engages again powering the front wheels. This happens even in 4Lock and 4Low.

Uh-oh... I went to the local chrysler dealer and they sold me the borg warner expensive as fluid (The blue **** i think) I wonder if thats why my truck makes a grinding sound while in engagine reverse and shifts into 4th. I have been driving it with for roughly 30k miles

Sounds like the 44-45 is much better than the 44-44, why would someone pay more for it lol

Hemi395 · Dec 16, 2016

PCT said:
Uh-oh... I went to the local chrysler dealer and they sold me the borg warner expensive as fluid (The blue **** i think) I wonder if thats why my truck makes a grinding sound while in engagine reverse and shifts into 4th. I have been driving it with for roughly 30k miles

Sounds like the 44-45 is much better than the 44-44, why would someone pay more for it lol

First off, do you have the 44-45?

Is this the fluid they gave you for the low low price of $42/quart?

PCT · Dec 16, 2016

Hemi395 said:
First off, do you have the 44-45?

Is this the fluid they gave you for the low low price of $42/quart?

I must, i only have 2wd 4 lock and 4 low, and yup

Hemi395 · Dec 16, 2016

PCT said:
I must, i only have 2wd 4 lock and 4 low, and yup

Well the good news is you have the better tcase. Congrats!

The bad news is the dealer sold you, or rather, ***** you for the wrong fluid. I would get that out and put in some ATF+4 like Castrol Transmax ATF+4. Had good luck with this fluid.

Probably not hurting anything but still its not the right fluid and that would bug me...

VB712 · Dec 16, 2016

I pretty much never use 4wd. I have the 44-44 transfer case. Not sure if the fluid has ever been changed and I'm at 46k. I plan to change it in a few months. I think I'm going to try dextron III or multi vehicle ATF. I just can't justify the expensive mopar fluid when I'm sure it's nothing special and there's plenty of folks in this world that run other fluid in their 44-44 just because they don't know any better.

Hemi395 · Dec 16, 2016

I've been running Amsoil MVATF in my 44-44 since the beginning of October and mine is working perfectly. I had emailed Amsoil back and forth several times and they assured me this fluid meets the BW 44-44 specs and it would be covered under their warranty. This way I know theres a full synthetic fluid in my tcase that can take high heat operation and at $13/quart, its much cheaper than the Mopar BW 44-44 fluid. The Mopar fluid I'm guessing is not synthetic although I don't know that for sure.

Anyone HAPPY with Borg Warner 44-44 / Auto 4WD

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