Swapping Auto 4x4 transfer case to True Part time

VA10 · May 25, 2017

OK.....I bought a 2014 6'4 bed Outdoorsman. I have the Auto 4x4 transfer case. Shame on me for assuming that it was the Outdoorsman so it was going to be the true 4x4 transfer case. From what I can tell the Outdoorsman in that year only comes with BW 44-45 (part time) transfer case if you get the '7 bed.

Is there a way to swap the bw 44-44 for the bw 44-45? I want really part time 4x4. :****sweak:

I've done extensive reading on how to properly use the 44-44 system in auto, 4HI LOCK, and 4LO. I have done some mild testing myself to understand how it works. I think for what I typically use 4wd for it should be sufficient. But I do go on trails with buddies and do not want to be the laughing stock. However, what ticks me off is I feel scammed as RAM customer. I have not taken the truck off road enough to really hate on it yet. I especially do not want to jump to conclusions because of my frustration.

The outdoorsman should have come with the part time transfer case.

Hemi395 · May 25, 2017

The short answer is yes. They are physically the same tcase, just different internals. The real question is will the electronics work. I'm sure its not as simple as swapping the 44-44 for a 44-45 and changing the dash buttons. BUT with that said, this is pure speculation no one has tried this to my knowledge...

crash68 · May 25, 2017

In 2014 the Outdoorsman with the 6.4' bed for some reason cam with the 44-44(Full time) transfer case despite the 44-45(Part time) was supposed to be standard on all of them. The following years came with 44-45. Another quirk is the axle gearing, only the 6.4' bed Outdoorsman came with the standard 3.92 gearing, the 5.7' bed could have come with either axle ratio.
To answer your question about the transfer case swap, their was a guy on another forum that tried the swap. He said the parts swapped directly but needed to get the build code changed as the operation is different (IIRC).
I'll see if I can find the post, or PM me and I'll give you a general where to look

Hemi395 · May 25, 2017

crash68 said:
In 2014 the Outdoorsman with the 6.4' bed for some reason cam with the 44-44(Full time) transfer case despite the 44-45(Part time) was supposed to be standard on all of them. The following years came with 44-45. Another quirk is the axle gearing, only the 6.4' bed Outdoorsman came with the standard 3.92 gearing, the 5.7' bed could have come with either axle ratio.
To answer your question about the transfer case swap, their was a guy on another forum that tried the swap. He said the parts swapped directly but needed to get the build code changed as the operation is different (IIRC).
I'll see if I can find the post, or PM me and I'll give you a general where to look

If you find that and it's on another forum can you PM me that as well? Thanks!

Burla · May 25, 2017

VA10 said:
However, what ticks me off is I feel scammed as RAM customer.

Yeah, for the money we shell out we should be getting some real stuff, not this soccer mom ****.

VA10 · May 25, 2017

@crash68 Thank you.

For what it is worth. I stopped by one of secret mud holes on the way home from work. I cycled through all the 4x4 options. auto, hi lock, low......TC on and TC off......from what i can tell my truck pulls pretty damn hard out of the muck....and the front wheels start pulling so fast it feels like there is no lag time for the front shaft to engage. long story short I drove away more confused. Also i am sure tires play a HUGE role with this system. I am running cooper at3s.

Is anyone happy with there Auto systems for moderate-bad trail conditions? I am not talking about rock crawling. Mostly deep snow/mud. loose heavy gravel and washed out boat ramps. Along with sand? I do a lot of fishing and hunting so naturally i get myself into places most people would not want to take a vehicle.

WilliamS · May 25, 2017

I need to find the video, we went trailing a few weeks back and a buddy was recording on his Jeep. I was in 4auto for all of it, there were plenty of situations you can see my back tires kick up some muck and less than a full tire rotation my fronts were slinging muck.

Also pulled some stumps in November. Had my wife in the truck, 4lock and every time she would dig in all 4 tires. So again I don't know what the hatred it but I've worked mine out and it hasn't failed me.

Im one of the few, perhaps the only that loves this transfer case. You can audibly hear the 4-auto kicking in on pavement when its raining. Off a light I can stomp the pedal to the floor and I get 0 spin from the rear. In 2wd same situation the rear will start to walk out sideways every time.

I know there are some situations and videos that showed the system failing or not locking. Ive tested mine and it hasnt let me down.

I dont want to sound like that guy but has yours actually failed you yet? Go out and test it. If you get stuck so be it. Dont assume its always the transfer case, I pulled out a power wagon 2 weeks ago and he had it in 4low and both diffs locked. I stayed on dry land, he burried it. Knowing how to offroad is more important in many cases than a truck with certain options.

I know guys with 2wd tacomas that make the Jeep guys in my area look bad.

pkrexer · May 25, 2017

The transfer case drives me nuts.. When I select 4wd lock, I want 4wd.. not this part time BS.

It was muddy at a job site the other day and I was trying to back up an incline. Front wheels kept engaging and disengaging as I was losing / gaining traction.. was annoying the hell out of me.

VA10 · May 26, 2017

WilliamS said:
I need to find the video, we went trailing a few weeks back and a buddy was recording on his Jeep. I was in 4auto for all of it, there were plenty of situations you can see my back tires kick up some muck and less than a full tire rotation my fronts were slinging muck.

Also pulled some stumps in November. Had my wife in the truck, 4lock and every time she would dig in all 4 tires. So again I don't know what the hatred it but I've worked mine out and it hasn't failed me.

Im one of the few, perhaps the only that loves this transfer case. You can audibly hear the 4-auto kicking in on pavement when its raining. Off a light I can stomp the pedal to the floor and I get 0 spin from the rear. In 2wd same situation the rear will start to walk out sideways every time.

I know there are some situations and videos that showed the system failing or not locking. Ive tested mine and it hasnt let me down.

I dont want to sound like that guy but has yours actually failed you yet? Go out and test it. If you get stuck so be it. Dont assume its always the transfer case, I pulled out a power wagon 2 weeks ago and he had it in 4low and both diffs locked. I stayed on dry land, he burried it. Knowing how to offroad is more important in many cases than a truck with certain options.

I know guys with 2wd tacomas that make the Jeep guys in my area look bad.

You make a valid point about the T case not performing how you want. I have yet to have used my RAM like my previous truck. So I will not know until I actually hit the beaches or trails. So, I agree with you on the fact that I need it to actually preform poorly before I can make my decision on whether or not I like or not. SO far I have to say for bad weather conditions, boat ramps, and slick muddy parking lots - it is very convenient and feels like the truck really does act as a 4x4 when you can convince the truck it should be. I have found it is easier to get the 4Hi lock to engage with turning off the traction control for obvious reasons.

Who knows maybe with learning how to properly engage the 4x4 systems it could perform just as well as the 44-45. It would just rely more on us as the driver to know how to unlock its potential.

RLJ10X · May 27, 2017

Part Time 4WD does not mean when you put your truck into 4WD, that sometimes it's 4WD, and some times not. If you put it in 4WD, it is going to be 4WD constantly until you take it out of 4WD. This mode should be called OFF ROAD 4WD.

Part Time 4WD, means that you can NOT drive it in this mode non-stop, or full time. In other words, you aren't supposed to come out of a muddy job site, in 4WD, onto a dry road, without changing changing back into 2WD. The truck can/will be driven in 4WD, only part of the total time you are driving. Confusing, isn't it?

I wonder if what PKR was experiencing was, the Brake Lock feature.

The 4WD Auto mode, in my truck, suits me, just fine. I like that l can put the truck in 4WDA/AWD, on a snowy road, and leave it alone. AWD is great for a woman, or a kid, that doesn't fully understand how to use the truck.

Yeah, theoretically, a true 4WD system is more robust. But for mud, sand, and snow, I'm sure what we have is perfectly fine. Not many of us are going to rock crawl in our trucks, any way.

Good tires, a LSD, and good technique will serve you well.

WilliamS · May 28, 2017

VA10 said:
You make a valid point about the T case not performing how you want. I have yet to have used my RAM like my previous truck. So I will not know until I actually hit the beaches or trails. So, I agree with you on the fact that I need it to actually preform poorly before I can make my decision on whether or not I like or not. SO far I have to say for bad weather conditions, boat ramps, and slick muddy parking lots - it is very convenient and feels like the truck really does act as a 4x4 when you can convince the truck it should be. I have found it is easier to get the 4Hi lock to engage with turning off the traction control for obvious reasons.

Who knows maybe with learning how to properly engage the 4x4 systems it could perform just as well as the 44-45. It would just rely more on us as the driver to know how to unlock its potential.

My Hi Lock will do exactly that as the manual states, with the traction control disabled. When traction control is on, mine does the exact same thing. The Range I go to is all sand, and same scenaio I back up about a 10 degree incline and my front wheels do all kinds of odd things, until I push that traction control button. From there its a 4x4 as it should be. Its in the manual. This is the proper operation.

CTD · May 28, 2017

I have driven through several snows and went through some decent mud, but nothing extreme. So far it has performed well in most of these situations.

Now with that said there is a few things I do not like about it. I live up on the main top of a mountain (about a 3 mile road from top to bottom). When it snows I have to go down some pretty steep sections and it would be nice to have a true locking case in these situations. The way this is set up I have to put the truck in neutral and hold steady pressure on the brakes and creep down them because if I put it in a low gear or if the trans decides to downshift the rear end tries to come around. This is freaking dangerous going down steep and slick snow covered roads!

Another problem I have had is I have a pair of metal ramps that I pull up on to change my oil. When I try to pull up on them the truck just tries to push the ramps across the dive way because I can't get the front wheels to lock to help pull the front end up on them. This is minor compared to the above issue but still irritating and should not happen.

Ram does need to realize that sometimes you need a true locking case in some situations. I love my truck and will just learn to live with it but I just can't figure out there reasoning be-hide it.

RLJ10X · May 28, 2017

CTD, are you using 4 Low to get up the ramps?

The reason that l ask is, l think that in 4 Low, all the electronic nannies are off, and you might have better luck in 4 Low. I am trying to figure the 4WD system in this truck out.

Farmer Fran · May 28, 2017

SO, playing the NEWB,

If I have a 44-44 it is the Auto (sort of like AWD but not really)? I.E. engaging the 4wd auto as needed?

If I have a 44-45 it is a true locker?

If I have a 44-44 and TC is off it acts like a 44-45?

How about making a post of what each mode on each version does? Put it as a sticky and be done with it, I.E. refer people to that sticky

CTD · May 28, 2017

RLJ10X said:
CTD, are you using 4 Low to get up the ramps?

The reason that l ask is, l think that in 4 Low, all the electronic nannies are off, and you might have better luck in 4 Low. I am trying to figure the 4WD system in this truck out.

Yea I have tried 4 lock and 4 low and it just pushes the ramps across the driveway. I can get into my little front wheel drive car and pull right up them with no problem. I've had this set of ramps for about 15 years and have owned several different cars and trucks and this is the only vehicle that's not been able to pull up them.

From what I can make of it the t case clutches will not engage in 4 lock or low because the rear wheels are not detecting enough movement/slippage so the tuck just thinks I'm parked there sitting still not allowing it to engage.

Like I said it works perfectly fine for most of my 4x4 needs. I can come up the mountain I live on in a foot of snow no problem, can't tell the difference between this t case or any other.

WilliamS · May 29, 2017

CTD said:
Yea I have tried 4 lock and 4 low and it just pushes the ramps across the driveway. I can get into my little front wheel drive car and pull right up them with no problem. I've had this set of ramps for about 15 years and have owned several different cars and trucks and this is the only vehicle that's not been able to pull up them.

From what I can make of it the t case clutches will not engage in 4 lock or low because the rear wheels are not detecting enough movement/slippage so the tuck just thinks I'm parked there sitting still not allowing it to engage.

Like I said it works perfectly fine for most of my 4x4 needs. I can come up the mountain I live on in a foot of snow no problem, can't tell the difference between this t case or any other.

I would hope a fwd car pulls itself up the ramps as those are the only tires powering the vehicle, Im not being an ass but this should be obvious.

In 4lock if you are not able to climb the ramps there is an issue somewhere. Ive never had that issue even in RWD trucks. It almost sounds like theres some braking going on in the front end of your truck. The rolling diameter of those tires to any drive on ramp should be nearly effortless.

CTD · May 29, 2017

WilliamS said:
I would hope a fwd car pulls itself up the ramps as those are the only tires powering the vehicle, Im not being an ass but this should be obvious.

In 4lock if you are not able to climb the ramps there is an issue somewhere. Ive never had that issue even in RWD trucks. It almost sounds like theres some braking going on in the front end of your truck. The rolling diameter of those tires to any drive on ramp should be nearly effortless.

Well it should be that in 4 lock the trucks front tires should be pulling just like a front wheel drive car along with the rear should that not be obvious but they are not and yes there is a issue its called the BW 44-44. I have never had a issue either until this truck and no there is not any braking going on.

Its not like I need to get on the internet and lie about a truck not being able to pull up on ramps. Also by know means am I new to working on them I have always worked on my own trucks using these same ramps for over 15 years and I have had quiet a few. It always kills me when some one gets on hear and thinks because they don't have a problem with their truck doing something then no else's should either.

There is a huge trend over in the general discussions with a lot of people having similar issues with this T case and I was not even complaining just giving my experience on what has happen with my truck.

WilliamS · May 29, 2017

CTD said:
Well it should be that in 4 lock the trucks front tires should be pulling just like a front wheel drive car along with the rear should that not be obvious but they are not and yes there is a issue its called the BW 44-45. I have never had a issue either until this truck and no there is not any braking going on.

Its not like I need to get on the internet and lie about a truck not being able to pull up on ramps. Also by know means am I new to working on them I have always worked on my own trucks using these same ramps for over 15 years and I have had quiet a few. It always kills me when some one gets on hear and thinks because they don't have a problem with their truck doing something then no else's should either.

There is a huge trend over in the general discussions with a lot of people having similar issues with this T case and I was not even complaining just giving my experience on what has happen with my truck.

Man people on the internet are quick to react slow to read. I said there was an issue if it didnt climb the ramps. In fact it is exactly in your quote as well.

"In 4lock if you are not able to climb the ramps there is an issue somewhere." There is a cause to the issue, its finding it that most give up. It can be anywhere from software to the clutch in the transfer case being worn. I didnt say you dont know how to drive or operate your truck did I? If I did I apologize, but Im fairly certain I stated something wasnt right if you cant get up those ramps.

Im well aware there is a thread of people who complain about the transfer case, Im in there trying to guide people in there. So easy there no one is calling you a liar. Im not sure what forums you have been on where everyone wants to attack everything you say, guess what this isnt it, so calm down.

Breathe deep, relax. A forum is to help.

CTD · May 29, 2017

WilliamS said:
Man people on the internet are quick to react slow to read. I said there was an issue if it didnt climb the ramps. In fact it is exactly in your quote as well.

"In 4lock if you are not able to climb the ramps there is an issue somewhere." There is a cause to the issue, its finding it that most give up. It can be anywhere from software to the clutch in the transfer case being worn. I didnt say you dont know how to drive or operate your truck did I? If I did I apologize, but Im fairly certain I stated something wasnt right if you cant get up those ramps.

Im well aware there is a thread of people who complain about the transfer case, Im in there trying to guide people in there. So easy there no one is calling you a liar. Im not sure what forums you have been on where everyone wants to attack everything you say, guess what this isnt it, so calm down.

Breathe deep, relax. A forum is to help.

If I took your quote out of context then I do apologize. I guess it is hard some times reading vs actually talking to some one. Again my apologizes. :favorites13:

WilliamS · May 29, 2017

CTD said:
If I took your quote out of context then I do apologize. I guess it is hard some times reading vs actually talking to some one. Again my apologizes.

No worries.

The biggest issue to everyone with this 4x4 system is software plain and simple. Even though the front brakes shouldnt be engaged something is doing this. My truck lurches a bit from stop lights on occasion, Ive seen it on my scanner that the brakes are being held, by my best guess is the hill assist.

Try this next time and see if it works better as my hill assist is turned off and it still engages. Back up from the ramps several feet, put in 4 lock and just let the truck crawl to them. Does it climb or shove? I really do want this answer.

Swapping Auto 4x4 transfer case to True Part time

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