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

[Hemi395]

When I'm in 4low I have 4 wheels moving before spin. In fact , I can't spin my wheels in 4low, I've tried. I'm still failing to see the flaw here.

The flaw here is if you put the truck in 4Low and hold the brakes, the rear wheels spin and the front's don't. It's basically burning the clutch in the 44-44. Can't do that with the 44-45.

 

[Gump]

Once again, why would anyone do that? I've never had an urge to do that with any truck.

 

[baydog]

When I'm in 4low I have 4 wheels moving before spin. In fact , I can't spin my wheels in 4low, I've tried. I'm still failing to see the flaw here.

If you can't spin your tire in 4 low, you likely don't need four low, unless you are trying to pull something VERY heavy. I could go out my door right now and spin every tire on my truck in 4 low, and every tire on My wife's jeep on ice and snow.
The reality is that this transfer case actually will not provide 4 wheel drive in any setting until wheel spin has been sensed. This is especially a problem on side hills in snow/ice when the rears spin allowing the rear of the truck to slide down hill before sending power to the fronts. Happens to me every time I back my sled trailer in my yard all winter long. The rears slip on packed snow/ice setting the truck out of whack with lining the trailer up the yard. Absolute pain in the ass that never occurred with any other 4 wheel drive vehicle I have ever owned .This transfer case sucks for any real 4x4 use. If you have not found problems than good for you, but if you intend to use this truck as advertised, it will leave you wanting.

 

[baydog]

Once again, why would anyone do that? I've never had an urge to do that with any truck.

There is no other truck that would do this.......Because, they actually have 4 wheel drive in low. The point is that this transfer case will do it.......not that we want it to.

 

[Hemi395]

I'm not suggesting anybody do that. I'm simply saying the clutch will slip if you do, especially with the 8 speed and the extremely low first gear and reverse.

 

[Hemi395]

there is no other truck that would do this.......because, they actually have 4 wheel drive in low. The point is that this transfer case will do it.......not that we want it to.

exactly!

 

[Gump]

I'm going to be taking mine out to do some off road stuff this next week. We'll see how it goes.

 

[yillbs]

If you can't spin your tire in 4 low, you likely don't need four low, unless you are trying to pull something VERY heavy. I could go out my door right now and spin every tire on my truck in 4 low, and every tire on My wife's jeep on ice and snow.
The reality is that this transfer case actually will not provide 4 wheel drive in any setting until wheel spin has been sensed. This is especially a problem on side hills in snow/ice when the rears spin allowing the rear of the truck to slide down the hill before sending power to the fronts. Happens to me every time I back my sled trailer in my yard all winter long. The rears slip on packed snow/ice setting the truck out of whack with lining the trailer up the yard. Absolute pain in the ass that never occurred with any other 4 wheel drive vehicle I have ever owned.This transfer case sucks for any real 4x4 use. If you have not found problems than good for you, but if you intend to use this truck as advertised, it will leave you wanting.

Here is a great video of the 44-44 in action using 4 AUTO. He purposely gets it's stuck on a small ICE hill where 2WD won't work, puts it in 4 Auto, then gives it gas. Doing -exactly- as it's advertised. The amount of wheel spin is literally nano seconds. If you're putting your 44-44 in 4lo, and are not getting front wheels engaged, then you have a faulty unit. My front wheels are working in 4LO and 4LOCK without the need for rear wheel spin. I have a 44-44

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiVFBAb5iCk

When he goes on the snow and puts it in 4lock, the front wheels spin before the rear wheels spin.

Here is a guy with the 44-44 in 4LO spinning front and back at idle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDGSfPxSWeQ

The problem with idle is at 1400 RPMS unless you're on something VERY slippery, their isn't enough torque to even move those front wheels. Based on my own experience, and what I can see with my own eyes, the complaints are just lack of understanding of how the system works. Clearly, it's doing exactly as one would expect, how could anyone say otherwise. It all just goes back to what I said before, this is nothing more than preference.

 

[yillbs]

The flaw here is if you put the truck in 4Low and hold the brakes, the rear wheels spin and the front's don't. It's basically burning the clutch in the 44-44. Can't do that with the 44-45.

You're kind of missing the point. I don't know about your setup , but I have 35 inch mud tires , breaking traction literally takes a tiny blip of the gas, I can just spin and spin. Putting it in 4lo Andre it can't be replicated. 4lo and 4lock don't require wheel spin in order to engage the front tires.

 

[Hemi395]

You're kind of missing the point. I don't know about your setup , but I have 35 inch mud tires , breaking traction literally takes a tiny blip of the gas, I can just spin and spin. Putting it in 4lo Andre it can't be replicated. 4lo and 4lock don't require wheel spin in order to engage the front tires.

My setup is 2" level with stock size AT tires.

Here's a video of a truck similar to your setup illustrating that it does indeed spin the rear tires before the front engage, if they actually do engage right away as shown here:

http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/ActiveShooter556/media/Video2_zpsed67d649.mp4.html

 

[yillbs]

My setup is 2" level with stock size AT tires.

Here's a video of a truck similar to your setup illustrating that it does indeed spin the rear tires before the front engage, if they actually do engage right away as shown here:

Video2_zpsed67d649.mp4 Video by ActiveShooter556 | Photobucket

I've posted two videos, and mine, showing in 4lo / lock front tires spin before rear in some cases. Also shown that their is no delay, especially like the one in the video you just showed. IF you know that person, let them know they should get their truck into service, as something is wrong with it.

 

[yillbs]

If you can't spin your tire in 4 low, you likely don't need four low, unless you are trying to pull something VERY heavy. I could go out my door right now and spin every tire on my truck in 4 low, and every tire on My wife's jeep on ice and snow.
The reality is that this transfer case actually will not provide 4 wheel drive in any setting until wheel spin has been sensed. This is especially a problem on side hills in snow/ice when the rears spin allowing the rear of the truck to slide down hill before sending power to the fronts. Happens to me every time I back my sled trailer in my yard all winter long. The rears slip on packed snow/ice setting the truck out of whack with lining the trailer up the yard. Absolute pain in the ass that never occurred with any other 4 wheel drive vehicle I have ever owned .This transfer case sucks for any real 4x4 use. If you have not found problems than good for you, but if you intend to use this truck as advertised, it will leave you wanting.

How do you explain the front wheels spinning in 4lo at IDLE in the videos I posted? It sounds to me like you too should visit the dealer.

 

[baydog]

How do you explain the front wheels spinning in 4lo at IDLE in the videos I posted? It sounds to me like you too should visit the dealer.

My dealer has had my transfer case apart three times in 45,000 miles trying to make it better. They have also rebuilt my transmission twice because of the clutches engaging in my transfer case beating the crap out of first gear in my transmission. The reality is that this system sucks. You can post all you want and praise Dodge all you want, there are lots of us that have been running 4 wheel drive trucks for a long time that can say without a doubt that this transfer case sucks. If you are happy with yours, then good for you, but many of us are not.
I don't just go out and try to make this thing suck, I try to not make it suck and stay out of trouble. My job requires 4 wheel drive as it has for many half ton trucks before this one. the only reason I still own this one is the 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty.
When the time comes that you want to follow me around in the remote woods of Maine where cell phones are useless and help could be thirty or forty miles away, I suppose i could find a way to consider your experience useful.......Until then, post up all you'd like and be happy with your Ram.

 

[yillbs]

My dealer has had my transfer case apart three times in 45,000 miles trying to make it better. They have also rebuilt my transmission twice because of the clutches engaging in my transfer case beating the crap out of first gear in my transmission. The reality is that this system sucks. You can post all you want and praise Dodge all you want, there are lots of us that have been running 4 wheel drive trucks for a long time that can say without a doubt that this transfer case sucks. If you are happy with yours, then good for you, but many of us are not.
I don't just go out and try to make this thing suck, I try to not make it suck and stay out of trouble. My job requires 4 wheel drive as it has for many half ton trucks before this one. the only reason I still own this one is the 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty.
When the time comes that you want to follow me around in the remote woods of Maine where cell phones are useless and help could be thirty or forty miles away, I suppose i could find a way to consider your experience useful.......Until then, post up all you'd like and be happy with your Ram.

The videos actually do matter. It shows what a few of you are describing is a bad transfer case. If its not operating like it does for 90% of others, then you have a problem, not the other 200k of them in the road. If the front wheels are spinning , then the system works. If you're getting stuck it's not because of your transfer case, the wheels either spin or don't. 4wd is used to gain traction, not provide forward movement. Bad tires, user error, he'll snow thickness , it all plays a factor. Its not that I'm happy with it, its missing some things I'd like to see, in fact I don't even care for it much. But the concenius and information being given about it is flat out wrong.

 

[Hemi395]

My dealer has had my transfer case apart three times in 45,000 miles trying to make it better. They have also rebuilt my transmission twice because of the clutches engaging in my transfer case beating the crap out of first gear in my transmission. The reality is that this system sucks. You can post all you want and praise Dodge all you want, there are lots of us that have been running 4 wheel drive trucks for a long time that can say without a doubt that this transfer case sucks. If you are happy with yours, then good for you, but many of us are not.
I don't just go out and try to make this thing suck, I try to not make it suck and stay out of trouble. My job requires 4 wheel drive as it has for many half ton trucks before this one. the only reason I still own this one is the 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty.
When the time comes that you want to follow me around in the remote woods of Maine where cell phones are useless and help could be thirty or forty miles away, I suppose i could find a way to consider your experience useful.......Until then, post up all you'd like and be happy with your Ram.

Wow that's pretty bad if it messed up your trans, and twice at that. Did they say why? I'm assuming because of heat from the tcase clutch burning up?

I brought mine to the dealer twice for this as well. Was told both times it's "operating as designed" even though they saw the video I posted earlier of only my trucks rear wheels spinning in 4Low.

 

[Gump]

100K mile warranty or not, you should go get a different truck. It's fairly obvious that one can't handle what you do with it. The power wagon is specifically designed to do those things. I used my 44-44 today to climb up a pretty nasty hill covered in several inches of snow without any trouble.

 

[yillbs]

Wow that's pretty bad if it messed up your trans, and twice at that. Did they say why? I'm assuming because of heat from the tcase clutch burning up?

I brought mine to the dealer twice for this as well. Was told both times it's "operating as designed" even though they saw the video I posted earlier of only my trucks rear wheels spinning in 4Low.

Call Chrysler, and demand a region rep come look at it then. Demand to see another truck on the lot sit in snow in 4lo, and compare them side by side. They will often do things like this for the customer, if you cause enough of a scene, they will pretty much do anything you ask. I understand what you have in your truck, and I understand you see videos, but outside of 4 autos, the 4lo spins tires at idle and any other speed. It should NOT be disengaging in between spins either. You mentioned that it did that too. You can't blame the transfer case because there is something specifically wrong with your truck.

Moreover.. when in 4lo vs 2wd there is a noticeable difference when breaking. Their is considerably more torque + traction. When you throw it into 4lo and try to break ( even just moving at idle ), do you not get the standard 4WD " difficult break "? As someone who's driven many 4x4's as you said, you should have a pretty good understanding of the break affect I'm talking about yea?

 

[smiley]

Brake...

 

[Gump]

Mine tries to push through the brakes when in 4LO.

 

[yillbs]

Brake...

Lol wow, I swear my phone autocorrected !!!!