I have a 2016 RAM 1500, Big Horn, with the 5.7 HEMI and BW44-44 transfer case. There are two Mopar fluids for this transfer case:
- for BW44-44 transfer cases pre-2016: 68089195AA
- for BW44-44 transfer cases 2016 or newer: 68049954AC
My first conundrum is this: my truck was actually manufactured sometime in mid-2015 or the second half of 2015 for the 2016 model year. So, do I go by the model year or by the manufacturing year? Because with FCA (now Stellantis), you never know.
So then I decided to look up the transfer case part number, and sure enough, it's
Mopar 68360094AC, which is suitable for Ram 1500 Classic trucks built between 2011 all the way up to 2020. This part number replaces a bunch of other part numbers:
52123492AB, 52123492AC, 52123492AD, 52123492AE, 68292013AA, 68292013AB, 68292013AC, 68292013AD, 68360094AA, 68360094AB, RL123492AB, RL123492AC, RL123492AD, RL123492AE, RL292013AA
So let's say I have to replace my BW44-44 transfer case with a brand new one because my old one went wrong, and I get a Mopar 68360094AC BW44-44 transfer case. Which Mopar transfer case fluid do I use? Do I go by the truck's build year? I am sure that by now, you guys can see the idiocy of this.
I have never seen a bottle of 68049954AC, so I have no clue what viscosity grade it is. But on the back of 68089195AA, it says "ISO 32 viscosity grade," which essentially is low viscosity ATF, similar to Valvoline MaxLife Multi-Vehicle ATF. Does anyone here know if Mopar 68049954AC is a thicker ATF, like Amsoil Red, for example, which, strangely enough, is what Amsoil recommends for all BW44-44 transfer cases, when in fact, Amsoil Blue is their low viscosity ATF.
I have a preference for Redline fluids, knowing their commitment to genuine synthetic oils. So I emailed Mr. David Grandquist at Redline Oil asking about what they recommend for the BW44-44 transfer case. Knowing that both Amsoil and Castrol had a recommendation for the BW44-44 transfer case, I was a bit shocked when I received his reply:
We don’t offer a recommendation for the BW 44-44 transfer case fluid specifically because the requirements aren’t released and our additive supplier doesn’t offer a suitable package. As far as what is so special it is hard to say for sure. These unique transfer case fluids often are developed with critical and specific frictional characteristics to provide desired operation performance. In transfer cases where a unique fluid is called for and the exact qualities are not available we don’t offer a recommendation.
I am not so much against paying for the overpriced Mopar fluids, as I want to get the best wear protection. I mean, I might as well get a bottle of Lubegard Platinum ATF Protectant along with a jug of Valvoline MaxLife ATF if that gives me the best protection and smoothest engagement. I find it so weird that Castrol recommends both low viscosity ATF and regular Multi-Vehicle ATF for the BW44-44 case, while Amsoil recommends the thicker ATF fluid for this application. What is the correct fluid that I need to use? What are you guys using? If I buy the expensive Mopar fluid, which one do I need to get? I mean, spending Redline money on Mopar fluids is kind of sacrilege to me.