I haven't had any problems. Should I have the need to overcome the issues some are describing I have installed Brandon's clutch lockup switch and modified the system to be able to turn off ESC & TCS on the fly.
I don't understand all the complaining, it works as it's advertised to work in theory and in actual use.
I have empathy, but not for statements like, "This all sounds good in theory. If it actually worked this way in practice". All I'm trying to relate is that it does work as advertised. And there are solutions for deficiencies for others who "may even use their trucks differently".
If I've said anything wrong I will gladly accept the criticism and make a correction, but I don't need a lecture on empathy.
Sorry if this gets a little long, but here's a little back story, and why I'm unhappy with the 44-44/the way it was marketed/sold, and why I said, "..sounds good in theory......"
I read the literature, including the whole bit about how 4wd lock " maximizes torque to the
front driveshaft, forcing the front and rear wheels to rotate at the same speed." I took this to mean that when 4wd lock (and 4lo) was selected, the front and rear drive shafts would be locked together, and that it would behave just like a traditional part time transfer case. The salesman at the dealership also assured me that this is how it worked. Having had other vehicles (although not FCA) with similar electronic shift transfer cases with both "auto" and "lock" modes, I had no cause to doubt that this was in fact how the 44-44 operated.
A little while after purchase, I was doing some construction at my home, and needed to back a trailer load of decking material into position next to my house. Because of the way my yard slopes, I had to back uphill, with a slight off camber angle. I first tried to position the trailer with the truck in 2wd, which lead to the rear tires slipping, and the back of the truck sliding sideways. I re positioned the truck, and put it in 4lo thinking that this would give me enough traction(assistance from the front wheels) to prevent the sliding.
I only made it about half way up the slope before the rear tires spun, and the back of the truck slid sideways again. I thought "maybe the case didn't fully engage or something", so I pulled forward, re positioned, and tried it again. Same thing happened, rear tires spun, and no front wheel engagement.
The only way I could get the front wheels to engage, was to stay on the throttle after the rear wheels slipped.
It was after this incident that I really dug into the operation of the 44-44 case, and discovered that it uses a ball ramp and electromagnetic clutch to engage the front drive shaft in all 4x4 modes. I thought perhaps the clutch was worn, or that there was something else wrong with my transfer case. The truck was still under warranty, so I took it to the dealership to be looked at. The service tech at the dealership informed me that "There is nothing wrong, your T-case is functioning as designed."
It doesn't seem to matter which 4x4 mode is selected, I always get about 180 degrees of rear wheel rotation before the front wheels engage, and the dealership service department insists that this is "normal operation".
In doing more research, I discovered that due to different manufacturing tolerances in the clutch packs, some of the 44-44 cases have almost no rear slip, and others require even more than mine, to engage the front shaft.
Had I known that this is how the 44-44 is designed to operate, I would have opted for a lower trim level truck with a true part time case (44-45).
I could do like you have done, and get one of Brandon's switches, but that wouldn't change that I and many other buyers were mislead about how the 44-44 is "designed to operate".
