Am I getting bad info on the BW-4404?

[soloist3]

Ok, so I recently bought a 97 Mercury Mountaineer 5.0 AWD and the previous owner had removed the front driveshaft. I already figured why but considering the condition of the motor, tranny, and body I bought it anyway; $2250 and there is not a leak or signs of anything wrong (well, other than the driveshaft removal).

So, I got myself a nicely balanced front driveshaft, put it in and as I had predicted it seems the VC inside 4404 is failing (pretty sure the VC is seizing). Anyway, I call a bunch of people including a guy @ Power Ford and many of them say that the 4404 is the worst TC out there and that trying to rebuild it or replace it is like throwing money away. Is this really the case, is this TC really that bad?

So my question to you all is, I like the AWD capability of the Mountaineer, should I replace or rebuild the 4404 or is there another TC out there that might be a better swap?

Another thing, are VC's the only way that AWD is accomplished? I mean, is there a different type of AWD that doesn't use a VC? Of course the question that follows, are there any TC's that don't use a VC that I could swap into my Mountaineer.

 

[section525]

The 4404 isn't a bad transfer case. A used one can be had for $80-$150 dollars. I would do that (and have) before buying a new one or rebuilding.

Another option a lot of guys are doing is swapping in a true 4wd transfer case - the 4406. There are about six how-tos on this if you think that's an option.

 

[soloist3]

$80-$120! How and where? Every junkyard around me is asking $350-$500 for theirs (and they have 80-130k miles on them). Also, isn't it mainly the VC that goes bad? If so, wouldn't a used 4404, these days, be nearing the end of its service life anyway?