This weekend I had the rare oppurtunity to lock the truck into 4LO and go through an old small mud hole. Nothing spectacular, actually it was very small, but as we all know those Badyear AT/S tires with 30k on them aren't very reliable.

I actually entered the hole (probable as long as the truck) in 2wd and it went through until my front tires are almost out and started digging. I probably could have put it in 4HI and came right out, but I wanted to use 4LO. I put the truck in Neutral, turned my **** over to 4LO gave it time to engage and put it back into Drive. When I stepped on the gas it started pulling right out of the hole and all of the sudden it sounded like it dropped out of 4wd and I heard a clunk and then what I think sounded like a gear grinding? My question is...What could it have been?

After it dropped out like that I didn't want to get stranded out in the woods because there's no cell phone service or anyone to call on the radio out that far. So I put it in 4HI and it pulled on out of the hole. I don't want to break anything and I think that's the second time I've have to use the 4LO, but would still like to figure it out before I pass 36k miles!

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies!

 

maybe someone will correct me here, but you don't use 4LO when you need high rpm tire spin to get out of mud. 4LO is more for pulling things when you have low traction (boat out of water on a slick or muddy boat ramp, tree stump out of the ground, etc.).

with what you described, you needed 4HI. about the clunk? heck maybe it was that you had the rpm's too high for 4LO.

 

More than likely it was one of your IWEs disengaging when it should not have. The solenoids for engaging the hubs have been known to have problems and spontaneously engage/disengage. I believe there is a TSB that details a troubleshooting technique. If you're under warranty take it to the dealer.

 

not neccesarily....i used 4Lo alot when we went wheeling. as well as everyone else. 4LO is very helpfull when going through different types of mud and terrain.

 

Well if that's the case I did not know that! If so then now I know. The RPMs weren't that high though, it was coming out easily and then slipped out??


I might be an idiot, but what's a IWE? Is that something the dealership should look at?

Thanks again for the replies...keep them coming!


Ok, I just typed this reply and when I came back there was two more responses!! Thanks again and I guess I'll take it up to the dealership and let them take a look at it. I don't know alot about how the new 4wds work, and I've been reading a little before I take it to them so they don't try to pull one over on me.

 

Sorry. Integrated Wheel End, it is the automatic hubs on the 04+ F150. The system was designed for Ford by Warn. There is some information on the Warn web site about them.

 

Alright I'm going to try and get to the dealer this week, but with finals and work it's going to be tough, so I'll let ya know what they have to say. Thanks again!

 

Pat, you might need the extra gearing 4lo provides with those 38's, stock I would never mud in 4lo.

As for your problem, you might have a damaged tcase. I've posted a lot of info on the 4wd system, I am sure kd4rcs has it right with the IWE's not fully engaging or disengaging when they're not supposed to.

To find out if this is the problem, engage 4wd, put your truck under a load (go up a dirt hill where wheelspin will be certain), when it disengages again have someone look at your front driveshaft and see if that is disengaging. If your driveshaft is disengaging it didn't make its way to the IWE's. It's your tcase, remove the electric shift motor (3 bolts if I remember correctly) and manually engage 4wd with a crescent wrench. If it no longer falls out of 4wd you are lucky and its your electric shift motor not engaging completely. Get a new one for $100 @ car-parts.com and install it yourself. Very easy.

If the front driveshaft continues to spin then it's you're IWE's without question. Check for a vacuum leak with a vacuum pressure tool @ autozone/kragens/checkers they usually rent them out. If there is no leak and it's holding pressure in the lines, then simply remove the hose from the IWE solenoid and try the hill again. This causes the safety lockout mode where the hubs are auto locked when not enough vacuum is present. This unfortunately also causes a lot of damaged hubs on the street.

Please don't let me type this for nothing and take it to heart, attempt to do it yourself because you are not harming anything and you'll have your truck in your posession, not the stealerships. I've posted pix of diagrams I've drawn of the IWE system, it makes it very easy to find the vacuum lines this way.

 

Thanks a lot Josiah!! I will for sure check it out this week!! I appreciate the lengthy explanation and solution!! Let's hope it's the IWE and not the case. I have only locked it in twice where it did it, and probably 5 other times. I only use it when im up at the huntin camp cause it's a little nasty sometimes.

Are you saying we shouldn't use 4LO when stock meaning the tires aren't meant to be turned with that gear ratio? That kind of makes sense. Hopefully in a month or two I can get some 35s and then go up from there.

Thanks again everyone, I knew f150online would help me out!

 

4lo is perfectly fine, I'm saying I never bogged down in 4hi while mudding stock so I would never choose 4lo as long as thats the case. Now as I sit on 37's I can only use 4lo to climb hills as 4hi will bog far too much. I have stock 3.73's...if I was running 4.88's I'd go back to using 4hi.

 

Ok, that's what I thought. I cant wait to get some 37s.

 

Ya man, I think the 4WD is a little sketchy in these trucks. I haven't had any problems yet, but I do hear some unnecessary noise when shifting in and out from time to time. Hell with your truck being stock and still under warranty take it up to the dealership and see what they say if it is still doing it. How's Jville? I 'll be back down there soon for that Florida weather!

 

My Ranger did that once. I was in 4-LO coming up my driveway in the snow. I really gunned it and it CLUNKED really loud and popped right out of 4-LO, I think into 2-High, although the lever didn't move.

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It seems like your question was answered, so excuse me while I sidetrack for a minute here...

I thought all the newer 4wd systems used a live front axle -- where the front axle and driveshaft always turned even while in 2wd. I thought when you engaged the 4x4 switch that something clicked together in the tcase to distribute the power to the front driveshaft also...

At least, that's how the Ranger was. There were no hubs.

Where are our hubs located? I assumed our whole front axles would just come out as one piece and just throw another one in there if it broke?

 

Yeah Cannon - it's nice but it's getting hot and I work in yards, so it's fun!! Whenever you get back in town hit me up we'll get together and do some wheeling.

And go ahead deapee, no problem.

 

All 04-up 4x4's have vacuum hubs at the wheels that are normally engaged (that is locked in the abscense of vacuum, when there is vac they unlock) and an IFS version of the ford 8.8 differential with exposed axle shafts (similar to cv shafts on a fwd car). When in 2 HI the front driveshaft and axle shafts are idle, when you engage 4 hi, the front output of T. Case is engaged and vac is removed from the front hubs and now the front driveshaft and axles are turning.
Whether you have E.S.O.F. or manual 4x4 (stick on the floor) the systems are basically the same. the only difference is with the stick you are manually engaging the t. case and with Electronic Shift On the Fly it's engaged electrically. The front hubs are still electro/pnuematically controlled on both systems.
This was done to improve mileage on 4x4's to what an identically equipped 2wd gets (driveline losses are virtually identical until you engage 4wd). Having the front driveline engaged all the time and just locking in the hubs when needed would be a significant penalty in mileage.