2005 4x4 won't engage even with new solenoid.
#1
2005 4x4 won't engage even with new solenoid.
So my 2005 F150 4x4 doesn't seem to want to engage. Makes for a rude awakening that it's not working when front wheels don't spin and you get stuck on a trail on the property! 4x4 light works when i shift the floor shifter. I read about problems with the solenoid on the firewall so i replaced that to no avail. There is vacuum on the one hose before i plug it into the solenoid. If i just plug the one side of the plug into the solenoid and engage the 4x4 i don't feel vacuum on the open port on the solenoid. I'm thinking if the solenoid opens correctly, i would feel vacuum. I'm not sure if that means anything. i checked fuses and didn't find any blown. Now for the other findings that may or may not be a problem. I am not very knowledgable on the inner workings of how the front differential and hubs work. I lifted the front end off the ground. The transfer case seems to work when put in and out of 4x4: The front shaft locks in and out". The right wheel hub stays locked in no matter what i do. I can't get the passenger side to lock in no matter what i do. When i spin the front drive shaft it will start to spin the short shaft going to the right wheel until it get resistance from the wheel being locked in, then i can just spin the front shaft and nothing spins on side shaft going to the wheels. That worries me but i don't fully understand how the front differential works. Thanks in advance for any insight. I know there is a ton of information out there on this subject and hopefully my problem can be narrowed down.
#4
#5
I just went through all of this. I'm about 99.9% sure it's your IWE's. I had to replace both of mine, there were stuck open so they wouldn't engage my cv shafts to the wheel. And if you have 1 stuck open your just as screwed because it's an "open" diff so the one side that's not engaging is going to get all the power because it's just spinning away.
#6
I bought a vacuum gauge today. WOW! That helped troubleshoot. My old solenoid (old design) may or may not have been bad, but I definately have bad wheel hubs. With the truck running and in 2wd, I pull the hose off one side and hook vacuum gauge up, i get nothing. The right side is shot. The left side i can still pull a little vacuum on, but it's not good either. If i plug one side (doesn't matter which) and put gauge on the other, it pulls full vacuum (~20"). Guess I'll start looking into changing out the IWE's. I know there is a wealth of info on here how to accomplish that. I'll start my personal debate with doing it myself and saving a few bucks, or forking out a few extra dollars and take it to the garage. Thanks to all who advised me. I really thought i still had a solenoid problem until i went and got the gauge. It really doesn't lie.
#7
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#8
I bought a vacuum gauge today. WOW! That helped troubleshoot. My old solenoid (old design) may or may not have been bad, but I definately have bad wheel hubs. With the truck running and in 2wd, I pull the hose off one side and hook vacuum gauge up, i get nothing. The right side is shot. The left side i can still pull a little vacuum on, but it's not good either. If i plug one side (doesn't matter which) and put gauge on the other, it pulls full vacuum (~20"). Guess I'll start looking into changing out the IWE's. I know there is a wealth of info on here how to accomplish that. I'll start my personal debate with doing it myself and saving a few bucks, or forking out a few extra dollars and take it to the garage. Thanks to all who advised me. I really thought i still had a solenoid problem until i went and got the gauge. It really doesn't lie.
#9
I think i'm going to give it a shot this weekend and save about 200 or so dollars of labor. i jacked the front end up and really tried wobbling the tires to see if there were any loose joints on either side and didn't find any play. I don't think i'll need to change any ball joints. The upper is a little pricey. How hard do those come apart? Am i going to need a tool to pop them loose. Seems like i remember there being a "fork" that hammers in to separate them? Also, can the nuts that are removed be reused or should they be replaced?