So I had the issue of my 4x4 not engaging, and I had that grinding / squeeling sound of the IWE Actuator/Hub grinding on the passanger side. My solenoid has the rain hood, and I'm getting vacuum. From the research I had done it looks like the actuator needed to be replaced. So I did that, no water was in the old one. Get the new one on, engine is off, no vacuum so hub is in the release position. Trying to get it to spline, but it seems to be sticking out 1/4" too far and will not engage, axle wont spin.

I was following instruction from this video, see at 16:00

I'm wondering if I have other issues. Hub? Axle?

 

I would assume it would be the hub assembly not much that go wrong with the CV shaft

 

I'm not convinced it's the hub. The axle has to sit in further. I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing wrong, but don't see why it should be complicated. From that video above he has it splined with no vacuum, but mentions ford states to use vacuum to suck in the actuator. Does anyone have a video or write up on how ford recommends doing it?

 

Engine off = no vacuum = IWE locked. Vacuum is used to unlock them.

I would suggest that you check the teeth for possible debris that are preventing the teeth in the IWE from engaging. It's pretty common for stuff to fall in there while things are apart.

 

http://www.f150forum.com/f72/how-dia...72/?styleid=14

Did you inspect the hub for gear damage? How much grease did you put in there? It would take a lot of grease, but that could cause your issue. Are you sure the IWE is bolted straight onto the steering knuckle?

 

Follow up...
Took it apart again, inspected hub, iwe, and gears all look good. Put it together per fords handbook and was encountering the same issue, axle was sitting back about 1/4" too short, preventing the gears to spline. Got tired of dealing with this and took it to ford. Ended up having a bend in the cv shaft, not visible to the eye. New one is in, 4x4 is engaging, all is well.

 

Wow, how did you bend a CV shaft? I'm guessing the axle nut was loose?

 

The axle didn't seem loose when I was messing around with it, I guess there's a tight tolerance and a small bend made it get caught up. From what the tech showed me the bend was where the hub / actuator meet. My only guess how this happened was the deep pot hole I hit 2 years ago, threw my alignment off pretty good, but I had no known issues until recently.

 

Well that proves me wrong Lol apperently a bent CV shaft though very odd to happen will cause that lol

 

With as flexible as both CV joints are, I can't see a pothole causing that without also causing massive damage to other suspension parts. The CV joint would break before that shaft would bend. I suspect someone didn't install it right: either they didn't tighten the axle nut or forgot to install it at all.