wow that is the perfect description. I almost thought i had a metal banding wedged under my truck. I will have my iwe solenoid tomorrow. Hope this does the trick.

 

First of all this information has been great. Thank you all for posting.

I have the same grinding/noise problem in my passenger side front hub. I have checked the double line going up to the system with a vacuum checker and it held pressure at 20psi with engine off. I also checked it with engine on and it supplied the 20psi without me having to pump it so that seems to be working correctly. Right? Next, I pulled a vacuum using my vacuum checker straight off of the hub and it held with very minimal leaking. So that seems to be working correctly. I am continuing to get the noise though when everything is hooked back up. Currently I have the lines unhooked so that the hubs stay locked and the noise is gone, but I really need to get to the root of this problem. Do yall have any suggestions on this?

 

I am going to say you did the troubleshooting right, but yours just might be bad, mine still clicks even after I fixed it, the tire shop left the hose off when they replaced my ball joints and I drove on it for a while, here is the thing, depending on how much you want to put into the truck I would just leave it disconnected it's not really going effect anything at all other than maybe 1 Mpg or less, the GM's run all the time with the axle's engaged, the Ford AWS is a "better" way from an engineering perspective, but with the maintenance issues maybe the older way is better... Oh, if you do swap them out please send some pics if you can, I'd like to see how it's done.

-Tim

 

where are the actuators located?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=148Ea...JSVs_O-ucsyWOw

btw for everyone i just found this video on youtube, very helpful for me and maybe for others check it out.

 

I've worked the entire day and night putting a leveling kit, new upper control arms, new tie rod ends on, and a new IWE on one side, the other side holds vacuum. I put a new IWE actuator control valve on as well brand new.

I can lock the truck in 4x4 and it seems to do ok sitting still, put a load on it. However going down the road in 2WD it seems to cut in and out engaging and disengaging every now and then.

Before I did any of this it was okay in 2WD except when it was super cold outside I'd get a whine and grinding sound thus the reason for replacing one of the IWE's, however when in 4x4 it would grind on one side under a load. One side never made a sound and its the driver side. Now tonight after doing all that work something one side sounds likes its rubbing, and the other side sounds like its kicking in an out. I am almost 100% sure it is directly related to the IWE because there is nothing else that can rub. I am pretty sure I put everything back together correctly, pulled the CV axle back into the IWE hub What could this be?

 

ChrisCarter

Have you replaced the solenoid on the firewall?

You also want to make sure the cv axle, actuator, and hub are spinning as a unit while you are tightening everything down so nothing gets stripped or bound up, potentially destroying expensive brand new parts.

Another culprit could be the check valves near the firewall coming from the Solenoid and intake. I had one that was bad (there are 2). You can check these by removing them and blowing air through them like a straw. You should only be able to blow through with your mouth on the white end. I would recommend sourcing these from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Motorcraft-YG3.../dp/B000C5HZ24. Part number YG-360. Another number on the box reads: XR3Z-19A563-AA, but that number seems to yield higher prices. The dealer I sourced them from charged close to $15 including tax for each. As you can see amazon sells them for around $2.42.

Good luck, and please write back with your results to help others.

 

Would shooting a little bit of WD-40 in it help in dealing with the moisture issue?

 

Can anyone tell me what exactly is making the grinding noise? I have been driving around with the noise for awhile. I'm not sure what problems this could have caused. I just ordered a replacement solenoid to see if that solves the problem. Thanks.

Also what is the small vacuum line for? I noticed that my was cracked between the engine and the solenoid.

 

Can anyone help with these questions? Primarily if a hole in the vent line between the engine and the solenoid needs to be replaced. Thanks.

 

Well I finally got my replacement IWE solenoid. Turns out it is the older model without the hood. Nonetheless I replaced it and the sound still exists. I guess the next step is to buy a vacuum pump and test the IWE actuators. Hopefully I can narrow it down. I hope its not a vacuum leak because that sounds like more work.

 

Vacuum box (between fender and battery). I gave it a shake and heard what sounded water so I proceeded to shake/pour out all of the water in it and put it in the oven to dry it out completely. I hope that's the issue. Every time I disconnect the lines I immediately get a sound of gas escaping.

 

Today I tested my IWE system because I have heard the grinding sound twice this week. I disconnected the lines from the solenoid on the firewall and connected them using a hose I had laying around. I started the engine and drove to the store to get a vacuum pump. There was no grinding on the way to the store. When I got out I checked the axles and they were disengaged from the wheels, they turned by hand freely. I was in the parts store for 20 minutes and when I came out the axles were still disengaged. This told me my system is holding vacuum perfectly. I went by Ford and bought the new style solenoid. Everything is back to original and the 4wd works. Thanks for all the write-ups.

 

I'm a brand new member here, but a spy for years. Any time I have had an issue with my 2008 F150 I always found an answer here.

I have had almost every problem with my 08 that I have found on here, my trany shift, I had my ilder pully go bad, windshield leak(new windshield), and my 4X4 trying to engage. A few years back I replaced my IWE solenoid, problem went away.

NOW, my problem with 4x4 has returned. I have a vacuum problem again.
I want to do the system check I just read about but guess what? The weather man is calling for 3-5 inches of snow in the next 36 hours.
My truck works just fine in 4x4 so bring on the snow.

My truck has the buzz from the passenger side and a howl from the drivers side, BOTH noises go away when i switch into 4x4.

Vacuum checking will have to wait for this weekend.

 

Just wanted to add that my vacuum supply ended up being low at the end of it all as well. 15-17' at idle, after replacing IWE's, IWE solenoid, and inspecting and testing all vacuum lines for leaks I was still getting the lovely grind noise at very particular speeds.

I checked out some youtubers and some other topics on this site about low vacuum. I went with the sea foam trick right at the brake booster T, 1/3 of a bottle of sea foam later I had almost 22" at idle. Confirmed that at the IWE's and now I am finally a happy camper.

Sadly I let this go for a year, but 300 bucks still makes me smile more than my worry of the transmission this whole time.

Thanks to all the awesome contributors on this site.