I BELIEVE because you had it in for this issue and should it return out of warranty, they SHOULD still fix it especially since it was in 3 times for the same problem. As long as it was documented. At least that has been my experience. If it is an actuator or vacuum solenoid, it WILL rear it's head, you can count on that.

 

Great stuff it helped me lot, but the problem here in Canada they sell the hub and actuator as a unit.

 

Strange! No need in it so I'm not sure why they would. Seems kinda silly.

 

I think I have the same issue. With the engine off, the driver side half shaft is locked to the wheel as it should be. The passenger side is not locked to the wheel = problem. With the engine on and in 2WD, both half shafts are free of the wheels. Engine on in 4WD, both half shafts are locked to the wheels. So, the problem is with the engine off, the passenger side IWE is not locking like it should. I'll likely replace it soon. Meanwhile, I have the updated solenoid on the way.

 

TN-F150

Couple questions about the last step in the removal/replacement process:

What is meant by "compress IWE and install vacuum cap on the vacuum port" ?

Does this cap come with the IWE?

 

My IWE arrived this afternoon. Took me about an hour to get it installed and tested. I suggest you remove the brake caliper before removing the upper ball joint and tie rod nuts. You need to let the lower control arm all the way down to have enough clearance for the axle end to slip past the hub. If the caliper is still installed, the brake hoses limit how far the steering knuckle can tilt outward and there isn't enough clearance to get the axle out. I did not unbolt the half shaft from the axle.

Tip- DO NOT break the upper ball joint or the tie rod end free of the steering knuckle until you have their respective nuts completely removed. Otherwise, the joints will just spin as you try to remove the nuts. I was able to get my impact on the tie rod end nut and spun it right off. There wasn't enough clearance to get the impact on the upper ball joint nut, so that had to be removed with a wrench. If I had to fight the ball joint turning, I'd still probably be out there (and cursing myself).

This is what it will look like when you have enough clearance.



Remember to not let the caliper hang by the hoses. These calipers are heavy and will damage them. The lower control arm makes a handy shelf. The ABS sensor wire remains attached to the hub and is long enough, even with the caliper resting on the lower control arm, that you can swing the steering knuckle out enough to get the axle out. Remember to remove the three 8mm bolts from the axle side of the IWE before this step.



So this is what I found when I pulled mine apart:



Note the needle bearing inside there. Be careful when you pull the axle out not to damage it. You can "collapse" the axle into the truck just enough to get it past the inner hub without touching the bearing without too much effort.

After wiping the grease out, I discovered that the hub took damage. I just bought the truck 2K miles ago, and only once did it ever make a slight grinding sound (in 2WD). Who knows how long the previous owner drove with the IWE problem. Here is the beveled gears on the hub (I think they should be straight- can anyone confirm?):



So, I had a choice at this point- put the new IWE in and risk that it would be damaged by the worn hub, or put the old IWE back in until I can get a new hub. I decided to try the new IWE just to see if it would lock in and whether or not it would grind. I reassembled everything and it locks when it should, unlocks when it should, and there is no sound whatsoever from the 4x4 system in either 2WD or 4WD. I really don't even hear it engage other than a soft click from the solenoid, but you can sure tell that it's in 4WD now! I did add a good amount of grease to the hub and needle roller bearing. I also greased the seal on the IWE that compresses against the hub when you tighten the 3 8mm IWE bolts. From the rust present in that area and all the dirt in the grease of the old IWE, I'm hoping that the grease will help seal this area off.

Use a jack under the control arm where the strut attaches to lift it back up when you are ready to install the upper ball joint back into the steering knuckle.

If I can do this outside in the near freezing rain in an hour, anyone can do it. As long as you have the tools, save yourself some money. An air impact helps, but is not necessary. If it turns out that I do need a new hub in the future, I'll get this one- much cheaper than OE Ford:

 

VTX1800N1 where did you buy your new IWE at? I've been putting this off for a while...should have completed this, this past summer instead of beginning of winter out in the cold. Lol

 

I got mine on eBay from tasca_tpc, which is Tasca Ford, for $84. It's cheaper to order from their eBay page because you avoid shipping costs. There is also the Dorman 600-105 on Amazon currently for less than $62. Tasca sells a genuine Ford product while the Dorman is aftermarket replacement. If I get another, it will be the Dorman. I've heard they are identical.

 

I realize this is an old post in this thread, but I figured I'd reply to help others who run into this problem. First, get the nut for both the tie rod and upper ball joint completely off the truck. The ball joint and tie rod end will remain stuck in the steering knuckle. Instead of using a pickle fork or beating on the ends of the joints (and mashing them), get a hand sledge (seen laying in my driveway in one of the pictures above). On each joint, there is a "flat" on the steering knuckle that runs vertically along where the ball joint or tie rod goes through the knuckle. Give the knuckle a few good whacks with that hand sledge on that flat and the joint will pop right apart. Don't worry, you won't damage anything. It's designed to come apart this way. No need for an alignment when you are done.

Be sure to torque both nuts to 111 ft lbs when you are done. Be prepared for the lower control arm to drop down under spring pressure, taking the knuckle with it when it pops loose. It doesn't move far, but it might help to have a jack under it. When you get to where you need to put the upper ball joint back in the knuckle, use a floor jack under the lower control arm directly under where the spring strut attaches to lift it high enough. Guide the knuckle as you raise the jack to get the ball joint in place. The truck should be supported by jack stands on the frame (also seen in my pick above). This makes installing the ball joint nut easy. There is a 10mm end on the ball joint shaft so you can keep the ball from turning while you install the nut. Once the nut starts to seat against the knuckle, it will stop trying to turn and you can get your torque wrench on it.

 

Do you know if the expeditions have the same problem? My front hub seems like it hasn't engaged a couple of times turning a corner while in four wheel drive and it makes a clunking sound. I also have noise in the front end. I'm thinking the actuater may be bad. Also I have found the vacuum solenoid and it is part number 7L14-9h465-BA which I havn't been able to cross reference anywhere. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

Sorry, haven't been around in a while. What I mean is, squeeze the actuator back in and cap it. By capping it, it will stay in and no, the cap is not part of the replacement parts. You can use a piece of heavy tape, electrical would prob. be best, to cover the vacuum nipple. Just make sure it's nice and tightly wrapped and don't forget to remove before connecting the vacuum line.

 

I get a lot of email requests for the repair documents, so as a reminder, the links to all the documents are on page 1, post 1 and 6. I figured out today why this was so confusing for people. The thread was copied to the Articles-How-To section and left in the 2004-2008 section. This is good because this same system is still in use on current models so the How-To section gets a wider audience. BUT they are both still active threads and emails are coming from both threads. So upon looking today, I found the thread that had been copied to the How-to section didn't have the links to the files on the first post like the original. So I have updated that post to be exactly the same as the original post. All file links are shown, as I mentioned above, on the first page and in post 1 and 6.

I hope that helps folks find them easier.

 

ok i read alot of stuff on here regarding 4x4 issues and am just getting confused and overwhelmed.

my truck sat for 6 months rarely getting driven at all or even started up while i was doing major bodykit work and painting on it. battery was run down and disconnected several times. 4x4 was never used during this time.

the 4hi shift on the fly seemed to work fine last spring when i quit driving it.

anyways first time i goto use 4hi this winter , it gives me a big clunk and doesnt engage .
after more testing i can confirm the transfer case does seem to shift, at least definitely into 4 lo, there lies another issue. once i got it into 4 lo had trouble getting it out and back to 4 hi or 2 hi

after reading on here i inspected vacum lines and all seemed to be still hooked up. after starting it and failing to engage 4 hi and turning it off i tried disconnecting two little lines from the solenoid? thingy behind battery on firewall and it made a hissing sound like it was prsssured up or should i say vacummed up.

is that enough info to make an educated guess as to wether i need a new solenoid or actuators in the wheelhubs?

 

ok i jacked up the truck and spun the front wheels with truck off and only the passenger side half shaft spins with the wheel. meaning with no vacum the iwe on that side engaged like its sposed to. while the drivers side does not engage with or without truck running and i can kind of hear a slight grinding noise on drivewrs side when spinning wheel backwards

so i figure the iwe is shot on drivers side.

now according to youtbe theres 2 ways to remove half shaft and replace iwe.

1. remove wheel, strut bolt on bottom and tie rod ends and pull hub off the half shaft, the replace iwe and reverse process
- but does this require a wheel alignment after?

2. remove bottom bolt on strut , pry strut out of way , remove 6 bolts from inner half flange and remove half shaft from hub
- doesnt require a wheel alignment but im finding it impossible to loosen lower strut bolt so far?

what to do?

also for more reliability, should i just replace both sides iwe once i figure out how to break loose the 25 mm bolt/nut?

 

curtk69,

No need to pull the half-shaft and if you don't make any changes to the tie rod length you won't need an alignment. Your option 1 seems right but not sure about the 'strut bolt' you reference. Make sure you support the lower swing arm and you'll be fine. It's tight but doable without removeing a lot of extra parts. That'll fix the IWE issue.

Doesn't sound like you have a transfer issue and I think the IWE replacement is all you're going to need. Might consider replacing both sides while you're at it.