I was just following the PDF, I guess I really dont' need to remove it. Well I just got it off now figures

 

Just wondering if anyone could possibly take a multimeter to their IWE Solenoid and tell me what their Solenoid reads for resistance?

I was out testing mine and was wondering if mine is within tolerance comparitively to someone else's.

Thank you for any help =)

 

Just checking again if anyone possibly can check those ohm tolerance on their IWE Solenoid please! =)

 

I have a brand new solenoid. It measures under 1k ohms, it is .07 .

 

Thanks, mine was measuring quite absurdly high, around 24 megohms, so its definitely dead lol, I figured as much but just wanted some assurance.

 

I wish I found this thread a few days ago but still not sure if I had the means to DIY.

Took my 2005 FX4 to Ford and they replaced both actuators and the solenoid for $744. I was getting the grinding noise in the left front. They said the left was seized and the right was hanging up due to water getting in the lines. Killed me to pay that but I know nothing about 4x4 and really have no tools to do the job. They charged me 5.50 hours which was around $450 and $240 for parts.

Did the dealer screw me? Should I avoid him in the future?

 

I changed both actuators and the solenoid on my 2006 F150. The Solenoid took about 2 minutes to change and cost less than 20 dollars. The actuators took about 45 minutes to change and cost about 80 dollars each.

I looked at this thread before I did and it helped me immensely. I think the actuators I took off could be cleaned up, lubricated and used again. I changed them because I had a heard noise going down the highway one night that I couldn't track down. Shortly after that my truck failed to go into 4WD.

Replacing the solenoid actually fixed my problem but I use 4WD frequently so I went ahead replaced the actuators. With the instructions here it is a simple job.

I downloaded the manual pages posted here and followed them pretty closely. I did not remove the axles from the truck. I separated the upper ball joints and leaned the knuckles out. Very simple and very easy.

The repair cost me approximately 180 dollars.

 

I used to do alot of repairs myself. Now I investigate the issue as if I'm doing it my self and get a good local Mechanic to do the work. will usually save about 30% like this. FYI Dealerships pay by the book hour and the techs often rush the job to make the most money possible. It's likley your dealer tech did the job in about 2 hours and got paid for 5.5

 

I have a 2005 and it's doing this same thing only with a twist. Mine ONLY does this when cold out, below freezing. When warm, no issues. I replaced the part on the firewall that has the rain hood. No fix. The sound comes from both sides but I don't think it is the parts on the wheels. I think I have a leak in the lines or maybe the check valves. Does anyone know what size the IWE vac hoses are and have pics or locations to the check valves?

When it's doing it in the cold, I can shift the ESOF switch to 4w HI and it stop for a sec and then continues the same sound and I dont think it's in 4w drive even thou the light is on. Seems like if I had a lot of water in the lines it would tear up the bearings or leak.

Thanks!!

 

mine is doing the exact same thing have you figured it out yet

 

TN-150
Thanks so much for the info. My 2008 started doing it with 20K on it. ZDo you have a vacuum reading we should be looking for at the wheel while running? I was goint to check that first at each wheel to see if it is pulling a strong enough signal. Thanks again for your efforts.

 

Any help to robertbeadel posting.

 

I should have taken a pic before I removed mine last week.

I saved it for a pic. This is basically what it looked like. The gear was cracked all the way through and separated kinda like this when I pulled the steering knuckle away.



I found all this fiberous like debris......obviously from the diaphram material surrounding the main gear.

Here's a close up of the crack.



I guess you can figure why my front wheels were not locking in. I don't have a clue what caused this. I have had my truck for 2 years and I'm guessing I may have bought it like this.

I replaced both actuators and the solenoid. All is good now.

 

Thanks everyone for the informative post! 2004 5.4 Supercrew Lariat here.

I am 99% sure I have the same issue with grinding IWE(s). Grinding sound disappears if I shift to 4hi, but returns intermittently a few minutes after switching back to 2hi. I have experimented on a gravel parking lot, and when in 4hi, all wheels are driving, so it does seem to be engaging when vacuum is released.

But here is my dilemma: I am taking the truck on a trip tomorrow, no time to repair, even if I had the parts in my hand. But I don't want to do further damage.

Is it safe to run the truck for a few weeks with the IWE fully engaged, but transfer case left in 2hi?

I'm thinking I could do this by just disconnecting the vacuum lines from the solenoid, or unplugging the solenoid electrical control. Would I be OK to shift into 4hi or 4lo in this situation? (Most of the trip will be dry highway, but might encounter snow along the way.)

Thanks in advance for any advice !!

 

My Truck is making a Vibration noise between 15mph and 30 mph and sometimes at 65mph when its below 30 outside. It sounds like its comming from the cowl rubbing on the windshield on the right side. Does it sound like this might me the problem or is the noise that you guys hear when the 4wd is failing kinda sound the same? It doesnt do it everytime its cold and never does it when its warm. Any ideas?