Busted 4x4 Vacuum Lines (2006 FX4)
 

Hello! Last week I started noticed a grinding sound coming from the front right wheel. This morning on the way to work, it got worse and it sounded like gears were trying to mesh together, making me think my tire was going to fall off. I immediately suspected my hub assembly needed to be replaced so when I got hime today, I jacked my truck up and checked the passenger tire/wheel for play. There was ALOT of play in the hub/bearing and I thought i found my problem, but then I started looking at the ABS line and the vacuum lines and noticed the vacuum lines on the passenger side were cut or burnt apart. I checked the hub/bearing on the driver side but it was solid and there's no issue there. But when I turned my truck on to see if both front wheels rotated without the axles rotating, I noticed the axles rotating as well. Does this mean both hubs are engaged? I didn't find any breaks in the vacuum lines on the driver side, only on the passenger side. Can I buy the vaccum lines for the driver side only? Or do I have to buy everything together? Also, I read somewhere online about an "updated" IWE solenoid......does the one shown below qualify? Or do I have the "old" style? Let me know what y'all think. I want to install the new hub assembly and fix the vacuum lines tomorrow after work (need to pick up parts on my lunch break). Also, one photo shows a vacuum tube that goes to nothing.....is this just a vent? I found something similar on the passenger side.

Thanks,
Matt


Here's a link to the four pictures I took this evening. I would have embedded them in my post but am having difficulty with my iPhone. If I can, I'll embed the photos tomorrow while I'm at work.

http://s1339.photobucket.com/user/re...tml?sort=3&o=1

If either side has a busted hose you will lose vacuum and both IWE will engage. Go ahead and replace hoses going to both wheels. And replace the solenoid as yours is not the updated version. The updated version has a plastic rain shield. -OR-

If you know your solenoid works 100%, make your own shield to keep water from dripping on it.

10-4, thanks for the response. The problem has gotten worse as I drove into work this morning. I decided to stop by the Ford dealer here and asked them about hoses and a hub. They said I had to buy a complete hose package ($80), as they do not sell driver side/passenger side hoses seperately. And the new hub was going to be $330. They didn't have either part in stock and said the closest Ford dealer with the parts was in Chattanooga (I'm in north Atlanta right now)......but I'm not making that drive.

That being said, I know I can find a hub from a different auto parts place around here and what not (I'm going over to a friend's house to install the part), but will it be stupid of me to only replace the hub tonight and wait to install the hoses later?

My hub is completely shot, and if I had to take a guess at what I saw last night when I jacked the truck up, the tire moves in and out about 1/2" or so. I don't really feel all that comfortable driving it, so I need to replace the hub ASAP.

Who is a good reputable manufacturer for hubs? Looking to buy one from O'reilly's, Advanced Auto, NAPA, etc..

Thanks!

Sounds like both need replacement ASAP, especially the hub. That hub is a safety issue.

Replace the vacuum lines first. If you don't, the next IWE will go bad.

Sounds like you need a Hub and a new IWE for that side....two separate parts, as well as the vacuum lines

Thanks for the responses guys!

I installed a new hub assembly on the front-right (I went with a MOOG hub from Advance Auto) yesterday and the ride is now 10x better. the noise is all gone as well and my truck rides great. I bought a new IWE vacuum hose assembly and installed it today. Now, when I'm in 2wd, the tires spin freely without engaging the axles and when I switch it to 4wd, the hubs lock and the axles turn when the tires turn.....and this is with the "outdated" IWE solenoid that was installed on my truck from the factory, so it looks like it still works just fine. I bought the "updated" IWE solenoid when I bought the vacuum hose but I couldn't install it because the people that live in the house I'm at only have Fisher Price tools. Guess I'll have to change it later.

Take my word for dont even try to trouble shoot this system without a vacuum gage. I spent more money than I needed to. Turns out the side that was grinding was not the broken side