leeroy49

hey guys leeroy again with another question. i have an 05 xlt f150 supercab 4x4 with a 5.4 liter v8. my problem is that my 4x4 is the on the fly switch where you dont have to be in neutral or lock the hubs anything and what happens is that it will not turn on when i need it to. it turns on sometimes, mostly when i dont need it, but when i do its not there for me. this rules out the problem of it being broken all together its just i dont know what to do with fishing season on its way i really need it to work. just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if they have been able to find the problem and fix it thanx.

ATOM

IWE solenoid could be shorting out. i would have the 4x4 sytem's vacuumed checked, they can tell you if the iwe is shorting out, may also be a faulty actuator, also may be damage to the hubs from the solenoid shorting out. if it is the iwe solenoid, make sure you get the update part with the shield on it.

leeroy49

o great that sounds nice i hoe it cheap anyway i dont think i can afford anything expensive right now that wouldnt be good. thanks man for your imput its goin to the shop this weekend so well see hopefully it wount be too bad.

ATOM

my future-father-in-law is having problems with his right now, i told him to take it in and have a new IWE put in and check the vacuum pressure, they replaced the iwe with the new model, check the pressure and found out the passenger side actuator is junk. so he spent 100 bucks on that bill. we are gonna fix the actuator, got the actuator and cv axle nut from tasca for 96 bucks delivered. fixing it is easy as pie, however there maybe damaged to the hub, that is what cost the $$$

leeroy49

but how would the hub get damaged or if it was what would that have anything to do with it. sorry im new and dont really understand much

Pfierro1

Hi Leeroy
The IWE hubs are locked&unlocked with vacuum.Its a gear thing that can get damaged when grinding too much.When you put your truck in 2wd,vaccum is applied unlocking your hubs.This is good because you dont want any of your 4wd components windmilling on you.When in 4wd,the vacuum is not present&the front wheels will lock.
I agree with Atom.I had a problem with my system&did some research on how the system works&my problem was that the system was not disconnecting while in 2wd! I heard this awful grinding noise.My components were just windmilling.So I found out it was the IWE solenoid switch.IWE stands for INTEGRATED WHEEL END SOLENOID.I was lucky.It was just the switch.maybe thats what you should check for.The switch is located right side of the firewall behind the battery.I just replaced it,only 50 bucks&everything works now.Hopefully this is all it is for you.Good luck,Pete

Pfierro1

[IMG]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Pete/My%20Documents/IWE%20Solenoid%20Switch/CIMG0570.JPG[/IMG]

Pfierro1

IWE solenoid switch located here.I wrapped it in aluminum foil to protect it from the rain.Ford has modified their solenoids with a cover,i didnt get the cover with the new one...Pete

leeroy49

hey pete thanks for the help if you get a chance can you take a pic of the switch without the foil on it. i think ive found the switch but am not sure. my truck doesnt look exactly like yours under the hood thanks.

leeroy49

Also could this problem lead to better gas mileage. crazy yes i know. about a month ago the 4x4 stoped working and hasnt worked since. at that time i was getting about 14.5 mpg with 285/70R17 toyo ats. then i got a low profile tool box and my mpgs shot up a hole mile when i got it and the 4x4 stopped working was just wondering if this might have anything to do with it or is it just lucky me i hope.