vinnymac

Hey Fellas,
I've got an 06 supercab xlt 4x4 with 75000 on it. I live in Illinois and we just had a pretty good snow. I engaged to 4 hi just to make sure it works,(first winter I've had the truck). It sounds like it engages with a click in the dash and my 4x4 light comes on, but it's either not engaging all the way or sometimes it seems like it does and then "kicks out " and clicks as I accelerate. I tried to put it in and drive around town a little to see if it would go ahead and kick in all the way as it was driven more. I turned the engage switch at about 10 mph when pulling away from a stop sign and it growled and made the "ratchet" sound on the passenger side I've heard some other people talk about with their 4x4 problems.I called a guy at the Ford garage and he said on the 06's it's electrical engagement? I guess my question is does my 06 have the same vacuum and solenoid setup as the earlier model 4x4's? In the motor compartment on the drivers' side there is a solenoid with lines that go to the front end. Is that the vacuum solenoid or what? I'm a wrench turner from old but this new stuff drives me crazy!! Any Ideas?

jdawq91

First thing you should do is look behind your front wheels and look for a black hose that goes to the hub area. Thats the vaccume lines for your hub actuators (IWE). Pull those lines off both sides and start your truck then put it in 2wd. Then without getting runover feel the end of those hoses you should feel it sucking air. If that works switch it to 4wd now the hoses should'nt suck any air. If they work like there suposed to I would have to say you have a bad IWE.

vinnymac

I see where it looks like the hoses go into a grommet in the back of the wheel asm. I tried to pull on them relatively hard and they didn't come off. Is that grommet on the hose just to keep it from rubbing a hole in it as an anchor point? If so I cant see where the hose plugs into. I pulled the grommet out of the little slot and it feels like the tube goes up into the hub itself??