"humming" noise while drive in 2 wheel drive but not 4 wheel drive?
02-28-2014, 09:46 PM
#21
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Location: Brantford, Ontario, Canada
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Same issue
Have you gotten anywhere with this issue? I'm in southern Ontario and we have not had a day above freezing in a couple weeks! In fact most days -10c or colder. I'm having almost the same issue as you and suspecting something related to water in the vacuum lines freezing. I have been hesitant about driving much and hoping to get a closer look at it tomorrow.
Mine also does not feel like much vacuum (testing by finger suctions anyhow) but that's normal...and its all functioning properly with the switch also.
I found this on a thread about IWE operation " A healthy engine will produce at minimum 17" of vacuum at idle at normal operating temperature. It takes only 7" of vacuum to disengage a healthy IWE." So if the engine produces 17"....then I am guessing that by the time it down sizes in line size and goes through solenoid and such and feeds off to both IWE's that the line ends where they connect to the IWE's is probably a much lower number.
Also I have seen mention a couple times of there being 3 one way valves but I have seen on quite a few threads that there is only 2 one way check valves. including this diagram I found (picture below) . Just figured I would mention that.
Temps are in the negatives here and we have lots of wind and snow so I am not going to tinker with it yet. but when the weather breaks and I get the chance to look it over I will report my findings...but I am guess its going to end up needing a new IWE...we will see.
I found this on a thread about IWE operation " A healthy engine will produce at minimum 17" of vacuum at idle at normal operating temperature. It takes only 7" of vacuum to disengage a healthy IWE." So if the engine produces 17"....then I am guessing that by the time it down sizes in line size and goes through solenoid and such and feeds off to both IWE's that the line ends where they connect to the IWE's is probably a much lower number.
Also I have seen mention a couple times of there being 3 one way valves but I have seen on quite a few threads that there is only 2 one way check valves. including this diagram I found (picture below) . Just figured I would mention that.
Temps are in the negatives here and we have lots of wind and snow so I am not going to tinker with it yet. but when the weather breaks and I get the chance to look it over I will report my findings...but I am guess its going to end up needing a new IWE...we will see.
02-28-2014, 11:56 PM
#22
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Nope not yet, same situation here.... It has been super cold here for weeks. Did have a couple days that popped above freezing and I noticed the issue went away on those days. So I know it is related to something in the system freezing. I thought about just taking a quick sprits of lock de icer and spraying it in the vacuum ports of the IWE's just to help stop whatever from completely freezing up until the weather warms up enough that I can look things over real well.
I did notice that when the issue does happen it is in the morning in really cold temps. And when it does happen I can sometime engage 4x4 on the fly and then switch back to 2 wheel and it freeze up whatever is frozen. After I drive for awhile and park the truck for atleast a good 15 minutes and then drive again the issue seems to go away (assuming that while it sits parked that the truck heat soaks and melts whatever is frozen on the truck ). It's either an IWE or a vac line or a mix of the two. I'll know more as to what's going on as soon as spring actually arrive here in mi lol. Until then I just keep the radio down and my ears open and pay close attention to things and hope for these negative temps to vacate lol.
I did notice that when the issue does happen it is in the morning in really cold temps. And when it does happen I can sometime engage 4x4 on the fly and then switch back to 2 wheel and it freeze up whatever is frozen. After I drive for awhile and park the truck for atleast a good 15 minutes and then drive again the issue seems to go away (assuming that while it sits parked that the truck heat soaks and melts whatever is frozen on the truck ). It's either an IWE or a vac line or a mix of the two. I'll know more as to what's going on as soon as spring actually arrive here in mi lol. Until then I just keep the radio down and my ears open and pay close attention to things and hope for these negative temps to vacate lol.
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Rymon (03-01-2014)
03-01-2014, 06:43 AM
#23
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De-icer
Hey "great minds think alike" 
The de-icer idea is exactly what I was thinking. I took my other vehicle through the carwash last night and I while I was in there I started thinking that maybe thats what caused the problem with the truck. i've been getting a wash at least once a week this winter because there is SOOO much salt here. I took a look underneath the truck yesterday and sure enough there is a pretty good layer of ice on everything. (At least its nice and clean) I think today I'm going to pull it into the garage and get the heater going and leave it for a few hours, then give it a little shot of deicer starting down at the actuators, and work my way up to the reservoir, to hopefully clean the lines out, then finally i'll blow them out with a bit of air, and see what happens.
The de-icer idea is exactly what I was thinking. I took my other vehicle through the carwash last night and I while I was in there I started thinking that maybe thats what caused the problem with the truck. i've been getting a wash at least once a week this winter because there is SOOO much salt here. I took a look underneath the truck yesterday and sure enough there is a pretty good layer of ice on everything. (At least its nice and clean) I think today I'm going to pull it into the garage and get the heater going and leave it for a few hours, then give it a little shot of deicer starting down at the actuators, and work my way up to the reservoir, to hopefully clean the lines out, then finally i'll blow them out with a bit of air, and see what happens.
03-02-2014, 04:02 AM
#25
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Already replaced solenoid and with the updated version aswell and cleaned out the lines. So if my particular issue is water/freezing related then I would have to say its in one or both of the hubs.
Which would also explain what originally took my solenoid out because at the start if winter I had issues with the solenoid not redirecting the vacuum properly when changing the position of the 4x4 selector switch. It likely iced up/corroded from moisture inside the solenoid.
Once the weather warms up a bit I will most likely end up installing 2 new IWE's just for the piece of mind (if moisture is I fact in the system than it would only be a matter of time before corrosion inside the IWE's started causing troubles aswell). And while I am there I will be sure to go back over the vacuum lines and make sure they are clear and dry before I button the system back out.
Which would also explain what originally took my solenoid out because at the start if winter I had issues with the solenoid not redirecting the vacuum properly when changing the position of the 4x4 selector switch. It likely iced up/corroded from moisture inside the solenoid.
Once the weather warms up a bit I will most likely end up installing 2 new IWE's just for the piece of mind (if moisture is I fact in the system than it would only be a matter of time before corrosion inside the IWE's started causing troubles aswell). And while I am there I will be sure to go back over the vacuum lines and make sure they are clear and dry before I button the system back out.
03-02-2014, 06:51 AM
#26
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Update
Yesterday the weather was a little milder here and it broke freezing by about 1 degree... I took the truck out and low & behold, the problem was gone. It was the first time in about 10 days that I didn't have to fiddle with the 4hi to get it to go away.
Earlier in the week in the frigid weather, I jacked the front end up and tested the actuators with my vacuum pump: they both seemed to work flawlessly. I could see or feel no evidence of water in them causing a problem. Thats not to say there is no problem, I just couldn't find any evidence of one.
Earlier in the week in the frigid weather, I jacked the front end up and tested the actuators with my vacuum pump: they both seemed to work flawlessly. I could see or feel no evidence of water in them causing a problem. Thats not to say there is no problem, I just couldn't find any evidence of one.
03-03-2014, 09:45 AM
#27
Already replaced solenoid and with the updated version aswell and cleaned out the lines. So if my particular issue is water/freezing related then I would have to say its in one or both of the hubs. Which would also explain what originally took my solenoid out because at the start if winter I had issues with the solenoid not redirecting the vacuum properly when changing the position of the 4x4 selector switch. It likely iced up/corroded from moisture inside the solenoid. Once the weather warms up a bit I will most likely end up installing 2 new IWE's just for the piece of mind (if moisture is I fact in the system than it would only be a matter of time before corrosion inside the IWE's started causing troubles aswell). And while I am there I will be sure to go back over the vacuum lines and make sure they are clear and dry before I button the system back out.
03-03-2014, 11:31 PM
#28
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Ive checked the vaccum lines a little. Ive checked them in the engine compartment and near the wheels but it has been to cold to FULLY inspect them.
However I am positive my issue is moisture/freezing related being that in bitter cold temps the issue comes about but when it warms up to near/above freezing the issue is gone. so I doubt my particular issue is a vacuum loss due to a crack or something. BUT it could very well be the cause of someone elses issue.
we just got another 4" of snow dumped on us and -15 degree temps....so I still haven't had a chance to really look things over well (worst Michigan winter since 1978!).
But I did pick up a small can of lock de-icer with a spade spout on it. And I crank my steering wheel in each direction and pulled my vacuum lines off each IWE and gave a quick sprits of it down each vacuum port of the IWE's and then reconnected the vacuum lines. And so far even in these blistering cold temps it seems to have done the trick. I didnt spray enough to flood the system or anything. just a quick 1 second spray in each port. All it basically is ingredients wise is like 80% isopropyl alcohol and 20% light lubricant. so it should do a good job at displacing any water that may have been in the system.
ALSO for anyone that might not be able to find lock deicer . You should be able to use WD40 for the same effect ( the "WD" in WD40 after all stands for "Water Displacing") just don't use a ton of it because it has more lubricating properties in it than say a lock deicer has.
However I am positive my issue is moisture/freezing related being that in bitter cold temps the issue comes about but when it warms up to near/above freezing the issue is gone. so I doubt my particular issue is a vacuum loss due to a crack or something. BUT it could very well be the cause of someone elses issue.
we just got another 4" of snow dumped on us and -15 degree temps....so I still haven't had a chance to really look things over well (worst Michigan winter since 1978!).
But I did pick up a small can of lock de-icer with a spade spout on it. And I crank my steering wheel in each direction and pulled my vacuum lines off each IWE and gave a quick sprits of it down each vacuum port of the IWE's and then reconnected the vacuum lines. And so far even in these blistering cold temps it seems to have done the trick. I didnt spray enough to flood the system or anything. just a quick 1 second spray in each port. All it basically is ingredients wise is like 80% isopropyl alcohol and 20% light lubricant. so it should do a good job at displacing any water that may have been in the system.
ALSO for anyone that might not be able to find lock deicer . You should be able to use WD40 for the same effect ( the "WD" in WD40 after all stands for "Water Displacing") just don't use a ton of it because it has more lubricating properties in it than say a lock deicer has.
03-04-2014, 08:16 AM
#29
Unplugging the electrical at the IWE solenoid will achieve the same thing with no chance of sucking water and dirt into the IWE vacuum system
03-04-2014, 08:19 AM
#30
Mine also does not feel like much vacuum (testing by finger suctions anyhow) but that's normal...and its all functioning properly with the switch also.
I found this on a thread about IWE operation " A healthy engine will produce at minimum 17" of vacuum at idle at normal operating temperature. It takes only 7" of vacuum to disengage a healthy IWE." So if the engine produces 17"....then I am guessing that by the time it down sizes in line size and goes through solenoid and such and feeds off to both IWE's that the line ends where they connect to the IWE's is probably a much lower number.
Also I have seen mention a couple times of there being 3 one way valves but I have seen on quite a few threads that there is only 2 one way check valves. including this diagram I found (picture below) . Just figured I would mention that.
Temps are in the negatives here and we have lots of wind and snow so I am not going to tinker with it yet. but when the weather breaks and I get the chance to look it over I will report my findings...but I am guess its going to end up needing a new IWE...we will see.
I found this on a thread about IWE operation " A healthy engine will produce at minimum 17" of vacuum at idle at normal operating temperature. It takes only 7" of vacuum to disengage a healthy IWE." So if the engine produces 17"....then I am guessing that by the time it down sizes in line size and goes through solenoid and such and feeds off to both IWE's that the line ends where they connect to the IWE's is probably a much lower number.
Also I have seen mention a couple times of there being 3 one way valves but I have seen on quite a few threads that there is only 2 one way check valves. including this diagram I found (picture below) . Just figured I would mention that.
Temps are in the negatives here and we have lots of wind and snow so I am not going to tinker with it yet. but when the weather breaks and I get the chance to look it over I will report my findings...but I am guess its going to end up needing a new IWE...we will see.