bossman15

Installed new ball joints, shocks, and brakes on the truck tuesday and got it back on the road that night. My left caliper was acting funny and kept locking up and causing the pads to overheat and smoke, I pulled over and let them cool and drove home. On the way home I started to hear this wild grinding/scraping noise coming from the front left wheel. I decided that my pad was dragging and scratching the rotor making the noise and I would have to change my caliper as the old one was sticking. Yesterday I changed my caliper and went for a drive. So far so good. Then last night after dinner I went to meet a buddy at his work when he got off and it started grinding again when I pulled in the parking lot. I started to get a little pissed but decided I needed to check and make sure my cv's were settled in the hubs correctly so proceded to jack the truck up in the publix parking lot and make sure they were flush and the cv axle nut was tight. All was well and I went for a test drive to find the problem was still present. I then remembered reading about the iwe solenoid and decided I better see if it goes away in 4x4. I locked it in 4hi and it went away. i took it back out and it came back, along with a "ratcheting" noise. I'd describe it as the noise you hear when a card is in a bicycle wheel. I'm completely discouraged at this point and decide the best thing to do is get a ride home from my buddy and get the iwe solenoid the next day and see were I'm at. So i replace the solenoid today and the grinding noise on the left is gone but the ratcheting noise on the right is still present. Again I lock it in 4hi and it goes away. I put it back in 2 and pulled the vacuum lines from the actuator and drove it home with the hubs locked and the differential in 2 wheel drive. It was quiet but a bit rough from the hubs being locked in.

So basically I fixed (or I think I fixed) the left grinding noise with the new solenoid. The ratcheting noise is still there but goes away when vacuum is taken off the actuator (either through putting it in 4x4 or pulled in the vacuum line) .

I need to know if I need an actuator or a hub...im thinking actuator since it is quiet when locked into the hub but I could be wrong.

Any help?

dkuk341

i had a similar problem a few months ago. under light engine load i would get the grinding noise. mine happened to be coming from both hubs. changed the solenoid and no luck. found that both actuators were leaking vaccuum. replaced them and havent heard a noise since. luckily it didnt chew up my hubs

screw04

Actuator is 125 bucks and the hub is 350. Do whichever fits what you need. I had the same issue and did the actuator

bossman15

Thanks guys for the experience. I checked both actuators yesterday and they were both shot. Replaced them this morning and all is well!

60DRB

Glad you got it fixed. For future reference the IWEs can be purchased online for about $80 each. Sometimes the local dealer parts guys will match online prices...

bossman15

Yeah they were had from the local dealer for 220 total. I could have waited but I needed them asap. No biggie.

MYFIRSTFORD

Hello fellow ford truck owners. I bought a 2005 f-150 xl with four wheel drive. When i test drove it, i didn't hear anything. The day a paid for it. I went up the highway and after about 10 miles i heard a squeeling. On the way back. It was gone until i got about 10 miles down the road. Now it always does it. I keep reading these forums trying to figure out the problem. I am confused (which one is the solenoid and which one is the actuator.). Is the solenoid the piece under the hood? Passenger side firewall. I replaced it (oreilly's called it an actuator. They had nothing under solenoid). I bought a hub assembly. I was about to replace it. But my buddy, who helped me a lot trying to figure this out, said not to replace just yet because it does lock into four wheel drive but, the front passenger side wheel stays engaged slightly. Can someone give me a little clarity on my task at hand? Should i take off all vacuum lines and blow them out? Or just replace the hub assembly and risk the problem still being there? I am not a mechanic but i can fix stuff if i know what it is.

MYFIRSTFORD

I checked hoses. All except one keep a vacuum. (from solenoid, two hoses, i traced one all the way across behind engine, goes into a tee). From that tee one hose goes behind the engine. This is the one that will not keep suction. Is this like a air intake for the vacuum?

60DRB

Have you read through this yet?

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/836438-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-iwe-system-and-then-some.html

MYFIRSTFORD

i saw a similar diagram. i found the problem. a little 1/8 inch hose from the tee (right off the solenoid.) to the actuator on the hub was clogged. old solenoid design flaw cause the moisture to get in. dust and dirt gave me mud in the line. this is why when i checked the vacuum it was fine. ran a coat hanger through the line and it works like a charm.