IWE problem
has left the building
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 9,647
Likes: 3,421
I bought a 50K mile 2017 Lariat ecoboost Screw in August. After getting the VCT repaired, we immediately left on a 6,000 mile cross country trip. I discovered that the tech forgot to plug in the IWE solenoid about 1/4 of the way through the trip. After plugging in the solenoid, I heard the IWEs grinding a few times in the mountains of North Carolina and again in town and on the freeway in Missouri.
I complained to the selling dealer when I got home. They said they couldn’t duplicate the problem. A few weeks later I was loading my motorcycle in the back and then tried to back up the little ledge I had dropped off to get back on my gravel driveway and 4 wheel drive was not functioning at all. I gave a video to the dealer service writer and they took the truck in for repairs. They replaced the IWEs and wheel bearings and the seals. I haven’t verified if they just disconnected the vacuum line or not.
I complained to the selling dealer when I got home. They said they couldn’t duplicate the problem. A few weeks later I was loading my motorcycle in the back and then tried to back up the little ledge I had dropped off to get back on my gravel driveway and 4 wheel drive was not functioning at all. I gave a video to the dealer service writer and they took the truck in for repairs. They replaced the IWEs and wheel bearings and the seals. I haven’t verified if they just disconnected the vacuum line or not.
First interpretation is that you feel the IWE was damaged when you plugged in the connection that has been disconnected insinuating the service department caused the damaged by leaving the solenoid disconnected.
Having the solenoid disconnected will not damage IWE.
Second interpretation is that you finally learned you had a bad IWE since you owned it because you plugged in the solenoid that was disconnected for so long.
In either case, the IWE would have been bad before the VCT repair. I can't understand your timeline though. You immediately left for a trip but there isn't an indication of how long you drove it before the VCT repair.
With a disconnected solenoid, that means the hubs were looked 100% of the time.
My best guess is that the solenoid was disconnected from the time you purchased the vehicle. Then you happened to recognize it was disconnected, made the connection then learned it had already been a problem.
Regardless, hopefully the repair was done fully and you won't have issues. Most of the time there is a vacuum related issue that causes all the damage. If the vacuum issue remains -that new IWE will again be damaged. It's possible somebody before you disconnected the solenoid instead of repairing the IWE.
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 31,746
Likes: 12,567
From: Nowhereville, Barton City Michigan
I'm leaning towards the solenoid had been disconnected earlier as well. I can't see any reason to disconnect it to work on the VCT's, crap, it's no where near the heads.
But now you know what to do with it if things go south again. Hopefully they won't.
But now you know what to do with it if things go south again. Hopefully they won't.
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
IWE Issue??
Just discovered this thread. I seem to have the opposite issue, my seems to grind when in 4WD, in 2WD it's fine. I have a 2016 Screw 2.7TT 4x4. Same issue perhaps, vacuum not being released enough maybe?
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 1,958
Likes: 659
From: Brandywine Md
An actuator is sprung loaded and will move itself into the hub's 4WD position on its own when vacuum is released by the solenoid. It is the default position when no vacuum is applied.