Alright guys help me out! I have a 2010 f150 Lariat edition 4wd Super crew. I've been having this god awful grinding noise for months. I've literally done everything I could to make it stop. I changed the whole vacuum harness, vaccum resivior, iwe check valve, iwe solenoid, both hub actuators, and both hub assemblies. It was still grinding after I did all of that. So I decide hey, I'm going to delete the vaccum actuators with a actuator that takes no vaccum and stays locked on the hub at all times. Even with that its still grinding. If anyone could give me some insight I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Front differential bearings are part 3 of the list of things that Ford has diagnosed and corrected for noised seemingly IWE related.
If you have good wheel bearing hub assemblies and you're full time locked, it can't be IWE (that I can think of).

Hate to ask, but does noise disappear in 4a (if that model had it) or in 4x4 modes? For your sake, I hope the noise stays so it totally rules out anything related to the hub end of the axles.

 

Thanks. My truck is equipped with 4x4 high and low. I may take a drive with it in 4 high to see what it does. And now that I'm fully locked, it makes a whining noise going down the road but I'm sure that's because of the cv axles turning. I've been slowly rebuilding the front end of my truck. Also, when it grinds, its like my truck has hesitation. It gets in a bind when it starts grinding. Then when it goes away there's no hesitation. It sounds like a bad bearing in the front differential could be a suspect considering my actuator was only tearing up on the passenger side. Maybe the bearing is causing a shake or wobble that's causing the actuator to come off of the hub.

 

or the cv axle is wobbling and causing a grind in turn tearing the actuator up.

 

I just got a leveling kit installed (by Les Schwab).
I think I hear a 'hum' now, in 4wd but it could be tire noise.
My tires are not very knobby, but they're knobbier than the OEM tires.
The hum goes away in 2wd.

What is the IWE?

So installing the leveling kit did Les Schwab mess with my IWE?

 

IWE is Integrated Wheel End, the part that slides in/out to engage the hub.
They might have taken the IWE apart, I know I do when doing a level or struts. The trouble usually is noticed when in 2H, and comes and goes, not always continuous.

 

Not a gearhead either but something to do with the Lariat and above and 4A works. For the first bit during start it connects the IWE to warm up then disengages. My guess is this extra engagement it causing the IWE to wear more than trucks that do not have 4A. The biggest weak link in the F150 is the IWE. IWE vacuum is not the issue it it foreign matter intrusion into the IWE. It is all around bad design.