Hi all. New here, and came because we are quite frustrated with our 2015, and the noise it's making.


We bought our truck used. It had app. 32K miles on it, and is now up to 67K. A couple months after we purchased it, it started making a low grinding/growling nose in the front end. That noise, and now a strong vibration, have gotten worse.


We have had the truck to our regular mechanic twice, and the second time after he checked it, he suggested we take it to the Ford dealer because he thought it may be the 4 wheel drive actuator. It's still under warranty, so they would be able to repair it for no cost to us.


The Ford dealer had it two days, and told us they could not get it to recreate, and that everything is up to spec. How can that be???


This noise and vibration happen most frequently after we move from a stop, such at stoplights or stop signs. It also seems to present when we make turns. The sound seems to me to come more from the left side, as does the vibration. There is no wobble, just vibration. Also, it does seem to be worse, or get more noticeable after using 4 wheel drive.


We would like to get this resolved BEFORE the warranty runs out, and am considering taking it to a second Ford dealer to have it checked. The local dealer was told by us, and with a written explanation from our mechanic, about the possibility of the actuator. They seemed to dismiss that idea, though.


Do any of you have any ideas of what this could be, or have you experienced the same symptoms?

 

From what you describe, I would agree with your mechanic.

Since you say it continues when you switch to 4WD I would think it is one or both IWEs themselves and not a vacuum line, solenoid or check valve issue.

That being said, I’d still check out the lines and connections from the solenoid on down to each IWE. Pay particular attention to the connector that connect the rubber line from each IWE to the plastic line.

Then pull the check valve and see if you can blow into in both directions. If you can at all, it is bad. Replace it and be sure to put it on the way it came off.

Solenoid is harder to check other than hearing if it clicks or not.

Another test you can do is with the truck running and in 2WD you should be able to easily turn both half shafts. If you can’t, the IWE on that side is bad. If you can’t turn both, both are bad. Then switch to 4H. Repeat the test but, this time you should NOT be able to turn either shaft.

If you find anything other than the IWE themselves bad, they should be checked because they have been grinding pretty hard and may need to be replaced due to damage caused by the failed part.

 

Sounds to me like perhaps a visit to a different Ford dealer is the best idea. Perhaps the first dealer was overbooked, whereby they did not look at the truck at all. A great way of reducing backlog is to make work go away with the standard "could not duplicate problem". They get to bill for it, and yet do nothing at all. This is why I record the mileage myself whenever I drop off at a shop, which is exceedingly rare. If I get a report of "could not duplicate" and the mileage hasn't changed, well you can figure out pretty quickly whether it was even looked at or not.