2013 Lariat with wheel noise
5 Year Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,868
Likes: 257
From: Oneida County, Central New York
Mine was a bearing and hub. Dealer replaced under warranty $0. Which is weird because I am at 46k and bought the 100k warranty...but that has a $50 deductible so I expected to pay $50 bucks and they insisted it was $0... Who am I to argue. :-). Would have been about $550. They did screw something up because on the way home I got a worse grinding noise in the same front right area that went away totally as soon as I switched to 4 wheel drive automatic and left it there. If I switched back to 2 wheel drive the grinding noise came back. Back to the dealership.
I must be missing something.
Why would you pay a deductible?
It should be under the 60k powertrain.
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 19
Likes: 5
I had the same problem. I have a 2012 Platinum with 117,000 miles on it. I did the very things you did in this post. I finally bought new IWE's from A1auto and replaced them even though they both had tested good. Got the new IWE's installed and this fixed my problem. No more grinding/rubbing noises. The IWE's from A1auto cost $110 for the pair and the work to replace them took me 4.5hrs. I had chased this problem for months. Part of reason it took me so long to diagnose was because when the outside temperature is above 60 degrees the grinding/rubbing noise would go away. I had to wait on winter temps to be able to prove I had fixed it.
I ended up doing a vacuum test on all the lines, tested the solenoid, and tested the check valve and all passed. I left vacuum on the lines and IWE’s for over 30 minutes and zero leaks. Without knowing what else it could be I went with either condensation or a seal failure on one or both of the IWE’s and started looking locally for them. All the local Ford dealers wanted around $200 each even when I showed them I could get it from another dealer on line for $120, sadly not shocking.
I ended up getting the Dorman brand of IWE’s from OReilly’s as I have an account which dropped the price and I wanted to be able to warranty them (lifetime warranty) locally if need be as this is my daily driver. Upon tear down the driver side was fine however the passenger side had a little bit of water in it. No damage to the hub assembly gear and almost nothing noticeable on the IWE. My guess is the water would freeze and cause the unit to freeze partially engaged. Would warm up and problem went away. Guessing I caught the problem well before most. Its been a month since the repair and all is good.
I ended up getting the Dorman brand of IWE’s from OReilly’s as I have an account which dropped the price and I wanted to be able to warranty them (lifetime warranty) locally if need be as this is my daily driver. Upon tear down the driver side was fine however the passenger side had a little bit of water in it. No damage to the hub assembly gear and almost nothing noticeable on the IWE. My guess is the water would freeze and cause the unit to freeze partially engaged. Would warm up and problem went away. Guessing I caught the problem well before most. Its been a month since the repair and all is good.
Here’s the YouTube video I watched before installing the new ones, this guy is my go to for repairs:
I went with the Dormans based on this write up, guys at Stage 3 know these trucks as well:
https://www.stage3motorsports.com/20...and-Fixes.html
I went with the Dormans based on this write up, guys at Stage 3 know these trucks as well:
https://www.stage3motorsports.com/20...and-Fixes.html
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
As a new member to this forum, I want to start by saying that I've appreciated all the awesome advice everyone has posted. This forum has given me the confidence to start handling multiple maintenance issues on my own. I've already saved a ton of money in labor costs by avoiding the dealership. Thank you all!
I have a 2013 lariat 4x4 (106k miles) with the same issue that so many of y'all have discussed. I've been struggling with the rubbing/grinding noise at low speeds, during cold temps (cold for Georgia), for about three and a half years. I've taken it to the dealership at least eight times starting at around 25K miles. Like everyone has said, the dealership could never replicate the noise. Finally, at about 70k (I guess they got tired of seeing me) they replaced the right wheel bearing and hub assembly. The noise stopped for a few months, but came back. The only difference between my noise and what I've been reading on your posts is that my noise didn't go away when I shifted into 4A or 4H.
Now, I'm out of warranty and I don't feel like paying the dealership hundreds, or thousands, of dollars to start replacing parts until we figure it out; I'd rather do it myself. I've done the following repairs over the past two months:
- Replaced the IWE solenoid and check valve (didn't fix the problem)
- Changed front diff fluid (didn't fix the problem)
- Replaced both IWEs (purchased from 1AAuto), Cleaned and re greased both wheel bearing and hub assemblies, & replaced both front coil-over shocks (struts)
- Tested vacuum tube, vacuum reservoir, solenoid, and each IWE
- Replaced the vacuum tube that runs from the solenoid to both IWEs
- Replaced transfer case fluid
After I replaced both IWEs, the grinding noise at low speeds went away. However, all of a sudden I had a high-pitch humming noise from the front right wheel at speeds over 35mph (it went away when I put it in 4A). I took the new right IWE back out and made sure I greased everything correctly and aligned the teeth (sorry, not sure of the correct terminology), and then re-installed it. The noise went away during my road test, so I thought it was fixed. However, the next day, the noise came back again. I tested the vacuum line, vacuum reservoir, solenoid, and each IWE; they all held vacuum at 20# for 10+ minutes. Now, I've taken both IWEs and wheel bearing hub assemblies off again (second time for the left side and third time for the right side), just to double check everything. Everything looks fine. In an effort to rule out a bad wheel bearing and hub assembly, I installed the right assembly on the left side and visa versa. Noise still present at same location.
Yesterday, I disconnected the vacuum tube from the solenoid and capped each side so my 4wd actuators are always engaged, and the truck drove perfectly fine. I assumed that was evidence of a leak in my vacuum line, so I order the replacement. Today, I replaced the vacuum line that runs from the solenoid to both IWEs and it worked perfect all morning long. I drove about 60 miles with out hearing the humming sound at all. When I got home, I drained and replaced the transfer case fluid, and the noise came back during my road test for that project.
The only other thing I can think of at this point is to replace the vacuum reservoir, one or both of the wheel bearing and hub assemblies, or my CV axle shafts. But, I don't think it's any of these things since the noise is completely gone with my vacuum line disconnected.
Can anyone think of something I missed? Thank you!!
I have a 2013 lariat 4x4 (106k miles) with the same issue that so many of y'all have discussed. I've been struggling with the rubbing/grinding noise at low speeds, during cold temps (cold for Georgia), for about three and a half years. I've taken it to the dealership at least eight times starting at around 25K miles. Like everyone has said, the dealership could never replicate the noise. Finally, at about 70k (I guess they got tired of seeing me) they replaced the right wheel bearing and hub assembly. The noise stopped for a few months, but came back. The only difference between my noise and what I've been reading on your posts is that my noise didn't go away when I shifted into 4A or 4H.
Now, I'm out of warranty and I don't feel like paying the dealership hundreds, or thousands, of dollars to start replacing parts until we figure it out; I'd rather do it myself. I've done the following repairs over the past two months:
- Replaced the IWE solenoid and check valve (didn't fix the problem)
- Changed front diff fluid (didn't fix the problem)
- Replaced both IWEs (purchased from 1AAuto), Cleaned and re greased both wheel bearing and hub assemblies, & replaced both front coil-over shocks (struts)
- Tested vacuum tube, vacuum reservoir, solenoid, and each IWE
- Replaced the vacuum tube that runs from the solenoid to both IWEs
- Replaced transfer case fluid
After I replaced both IWEs, the grinding noise at low speeds went away. However, all of a sudden I had a high-pitch humming noise from the front right wheel at speeds over 35mph (it went away when I put it in 4A). I took the new right IWE back out and made sure I greased everything correctly and aligned the teeth (sorry, not sure of the correct terminology), and then re-installed it. The noise went away during my road test, so I thought it was fixed. However, the next day, the noise came back again. I tested the vacuum line, vacuum reservoir, solenoid, and each IWE; they all held vacuum at 20# for 10+ minutes. Now, I've taken both IWEs and wheel bearing hub assemblies off again (second time for the left side and third time for the right side), just to double check everything. Everything looks fine. In an effort to rule out a bad wheel bearing and hub assembly, I installed the right assembly on the left side and visa versa. Noise still present at same location.
Yesterday, I disconnected the vacuum tube from the solenoid and capped each side so my 4wd actuators are always engaged, and the truck drove perfectly fine. I assumed that was evidence of a leak in my vacuum line, so I order the replacement. Today, I replaced the vacuum line that runs from the solenoid to both IWEs and it worked perfect all morning long. I drove about 60 miles with out hearing the humming sound at all. When I got home, I drained and replaced the transfer case fluid, and the noise came back during my road test for that project.
The only other thing I can think of at this point is to replace the vacuum reservoir, one or both of the wheel bearing and hub assemblies, or my CV axle shafts. But, I don't think it's any of these things since the noise is completely gone with my vacuum line disconnected.
Can anyone think of something I missed? Thank you!!
Have you checked to see how much vacuum the truck is developing? From what I have read a minimum of 5” or 7” of vacuum (saw both) at all times for the IWE system to work properly. You will need a vacuum gauge, a plastic tee (can get in the “Help” section of the parts stores) and vacuum line. Pull the line going to the IWE system off the solenoid (like you are doing to alleviate the noise), cut a small length of tube and put it on the solenoid. Next install the tee one the tube you just put on the solenoid. From there hook the IWE system vacuum line up to the other side of the tee and a vacuum gauge to the “leg” of the tee. I would make the tube run for the gauge long enough so the gauge can be in the cab. Start the truck and check the vacuum at idle and then go drive it.
Mine held nearly 27” of vacuum at idle but I never road tested as my problems did not persist after the IWE swap.
Mine held nearly 27” of vacuum at idle but I never road tested as my problems did not persist after the IWE swap.
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
That was a great idea. Thank you.
The engine held between 22 and 23" the entire time in 2WD. Part way through the drive, I put it in 4A to see the result; the vacuum dropped to zero and the noise went away, as expected. I drove about a 1/4 mile in 4A with same result. I stopped and put it back in 2WD; the noise returned immediately. It appears the vacuum system is fine at any speed.
The engine held between 22 and 23" the entire time in 2WD. Part way through the drive, I put it in 4A to see the result; the vacuum dropped to zero and the noise went away, as expected. I drove about a 1/4 mile in 4A with same result. I stopped and put it back in 2WD; the noise returned immediately. It appears the vacuum system is fine at any speed.
