kgross04

hi i have an 04 f150 and when im accelerating it sounds like the 4 wheel drive is trying to engage...im wondering what causes this problem and if it will hurt it to drive it this way?

nashtruck

Sounds like you have an issue with the vacum system that engages your 4X4 which unfortunaltly is been a common issue. Could be a leak in a line or the actuator which is on your firewall behind the battery. The loss of vacum is causing the hubs to engage in 4X4 while the wheels are rolling but the axle is stationary. The sound you hear is your hubs getting ground up.

J0660

I also have an 04 and the same thing happened to me. I noticed this TERRIBLE sound while on the interstate...immediately pulled over (thought I had run over something) saw that I hadnt...continued driving. It happened a couple more times. I took it to the dealer...one of the solenoids (sp?) was going out...had to have it replaced. Its been a while so i dont remember exaclty how much it cost but it wasnt too bad. I wouldnt let it go though..it might really tear something up. Hope this helps.

dextreme

I would replace the valve from behind the battery on the firewall that nashtruck was talking about. it has a set of 2 vacuum lines and a wire connection. the new style has a cover that keeps water out, your 04 probably does not have the style with the cover. should be a cheep part to replace but you might have to pull the battery to get at it.

maybe someone can post the name of the part? I can't remember what that valve is called.

joonuge

had the same problem last month went to the dealership and picked up the iwe solenoid for 30$ heres the write up on it

https://www.f150forum.com/f33/how-ch...olenoid-77036/

60DRB

To under stand the vacuum system read this;

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

All of our trucks have a shift motor, whether manual or switch engaged 4x4. The most common problems are leaks in the vacuum system and a bad solenoid. Either one if left too long can damage the IWEs (which also have seal which can go bad sometimes). The good news is that the repairs are not too difficult, and if you shop around online parts are not too expensive either.

Chris_2005

IWE solenoid. simple to change out and most likely the cause. My truck did it right after I bought it. Changed it out and haven't had the problem since.

bloodvette

the ford dealer that I went to wants $125 for that solenoid. this is in Canada. everything costs more for some stupid reason. and now the dollar is pretty much par so there's no excuse. really frustrating.

joonuge

noo way im from Canada too i only paid 30$ for it

jake04f150

get it from tasca parts they will ship it to you I have bought alot of parts through them and they have always been good to me