jtbryant80

If any of you don't want the same problem of the grinding in the 04 -06 4x4 go to your local dealer and buy a new "redesigned" vacuum solenoid. My truck started making the same noise as seems like hundreds of others. This is caused by the old solenoid ingesting water and it getting into the 4wd vacuum system. The water can cause the IWE to try and engage 4x4 while in 2wd. This can cause damage to the hubs also. So if you own a truck between these years look on the passenger side firewall at the vacuum solenoid (could also be called an IWE solenoid) and if it does not have a Square plastic protective cover it could ingest water and cause damage. I bought the new part for $23 and put it on in about 10 minutes. The damage has already been done to mine but this could save people who haven't had the problem alot of money in the long run. Oh yeah it is easier to get to the part if you take the battery cover off.

MayDFXForceBWithU

Hey, thanks for the info, by any chance do you have the part number of the solenoid? i don't know that i would trust my dealer for finding anything.

ukjonese

could you post a pic of where this is located and what it looks like.
Much appreciated

Mschneid

Thank You. I just went out and looked at my '06 (lease) and my '05 (own). The '06 had the shield and the '05 did not so I switched them ('06 lease is about up). I had the problem with my '06... wizzzzzz BANG.... and it was fixed under warranty. It looks like this is what they replaced under warranty, I could tell because the one nut was half way off and the lines weren't clipped in place (shotty Dealer workmanship).

It looks like my '05 may have had the same problem some time in it's life. There was a second identical vacuum hose from the brake booster, it was capped or placed over the stud where this IWE was bolted on (why they replaced it and didn't remove the old one is beyond me). Thanks again for the helpful tip.

"could you post a pic of where this is located and what it looks like.
Much appreciated"

UKJonese; You can't miss it, it's high on the firewall all the way over to the fender. A double vacuum hose and plug in wires. Two nuts, left and right. It will either be exposed or have a 1/2 shield on the top/sides.

blackbetty

is it for the stick or switch variant

jtbryant80

Hey justin you moron read my user name and then I can show you where it is in person.

jtbryant80

My truck is a manual switch ( on the Floor) the solenoid is on both styles . They are both vacuum controlled.

jtbryant80

the part number on mine is 9E441 A, make sure if you buy one it looks just like the old one except with a plastic cover on it. The funny thing is I found the part number on the service bulletin about this and it was the old part number. When I went to the dealer they put the number in and it referenced the new redisgned part number which should be the number I gave you. The old style was like 50 bucks and the same part with the new cover was only $23. The parts guy told me this is probably because ford knows they designed a faulty part and made the new one a cheap fix for us to do instead of them having to mess with it.

Robotaz

I don't see anything like what you guys describe. Actually, I can't even see the firewall through the engine bay or from below. In fact, I started looking around and don't even see spark plugs or wires. ROFL!!!!

NGM

All manufactures will make a known problem part really cheap so it dosent cost as much to replace it under warranty. Once these trucks start to go out of warranty it will go up in price.