ack1988

Hi, i have a 2006 f150 supercab 4x4, lately when drive to work in the morning the front driver side (pretty sure comming from the wheel) is making a grindind/rubbing noise. this only happens when going in forward, the noise stops if i put it in reverse. the strange thing is this only occurs in the morning when its been very cold over night (-14c last night) and after work once the truck has been sitting all day in the sun the noise is gone. anyone have an idea what this might be? thanks

BadFish523

Try putting it in 4wd when the noise starts and see if it goes away. Sounds like an IWE system failure.

ack1988

thanks, ill try that tomorrow morning if the grinding is still happening, any idea how complicated that is to fix?

BadFish523

I have never done a full IWE replacement but many on here have done it and say its not bad, the IWE solenoid is very easy to replace if it turns out to be your problem. The diagnosis process is not to tough, it consists of renting a vacuum gage pump and basically looking for leaks or bad check valves.

ack1988

i did a search for iwe on the forum and it also said to prevent damage to the system i could unplug the vacuum lines while i figure out/get the problem fixed, does anyone know if this is good temporary solution, or if putting it in 4wd stops the sound should i just keep it in 4wd till i have chance to look at it this weekend

BadFish523

Unplugging the solenoid will put it in 4wd. The default position is no vacuum 4wd engaged. I don't recommend driving in 4wd all the time unless you know what you're doing and even then don't do it for long. It can cause damage when turning on dry pavement when 4wd is engaged. So yes putting in in 4wd will do the same. As long as the system is working properly. This is one of those things I suggest you troubleshoot asap so you don't cause more damage and cost yourself more money. Test it by putting it in 4wd when the noise starts and see if the noise goes away. Also pay attention to the 4x4 light on the dash when engaging the system. Working properly the dash light should come on and stay on solid. Then let us know what you find and we can give you some direction.

ack1988

So we got a lot of snow last night and needed to put my 4x4 on so didn't hear the noise , but after work I noticed when I put my 4x4 on the light was flicking on and off so I open the hood and found the solenoid behind the battery it had a lot of ice on it , I unplugged the clip and cleaned off the ice now it seems to be working again , i ordered a replacement from amazon (Dorman 600-400 4WD Vacuum and Emissions Purge Solenoid) but when I took off the clip I broke the part that holds it (see pic ) where can i order this to replace the broken clip ?

ack1988

Just to clarify when I say clip in not talking about the clip that holds the selenoid to the firewall, I'm talking about the clip that has the two wires (red) that clips into selenoid

20004.6

You can order a replacement one from the dealer, it will come with a connector and wiring pigtail. You can swap just the connector.