Help Me Troubleshoot
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Joined: Feb 2013
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From: Idaho
Help Me Troubleshoot
Alright guys here is what I have. I have a light roar starting at around 20 MPH. When I switch to 4x4 it goes away instantly and when the 4x4 disengages its back. So I've got it narrowed to IWE switch or the actuator. I'm leaning toward the actuator not fully retracting. With the front of the truck jacked up the drivers side wheel spins freely. When I spin the passenger side the the axel spins with it. I wouldn't say a one to one turn but it does turn with it. This is with the truck in park and in two wheel drive. My thinking is this should eliminate the IWE as it shouldn't be involved with the truck off? What do you guys think?
In order to troubleshoot properly... you will need a vacuum pump. If you want to toss parts at it ... I would start with a couple new wheel ends.
Last edited by techrep; Dec 24, 2018 at 10:09 AM.
The IWE... intergraded wheel end. These are a common failure items in the SOTF 4WD system we have. You stated that when you SOTF to 4H the noise stops.. this tells me your selector switch is working correctly and your IWE solenoid is telling the wheel ends to vent, so the wheel ends can lock.. your problem is not enough vacuum to hold the wheel ends out. This tells me you have a vacuum leak in either the wheel end or the vacuum line. If one wheel end is leaking the whole system will not work correctly. That’s why I suggested replacing both wheel ends, cause if one is bad.. the other has been damaged and will not be far behind the bad one. You can test the vacuum with a pump to determine which side is the problem if you don’t want to replace both or to ensure it’s the IWE and not a line problem. IWEs are very easy to replace and not very expensive.
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Joined: Sep 2015
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From: ohio
The IWE... intergraded wheel end. These are a common failure items in the SOTF 4WD system we have. You stated that when you SOTF to 4H the noise stops.. this tells me your selector switch is working correctly and your IWE solenoid is telling the wheel ends to vent, so the wheel ends can lock.. your problem is not enough vacuum to hold the wheel ends out. This tells me you have a vacuum leak in either the wheel end or the vacuum line. If one wheel end is leaking the whole system will not work correctly. That’s why I suggested replacing both wheel ends, cause if one is bad.. the other has been damaged and will not be far behind the bad one. You can test the vacuum with a pump to determine which side is the problem if you don’t want to replace both or to ensure it’s the IWE and not a line problem. IWEs are very easy to replace and not very expensive.
I also had 1 bad IWE
"mityvac" will be your new bestest buddy and has many other uses and can be had for around $30
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 721
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From: Idaho
could also be the vacuum box behind the battery, mine was cracked all the way around at the seems
I also had 1 bad IWE
"mityvac" will be your new bestest buddy and has many other uses and can be had for around $30
I also had 1 bad IWE
"mityvac" will be your new bestest buddy and has many other uses and can be had for around $30
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Thanks man. I made a trip to Harbor Freight and bought a vacuum tester. Got about 19 pounds of vacuum to each hub and about 20 coming into the vacuum box. Holds tight. Pulled off the vacuum hose that runs to both wheel ends and pulled 20 pounds of vacuum to each and held solid for over 5 minutes, no leakage at all. Tested to verify that vacuum goes away when truck is put into 4x4 and comes back when disengaged. System works fine. Then with the truck running and everything reattached turned the passenger side hub by hand. It spun freely as it should. Went to the drivers side and it stays engaged at all times. So looks like I have a bad wheel end. So I'll be ordering the part and replacing it when it comes in I guess.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 721
Likes: 105
From: Idaho
I think I will Tech. Only thing I hate about that is these are aftermarket ends. I haven't saw any motorcraft ones and I hate taking OEM parts off my truck. Let me make sure this is a good part and I'll order another one. Thanks for your help.