BajaNomad

Ford IWE issues

soulpatch - 3-23-2024 at 11:53 AM

I am in San Diego right now with my 2016 F150 4x4 and I am having IWE issues with a clunk.

I've done some basic diagnosing with vacuum lines, etc, but I am no expert nor do I pretend to be.

Does anyone here have any recommendations on a good mechanic familiar with these systems?

They SEEM straightforward but, again, no expert in any way.

FWIW two Mexican mech's said my transfer case needed to be changed.

It has nothing to do with the transfer case, it is in the wheel.

Thanks in advance

David K - 3-23-2024 at 11:59 AM

Hi Frank, welcome back to the USA!
What is an IWE?

soulpatch - 3-23-2024 at 12:11 PM

Hey David, thank you!
Feels good to be here, actually.
It's been a minute......

Ask and you shall receive...... now get to learnin'!

mtgoat666 - 3-23-2024 at 01:06 PM

Greg’s Automotive in El Cajon does good work, reasonable prices.
If it turns out to be something they don't do, they will refer you before they try something outside of their wheelhouse.



[Edited on 3-23-2024 by mtgoat666]

soulpatch - 3-23-2024 at 01:09 PM

Yeah, Lencho, it's different, no?

I hadn't considered this before purchasing nor would it really have made a difference in my decision since I really didn't know about the vacuum actuation.

Watching videos on it it makes a lot of sense but I've lived in some harsh environments for rubber hoses and seals that get wet and then very dry to to lack of humidity in the winter.

What I do know is that I don't know the answer.

In 4x4 I get a clunk that sounds like a broken gear tooth to me but it is probably vacuum leaking at a yet to be determined point.

What I am not so excited about is that it usually the most expensive part that fails.

I have a friend with a vacuum tester so I'm going to get busy testing the actual locking mechanisms, the lines, the solenoid and the check valve.

That way I "might" have it narrowed down to a specific point.

David K - 3-23-2024 at 01:18 PM

Quote: Originally posted by soulpatch  
Hey David, thank you!
Feels good to be here, actually.
It's been a minute......

Ask and you shall receive...... now get to learnin'!


Thanks Frank, but I wasn't asking how it works, and I don't see the answer at that link, I was only asking wat the letters stood for.

JZ - 3-23-2024 at 02:07 PM

Integrated Wheel End.

Maderita - 3-23-2024 at 02:07 PM

If it turns out to be a mechanical failure in the drivetrain, most shops should be able to handle OEM repairs.

For anything custom or aftermarket installations, big suspension lifts, locking diffs, rockcrawlers, etc., the go-to shop is M.I.T. in El Cajon.
http://www.mit4x4.com/

David K - 3-23-2024 at 02:23 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ  
Integrated Wheel End.



Thank you!
Seems to be a complicated version of auto-locking hubs or the ADD (Automatic Differential Disconnect) of my Tacoma.

For Frank, how it works: https://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/tech/the-automatic-disco...

towntaco - 3-23-2024 at 03:57 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwq5WjEx7mU has you covered as far as a good explanation of how to do the repair.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/articles-how-s/371599-ever... is a solid thread going over IWE repair/replacement to IWE.

You can also install an IWE Eliminator, which is a common step to address the issue.

https://www.stage3motorsports.com/iwe-fd-04-20-f150-raptor-4...

https://www.rcvperformance.com/rcv-ultimate-iwe-eliminator-s...



[Edited on 3-23-2024 by towntaco]

towntaco - 3-23-2024 at 04:01 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Maderita  
If it turns out to be a mechanical failure in the drivetrain, most shops should be able to handle OEM repairs.

For anything custom or aftermarket installations, big suspension lifts, locking diffs, rockcrawlers, etc., the go-to shop is M.I.T. in El Cajon.
http://www.mit4x4.com/


M.I.T. has dealt with dozens of IWE failures, they can definitely help get it sorted out.

David K - 3-23-2024 at 05:23 PM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho  
Quote: Originally posted by David K  

Seems to be a complicated version of auto-locking hubs or the ADD (Automatic Differential Disconnect) of my Tacoma.

With the difference that per that article, it looks like on your Tacoma, the front half-shafts and differential are always spinning, even in 2-wheel drive.

Seems wasteful to drive all that hardware when it' s not being used.


Perhaps true, but so do AWD cars, only mine are coasting and not under power, unless in 4WD mode.

soulpatch - 3-23-2024 at 08:38 PM

Thanks for the links and referrals.
I've got some reading and viewing to do along with making a few phone calls.

I really appreciate it.

soulpatch - 3-23-2024 at 08:42 PM

FWIW i have seriously considered something like the eliminator option.

I'll talk to MIT about that and get their thoughts.

soulpatch - 3-23-2024 at 09:00 PM

I'm wondering if I have mechanical damage.
I have zero noise in 2WE.

What is happening is in 4x4 I get a clunk about every rotation like a tooth is broken off.

Fun.

All these other IWE issues seem to be noise when in 2WD.

I'ma do a little more reading and make some phone calls Monday.

Maderita - 3-23-2024 at 11:15 PM

soulpatch,
Other rotational noise could be the result of a bad CV joint in your axle half-shaft, a very common failure. Do you have a torn CV boot, which allows contaminants in? Or a suspension lift, which increases the angle and wears the CV joint prematurely?

Could be a broken tooth on the ring or pinion gear in your diff.
Or the IWE not fully engaging.

Let us know what M.I.T finds, and if Jeff Sugg is still the owner. I used to buy 4x4 parts from him in the 1980s when he was at Border Parts. He was the go-to guy for parts. Since opening M.I.T, the go-to guy for repairs and custom mods.

PaulW - 3-24-2024 at 03:11 PM

Soulpatch
The IWE has been around since 2008 on F150s. My 99 superduty had it and never had an issue.

The truth is the vacuum lines are a good place to start and you already noted that.

Anyway here is a starting place get it figured out.https://youtu.be/cOkryk5v5cU

soulpatch - 3-25-2024 at 11:35 AM

I spoke with Greg's and also M.I.T.

Greg's recommended M.I.T.

When I was a firefighter we actually had to take one of our engines there for front end work after a factory retrofit.

When I was talking with them it popped into my head when they told me their location.

I know THAT wasn't an inexpensive repair.

soulpatch - 3-28-2024 at 08:48 AM

An update.

I have an appointment tomorrow to replace one of the IWE hub actuators at MIT.

I sure hope their diagnostic and repair abilities are commensurate with their pricing!

I'm approaching it from a daily cost basis mentally.....

4x4abc - 3-29-2024 at 10:09 AM

vacuum so close to the ground is a bad idea in a 4x4.
Ford has released a paper urging owners not to drive in water deeper than their hub.

mtgoat666 - 3-29-2024 at 04:38 PM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
vacuum so close to the ground is a bad idea in a 4x4.
Ford has released a paper urging owners not to drive in water deeper than their hub.


Are their any truck mfgs that urge owners to submerge their mechanicals systems under water?

[Edited on 3-29-2024 by mtgoat666]

larryC - 3-31-2024 at 10:33 AM

Frank
Probably a little too late to help but a good, quick way to find vacuum leaks is to use a small probalne bottle, a valve and rubber hose with a metal tube probe. With the engine running let a little propane flow from the bottle and move the probe around the vacuum hoses and anywhere there could be a leak. If the engine speeds up you have found the leak.
Good luck with it.


soulpatch - 3-31-2024 at 11:17 AM

That's smart, Larry.

Turned out to be far more than a vacuum leak, much to my chagrin.

Both actuators were bad as was the driver's side drive shaft.
That was missing a tiny piece off of the end where it inserts into the hub.

That point of insertion is tiny for what it has to do, in my opinion, and severely under engineered.

FWIW, Jeff has sold MIT and is working there until the new owner is up to speed, potentially for a year.

Biggest lesson for me was, unlike my Isuzu rodeo that was bomb proof with 4x4 shift unerway is that is not a good thing to do with the F-150, even at a low rate of speed with your foot off the petrol.

Well, I got over 132,000 kms out of it before learning that the hard way.