Dreaded 4x4 popping and disengaging

[Yukon Joe]

Pffft.. I still drive much further than you do to make SnoBall..

Pfff.... you take the auto train. Don't count!

Yukon Joe

Submit your photo for the calendar contest
http://www.fordraptorforum.com/showthread.php?t=44744

 

[SilentShooter]

Pfff.... you take the auto train. Don't count!

Yukon Joe

Submit your photo for the calendar contest
http://www.fordraptorforum.com/showthread.php?t=44744

I did not take the auto train back from snoball. And no more train for me after they caused the damage last time.

 

[FordService]

I should, I just don't have time to drive 45 minutes to the next Ford garage and sit for the day right now. I have north of 15K miles on my truck...

I understand, cobrajet. When you're ready, PM me your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, current mileage, and preferred servicing dealership. I'll alert your regional customer service manager (CSM); they'll work with the dealer to ensure things go smoothly.

Crystal

 

[Labraptor]

You should definitely take Crystal up on her offer. Things happen really fast when she gets involved. She is very helpful. Plus when she gets involved dealers become very helpful, lol.

 

[Wilson]

while you guys where arguing I slipped in and got a set

 

[cobrajet]

I understand, cobrajet. When you're ready, PM me your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, current mileage, and preferred servicing dealership. I'll alert your regional customer service manager (CSM); they'll work with the dealer to ensure things go smoothly.

Crystal

Thanks for the help Crystal! PM sent.

 

[FordService]

You should definitely take Crystal up on her offer. Things happen really fast when she gets involved. She is very helpful. Plus when she gets involved dealers become very helpful, lol.

Thanks for the shout-out, Labraptor!

Thanks for the help Crystal! PM sent.

Sure thing, cobrajet! I just sent over your case information this morning.

Crystal

 

[Mil T]

It's been a while since I have been on here for this subject. I stick by my original thread on the fix for the OEM vacuum lines. http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f170/weak-vacuum-line-grinding-noise-fix-24281/
Use the copper and silicon hose to replace the plastic ones. I have read the entire thread and there are a couple of things that continue to pop out at me.
1. putting your truck in 4 wheel drive. It can be done moving or with it in N standing still. That's 4 Hi. 4 lo must be stopped and in N to have it go in.
I hope everyone is also watching their gauge that tells you when it goes into 4x4. It will tell you when it has shifted but it does not mean that your hubs are locked in if you have a problem. it's reading the solenoid at the transfer case. Not the hubs.
2 I see where many have replaced the IWE or as mentioned the hub. You MUST replace both the hub and the actuator together. If you have a rounded set of gears on the vacuum actuator but you don't replace it, then your new hub will wear out or the actuator gear will not engage correctly and cause the popping or grinding noise. Vise versa the other way around. You MUST replace both at the same time.
3. You guys that are really freaking out when this happens. There are simple ways to test before you take to dealer. The Vacuum test that I describe will tell you if you have a vacuum problem. Yukon Joe also made a suggested way but with having to raise the truck. If you do his way, the sequence is to raise the truck with out truck running. when you get the front tires off the ground, spin the tire. With the truck NOT running the front axle should spin with the wheel/hub because it does not have vacuum so the front hub is engaged. When you start the truck ie engine running, building vacuum, the wheel/hub should spin and your axle should not turn. If it does, then your hub and axle are engaged, hence you probably have a vacuum leak causing the actuator to engage with the hub. The actuator is the vacuum portion of the system. It is not by any means difficult. If this happens then disconnect the vacuum from the booster and it will cause the actuator to fully engage with the hub so you don't get the popping or grinding because it should stay fully engaged. You can drive all day long in this mode.
4. The fact is that this is NOT exclusive to the Raptor. It is all of Fords vacuum based 4x4 systems. I believe they were in place at least back to 2004 that I'm aware of. If your dealer is in the city then the techs probably are not up to date with this problem and Ford has spent alot of money for fixes that could have been diagnosed in 10 minutes if done correctly. If the dealer is in a country or farming town then ask who works on the trucks. Talk to that mechanic and ask them about the vacuum issue. A good experienced mechanic should be able to tell you why they have the problems with the vacuum lines cracking etc. I'll bet he'll go to the passenger side front wheel and show you where the plastic vacuum line is exposed just behind the back of the upper control arm and is closest to the exhaust pipe on that side making it brittle. The line only needs to have a slight crack in it to leak.
5. I'm not trying to be disrespectful and I believe Crystal has done a lot of good for many on the forum. However, she has seen this thread and she, I'm sure is aware of the main issue here. Has she taken the effort to inform Fords engineers or regional managers or dealer service managers of this issue. There should be a letter written by the engineers to all the dealerships to do a simple test of the vacuum system to make sure it 's not broken. If it is, then the warranty repair should be new vacuum lines, iwe, and actuators. Those on here that have had this done, the noise has stopped when they followed up with re-posting their results.
6. This is a common issue. There are probably 50% that have this issue with the Raptor at some point in time.

I don't care if you have a truck with low miles and still have a warranty. Do yourself a favor and follow the guide I give you and replace the vacuum lines with copper or steel (brake lines bent upalso work well) to replace plastic lines. If you are hearing the hubs pop then you need to probably replace them and the actuators. Their not that expensive on ebay or amazon. If you don't know how to do the work, find a GOOD mechanic that knows how to do it. If you get a dealer or service manager that says it's normal noise, RUN as fast as you can to someone else or just do the suggested tests to find out first. Hell you can even do the test right there in the dealers parking lot and if they say "that doesn't prove anything" RUN RUN RUN!!!
Since I did this fix to my truck when I wrote the original thread on this subject in mid 2013, I have not had to do anything to my front end. The lines are still in place and my hubs and actuators still look like when I put them in new. I know it works and I'm sorry there are not any venders that have taken it that extra step to give a plastic line replacement kit for everyone to use.
If Ford has not made any changes to the 2017 Raptor on this then I'll bet this will be another common issue for them. Time will tell.
http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f170/weak-vacuum-line-grinding-noise-fix-24281/

Good Luck.

 

[CASSMAN]

Insane Service

It's strange to me that this many trucks have this issue and Ford hasn't done a darn thing about it! You could take your truck to any dealership out there and every single one of them will tell you...."nope, it's the first time we've seen this problem". I have had my truck to three different dealerships with the response mentioned above from all three! First dealer tore down my t-case and replaced some parts to no avail. Brought it back when the problem was found to still be there....second time they literary took a front drive shafts out of another raptor and installed it into mine.....that didn't fix it either. Brought the truck to dealer number two, they replaced the iwe's and that still didn't take care of the problem. Brought the truck to dealer number three....they replaced both cv axles and the iwe's....and that didn't fix it either. My trucks is a 2012 and this started about 6 months after I bought it. I finally said %@$# it, and decided to look into it my self. I tore into the front end and found both actuators were contaminated. I replaced both iwe's, and hubs. While the truck had its front end off the ground I made sure that with the engine off, the wheels were connected to the axles. I then started the truck keeping my selector switch in 4x2 and the iwe's / actuators released immediately allowing me to spin both wheels while the axles remained still. So in other words, I successfully ran my truck for the first time in years in four wheel drive without that god awful sound in the front end. It's ridiculous that "we" spend huge money on a vehicle only to find that the places where we buy them can't work on them. A warranty is only as good as the folks that you have it through. I shouldn't be so hard on dealerships...the ones in my area do perform killer oil changes!!

 

[Dan06]

It's strange to me that this many trucks have this issue and Ford hasn't done a darn thing about it! You could take your truck to any dealership out there and every single one of them will tell you...."nope, it's the first time we've seen this problem". I have had my truck to three different dealerships with the response mentioned above from all three! First dealer tore down my t-case and replaced some parts to no avail. Brought it back when the problem was found to still be there....second time they literary took a front drive shafts out of another raptor and installed it into mine.....that didn't fix it either. Brought the truck to dealer number two, they replaced the iwe's and that still didn't take care of the problem. Brought the truck to dealer number three....they replaced both cv axles and the iwe's....and that didn't fix it either. My trucks is a 2012 and this started about 6 months after I bought it. I finally said %@$# it, and decided to look into it my self. I tore into the front end and found both actuators were contaminated. I replaced both iwe's, and hubs. While the truck had its front end off the ground I made sure that with the engine off, the wheels were connected to the axles. I then started the truck keeping my selector switch in 4x2 and the iwe's / actuators released immediately allowing me to spin both wheels while the axles remained still. So in other words, I successfully ran my truck for the first time in years in four wheel drive without that god awful sound in the front end. It's ridiculous that "we" spend huge money on a vehicle only to find that the places where we buy them can't work on them. A warranty is only as good as the folks that you have it through. I shouldn't be so hard on dealerships...the ones in my area do perform killer oil changes!!

Mine hasn't seen a dealer in years for this reason...