Gen 2 - How bad is it to drive with faulty IWE actuator(s)?

[Bee]

I got a mityvac and checked vacuum. The system held at 20 mm Hg forever. But, it has been abnormally warm in the Northeast.

The noise was bothering me enough that I decided to take advantage of the warm spell last week and change out the IWE myself.

$160 for the IWE, nuts (upper control arm, tie rod, and half shaft), and dust cap. It was honestly easy; I'm embarrassed I took it to the dealer for this. Followed all torque specs and used the mityvac to retract the IWE. I did not have to remove the brakes (Roush Alcon kit). A second pair of hands definitely helps to control the spindle, especially with the added weight of the kit.

I wanted to share how surprised I was at how easily the vacuum hose pulled off the fitting at the IWE. It came off so easily hell I was shocked it was still even attached. Like I said, I changed out the solenoid and checked vacuum, and you have put effort into pulling the vacuum hose off the solenoid fitting. The IWE fitting is smooth, with no barbs. Add to that, the base of mine was corroded, and actually lifted the hose a bit (see pics).

Just a theory, but I could easily see how the system could hold vacuum in your driveway, but get rattled enough by suspension movement to intermittently loose vacuum.

By the time I discovered this I was more than halfway home so i just changed out the IWE anyway. But, I put some grease at the base of fitting (careful not to get it in hose or hole) to prevent corrosion. My passenger side hose pulled just as easily, a I put grease at the base of that fitting to help achieve a better seal. I may try small zip ties next.

Its just been a couple of days so the jury is still out.

 

[dsiggi]

I got a mityvac and checked vacuum. The system held at 20 mm Hg forever. But, it has been abnormally warm in the Northeast.

The noise was bothering me enough that I decided to take advantage of the warm spell last week and change out the IWE myself.

$160 for the IWE, nuts (upper control arm, tie rod, and half shaft), and dust cap. It was honestly easy; I'm embarrassed I took it to the dealer for this. Followed all torque specs and used the mityvac to retract the IWE. I did not have to remove the brakes (Roush Alcon kit). A second pair of hands definitely helps to control the spindle, especially with the added weight of the kit.

I wanted to share how surprised I was at how easily the vacuum hose pulled off the fitting at the IWE. It came off so easily hell I was shocked it was still even attached. Like I said, I changed out the solenoid and checked vacuum, and you have put effort into pulling the vacuum hose off the solenoid fitting. The IWE fitting is smooth, with no barbs. Add to that, the base of mine was corroded, and actually lifted the hose a bit (see pics).

Just a theory, but I could easily see how the system could hold vacuum in your driveway, but get rattled enough by suspension movement to intermittently loose vacuum.

By the time I discovered this I was more than halfway home so i just changed out the IWE anyway. But, I put some grease at the base of fitting (careful not to get it in hose or hole) to prevent corrosion. My passenger side hose pulled just as easily, a I put grease at the base of that fitting to help achieve a better seal. I may try small zip ties next.

Its just been a couple of days so the jury is still out.

Thanks for that write up. I had theroized that when mine would start to make noise I had been in a lot of deep snow off roading. I figured its probably pretty easy to move those IWE hoses around. I did reseat them (albeit half assed in a parking lot in like 10 degrees), but I was wondering if just pulling the hoses off and reseating them may have been part of the issue. Have not had the issue since the last one the dealer put in, but will keep this in mind.

 

[Rptrrob702]

Thanks @Bee for the write up. That's what I was going to do myself but ended up taking it to a different dealer since I was traveling all last week/ weekend. It has now been sitting in their back lot for 7 days and parts are on order to replace the wheel hub and IWE actuator. It's amazing how long it takes for them to diagnose/ fix problems. Been waiting for the heated seat element for 3.5 months even though I can source the part locally.

 

[Bee]

Just want to follow up and report that my "atypical" IWE rubbing sound has revolved since my Feb 2 post. Again, this was in the setting of a normal vacuum test at the solenoid in my driveway.

I'm not sure if it was the actuator itself or the fitting/hose, but its gone and I'm happy.

I would encourage anyone frustrated by a front end 2wd-only noise to change them out. If you can do brakes, you can do this.