AWD actuators making noise 2008

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deweysmith

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Sounds like the solenoid, yeah. Try bypassing it entirely and see if the noise goes away, that's the ultimate test.
 
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William_ff

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So I put in the solenoid and it worked and then went driving and tried switching to AWD and it worked. Switched back and now can't get rid of the noise. Even tried bypassing. I am going to get a vacuum gauge on that line to see what it measures, but I am guessing I have to move on to the IWE actuators. Should I be able to feel the vacuum on the line? I can't.
 

deweysmith

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So I put in the solenoid and it worked and then went driving and tried switching to AWD and it worked. Switched back and now can't get rid of the noise. Even tried bypassing. I am going to get a vacuum gauge on that line to see what it measures, but I am guessing I have to move on to the IWE actuators. Should I be able to feel the vacuum on the line? I can't.

Yes you should feel vacuum on the hose with the check valve whenever the engine is running. Maybe your check valve is bad?
 
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William_ff

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I tested the check valve and that works fine. I bought a pressure gauge and pump and will the lines and also ordered the Motorcraft actuators. Just want to make sure the system is good so the new ones don't go bad.
 

Frank Wilson

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Once it hit 50 degrees, I heard the grind/groan again like last year. I could switch it in 4A and it's gone. Hubs hold vacuum and check valves are tight. I'm wondering if the cold temps are causing issues with the solenoid. I'm not to sure how common that is with an aging gadgematronic part.
 
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William_ff

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It has been working great in 2H with the new solenoid now and I switched it to AWD in the snow and tested it and all is good. I have the motorcraft replacement actuators in hand, but am now hesitant to change them. I do have about 185K on the vehicle and probably still would be good to change them out.
 
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William_ff

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The noise up front got worse and was a different noise. I ended up buy 2 front axles from Detroit Axle on Amazon and replacing them.

The driver's side bearing was very wobbly and was so bad that the angle of it was grabbing the gears from the solenoid and not letting it retract. The passenger's side wasn't as bad.

I thoroughly cleaned it with brake cleaner and WD40. Wiped it out and then sprayed it with WD40 lithium spray. Then I wiped that out. Part of that cleaning was pressing in the diaphragm and letting it go a few times. I then thoroughly coated it with bearing grease. Coated the gears on the hub assembly with it as well. No noise from there now. AWD appears to work. I hear nothing when engaging or disengaging, but I would have to wait for the snow or wait until I get stuck in the mud to find out.

The gears on the IWE side are worn a bit and could definitely use replacing, but I think they are OK for now.
 

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