Auto 4 wheel clutch not completely disengaging?

[99EB4x4]

I did a lot of driving in snow lately and the truck did amazing. Shifts from auto 4 wheel to 4 high and 4 low no problem. However It seems like the clutchpack for the auto 4 wheel is not disengaging 100% If i make a very slow turn with the wheels turned sharp im hearing a groaning noise, not very loud or bad. But this problem just started happening after doing all the driving in the snow. Any ideas what might be bad? or just flush the transfer case? I tried going from Auto4 to 4 high back and forth several times it changes back and forth ok.

The groaning sounds/feels like its coming from the middle of the truck maybe a little more towards the front.

 

[99EB4x4]

Another 4x4 newb question.

I know I need to rotate my tires. they all 4 match. but the fronts have about 60% tread and the rears have like 90% tread. Would failing to rotate tires on time cause these symptoms?

 

[tonydiv]

Tires can cause this, but I don't think it's the case here. Mainly because your rear tires are turning (slightly) slower than the fronts. The system wouldn't detect slipping, which is rears turning faster than the fronts.

What year is your truck? It is fairly common for IWE's to fail. When they do fail, they stay engaged.

 

[99EB4x4]

It is a 99

 

[99EB4x4]

Also im not sure what part you talking about? Sorry, what is IWE? Ive been looking at diagrams online of the transfer case and I see theres just the one motor, does that select range and contral engaging the cluctch for a4wd?

 

[99EB4x4]

So I did some research and from what I understand only the trucks that have 2hi option on the dash have the vacuum hubs. I think the trucks like mine that have auto4 4hi 4low have permanently connected hubs and no iwe solenoid. I also flushed the transfer case fluid last night and jacked up the front end i can spin the driveshaft by hand it also turns the front tires. no sign of any vacuum hubs though.

 

[tonydiv]

The Integrated Wheel Ends will only disengage when the engine is running and 4wd is engaged. I can't remember the exact setup that they used in '99.
My '98 had 4hi, awd and used a center axle disconnect system. I though that they eliminated the CAD and went to IWE's in '99.

Can anyone chime in on that.

 

[rollavvti06]

Can anyome confirm iwe in 99 that might be my problem i have. Been to cold to get the wheels off

 

[rollavvti06]

Any update on what your problem was. I have the same thing

 

[zenplacefour]

Late entry to the "stuck in 4WD" discussion

I have a 2000 Eddie Bauer 5.4L 1st Gen with the same problem. I could go between 4H and 4L, but not to A4WD. Unfortunately, I'm not great with car repairs, and I had no money for a real tech, so being the broke moron that I am, I just kept driving in 4WD on dry pavement. BAD decision! (more on that later.) After doing hours and hours of research, I was more informed, but still confused. Things got further complicated because of the !st gen, 2nd gen thing. I ended up looking for parts shown in diagrams on Ford's website that weren't actually in my truck (wrong gen?.) I kept digging, and the possible sources for the problem seemed endless.

1. Stuck, or broken transfer case 4WD shift motor
2. Leaking vacuum line(s)
3. Bad GEM module
3. Blown fuse(s) (several that matter)
4. Bad module(s) (several that matter)
5. Bad washer of some kind in transfer case
6. Bad "4WD disengage solenoid"
7. Dysfunctional transfer case.
8. Old, crappy, or low transmission fluid
9. Broken, dysfunctional 4WD switch
10. Mismatched tire / wheel sizes
11. Bad Karma (sorry, I just made that one up)

I'm sure I missed some...but anyway, after a few weeks (and driving WAY too many miles in 4WD) I finally had enough $$ to pay a real mechanic. His diagnostics turned up many failure codes in the GEM module. Bad news: a new one costs between $350 and $500. The Good news: I own a second 2000EB that's the exact same model, and that was sitting in my driveway (not registered.) I pulled the GEM on that truck (HUGE pain) and had the tech put it in the problem truck. Errors codes GONE, and I could now hear a click when switching from 4WD-H to A4WD, which previously was not happening. Problem solved. More good news, right? Well...

Now, back to the "driving way too many miles in 4WD" thing. Prior to getting the truck serviced, I was still driving the truck in 4WD, and on dry pavement. I know, shame on Me! After a while, the truck started to develop a "wobble" in the front end, especially noticeable around 30-40 mph. It got worse over time, but I had to get to work.

Results: Despite fixing the GEM module and having access to A4WD, it is still stuck in 4WD. I'm fairly sure that I may have destroyed one, or both of my CV axles, the drive-train, the transfer case or any number of other expensive parts that I can't afford. Truck goes in to the shop tomorrow so they can assess the damage. Maybe It's got a blown "wobble" fuse?

 

[FordandPolaris]

Holy crap, well I will say at least you admit your mistakes, and trust me we have all made them. I almost had a front tire fly off because I did not properly tighten my wheel hub bolts back up after making a repair... S*** happens. I would guess the wobble is a really bad wheel hub. It could also be a CV axle too since all that torque from trying to turn the wheels the same speed during turns ends up bunching up in those.

For future reference, if you can get it into A4WD, you can do the brown wire mod (google will give many how-to's on that for turning off A4WD) or you can pull fuse 104 under the dash. This only works if you can get into A4WD though! Otherwise the T-case will still be locked into 4H.

To me it is just silly that the 99-02 only had the A4WD option. Wears out everything prematurely in my opinion since it is always giving at least 10% capacity to the fron wheels. 97-98's and 03-up had a 2H option that would disconnect the front drivetrain from the driven axle, giving just rear wheel drive.

 

[zenplacefour]

Leave drive shaft off 4WD 2000 Expediton?...

Hey, FordandPolaris... thanks for the heads up on fuse 104. Unfortunately, I could never get the truck into A4WD.

I even tried the hack that involved parking the truck on a slightly sloped area, putting it in neutral with the emergency brake on, dialing the switch to A4WD, disconnecting the battery, waiting 10 minutes, rolling 10-15 feet, reconnecting the battery, starting the truck, etc... (not sure of the exact order right now.) No Luck.

Good suggestion about the wheel hub. I'll mention this to the mechanic tomorrow if he hasn't made progress. Right now the truck is in the garage. He thought it might be the right front CV Axle, but after replacing that the wobble didn't improve. He even tried it in on the left side. Nope...

I suggested that he look at the drive shaft, which I gather from others on this site, can also be a possible "4WD on dry pavement" problem. He's going to pull it tomorrow and give the truck a spin. This leads me to my question...

Should I just leave the drive shaft off the truck? Any advantages or disadvantages? I won't need 4WD until next winter, and even a rebuilt drive shaft will wipe out a big chunk of this months beer budget. I think I've already endured enough pain!

 

[FordandPolaris]

Hey, FordandPolaris... thanks for the heads up on fuse 104. Unfortunately, I could never get the truck into A4WD.

I even tried the hack that involved parking the truck on a slightly sloped area, putting it in neutral with the emergency brake on, dialing the switch to A4WD, disconnecting the battery, waiting 10 minutes, rolling 10-15 feet, reconnecting the battery, starting the truck, etc... (not sure of the exact order right now.) No Luck.

Good suggestion about the wheel hub. I'll mention this to the mechanic tomorrow if he hasn't made progress. Right now the truck is in the garage. He thought it might be the right front CV Axle, but after replacing that the wobble didn't improve. He even tried it in on the left side. Nope...

I suggested that he look at the drive shaft, which I gather from others on this site, can also be a possible "4WD on dry pavement" problem. He's going to pull it tomorrow and give the truck a spin. This leads me to my question...

Should I just leave the drive shaft off the truck? Any advantages or disadvantages? I won't need 4WD until next winter, and even a rebuilt drive shaft will wipe out a big chunk of this months beer budget. I think I've already endured enough pain!

I would not do that if you can help it. I read of a guy that removed the front driveshaft in order to do burnouts of all things. After smoking the rear tires (truck still in A4WD) he posted up a question wondering why his transfer case had cracked into two pieces...

I am guessing even though the driveshaft is disconnected, that torque will bind up in the transfer case. Have you checked the transfer case shift motor for voltage or function? It sounds a lot like that and they are a pretty common problem on the older trucks.