Bad wheel bearing at only 30k miles!

[Yupster Dog]

i actually run mine in 4H 24/7.

Big difference between running in 4H 24/7 and running in 4A 24/7

i drive it in 4A because i prefer the way the vehicle handles

 

[Yupster Dog]

Which make this totaly legit if you run in 4H 24/7 as you first posted.

Don't mention that to Ford or that warranty will be null and void. Willfully driving in a manner that is likely to cause damage to the driveshaft, trans, etc. is generally frowned upon.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

total BS

i drive it in 4A because i prefer the way the vehicle handles, therefore is safer. my roads are curvy as hell, steep hills, loose gravel all over. if for any reason i have to evade an accident with another vehicle, or a deer, at any speed, wet or dry, most especially higher speeds in this beast, 4A will keep my vehicle under optimal control PERIOD if i start to lose any traction. this alone makes me keep it in 4. i would like to see them try to deny a warranty claim on a drivetrain part of the vehicle because i use it “all the time.” that’s simply my choice. that’s why i bought this vehicle. 4WD is safer under any circumstance - whether constant or passive. manual states 4A can be used for ANY conditions with zero limitation. that means it’s my choice & if something stops working mechanically, that’s their problem. whether it wears parts out is irrelevant & that’s what the warranty is for.

so you basically are telling me when i put it in sport mode every day, which automatically switches to 4A, i’m risking warranty refusal? yeah right . here’s this cool drive mode - but if you use it every day it voids your warranty because you’re “willfully driving in a manner that will likely cause damage...”. maybe that mode switches to 4A because it actually handles better & has better traction - not to mention the driveline is designed to be used that way?

I'm telling you the same thing everyone else here - and any mechanic you ask - will tell you. Driving in 4H full-time will absolutely cause damage to your truck and invalidate your warranty. The truck was not designed to drive in 4H full-time and in fact your user manual explicitly tells you not to do it.

Now with all of that said, you explicitly said 4H in your initial post and now you're saying 4A. Those are two entirely different animals. You absolutely can drive in 4A all the time. You don't seem to know your **** from your elbow though.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Right in the manual:

Note: Do not use 4H or 4L mode on dry, hard surfaced roads. Doing so can produce excessive noise, increase tire wear and could damage drive components.

Warranty overview states (pretty much the same as any warranty):

As the vehicle owner, you should also be aware that Ford Motor Company may deny you warranty coverage if your vehicle or a part has failed due to abuse, neglect, improper maintenance, or unapproved modifications.

Driving in 4H full-time when the manual explicitly states that doing so may cause damage to the drive components is absolutely abuse. The court reporter could rule on that case.

 

[lv2drive]

Right in the manual:



Warranty overview states (pretty much the same as any warranty):



Driving in 4H full-time when the manual explicitly states that doing so may cause damage to the drive components is absolutely abuse. The court reporter could rule on that case.

sorry my bad that was a typo on the H so /

i don’t have 4H, only got 4A. always meant to say A on original post /

 

[scottdm]

The prior response from ManUporShutUp was based on your statement that you "actually run mine in 4H 24/7". I assume this was a typo and you meant to say 4A instead of 4H. If you ran it in 4H on dry roads it would definitely cause damage to your driveline. 4A is not an issue as you've mentioned.

 

[lv2drive]

The prior response from ManUporShutUp was based on your statement that you "actually run mine in 4H 24/7". I assume this was a typo and you meant to say 4A instead of 4H. If you ran it in 4H on dry roads it would definitely cause damage to your driveline. 4A is not an issue as you've mentioned.

totally a typo - totally my bad.

my eyes are getting terrible at night & this is a perfect example, even when i proofread it looked like it said “4A” . i think gotta keep my forum comments to the daytime hours.

that being said - as far as i understand it (even though i don’t know my *** from my elbow), there is literally no possible way to engage 4H in a gen4 expy - gen4’s (again AFAIK) ONLY 4 mode IS 4A. this being the gen4 forum, i certainly wasn’t meaning to lead anyone to believe i run my gen4 in 4H.

all that said - IMO 4A rules & i stick to that correctly spelled statement —.

 

[Soliyou]

Had my driver side front bearing replaced at 54k miles. Been hearing a grinding noise over the past 10k miles, thinking it was uneven tires or something else. Finally had them diagnose it and repair it under warranty. Quiet as an autumn breeze now.

Did they replace them under powertrain warranty? or extended warranty?

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

totally a typo - totally my bad.

my eyes are getting terrible at night & this is a perfect example, even when i proofread it looked like it said “4A” . i think gotta keep my forum comments to the daytime hours.

that being said - as far as i understand it (even though i don’t know my *** from my elbow), there is literally no possible way to engage 4H in a gen4 expy - gen4’s (again AFAIK) ONLY 4 mode IS 4A. this being the gen4 forum, i certainly wasn’t meaning to lead anyone to believe i run my gen4 in 4H.

all that said - IMO 4A rules & i stick to that correctly spelled statement —.

4H/4L is still available on the 4th gens, but it's not automatically included on all 4WD trucks as it was in the past.

 

[scottdm]

4H/4L is still available on the 4th gens, but it's not automatically included on all 4WD trucks as it was in the past.

On versions with the low range transfer case (HD tow), the choices are 2H, 4A, and 4L. The last button around the transfer case choices is the rear locker button. No specific button for 4H.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

On versions with the low range transfer case (HD tow), the choices are 2H, 4A, and 4L. The last button around the transfer case choices is the rear locker button. No specific button for 4H.

View attachment 70339

Gotcha.

 

[duneslider]

Unless I am mistaken, the 2018+ uses the same transfer case as the pre-2018. So, it has the same 4H capability but that is selected by the drive modes (sand, mud, etc) vs a button that says 4H. It is still electronically splitting the torque 50/50 vs my jeep that mechanically locks front and back together with a lever pull. 4A should be splitting things 0/100 unless it detects slip then it automatically adjusts. Drivetrain is engaged in 4A so you do see a little mileage hit and hear a little noise.

It seems that most people I have talked to who had to replace front bearings only did it once and most people I know with F150's have never had an issue with front bearings. I suspect it is a fairly low percentage of vehicles that have them go bad prematurely. We have a handful of F150's in the fleet at work and none have had any issues with bearings.

 

[JExpedition07]

Correct. It’s the same BorgWarner Torque on Demand case used since 2005ish (basically). Minor changes have been made but largely the same transfer case (if you have HD tow). You select mud and ruts, we put the knob to 4H same thing as far as the computer is concerned. Non HD tow 2018+ is a different case because it doesn’t have a low range. I’m assuming BorgWarner is still the supplier for it, but cannot be certain. Anyone with a non HD tow 18+ who can verify it’s still BorgWarner?

 

[NyackRob79]

Did they replace them under powertrain warranty? or extended warranty?

Replaced under leaseCare, whatever that means.

 

[BMW2FORD]

I have a 2018 non HD tow and was just under it changing the transfer case fluid a few days ago @60k miles. I can confirm it for sure is a BorgWarner unit but not sure of the model number.

 

[NyackRob79]

Failed wheel bearings have a nothing to do with 2WD or 4WD modes.