Well, last month 4 hi wouldn't engage at all - but I heard a clicking noise at the front hub when I put my head out the window. The 4 HI light came on, transfer case was engaging, but not the hubs. So it went to the dealer. I told them the hubs weren't engaging. I think they replaced a solenoid or actuator, which they said will stick sometimes if it gets wet or clogged. This truck has never been "wheeled" or in deep water or mud - ir anything similar.

The 4wd worked as expected a week after that with a light snow we had.
Now - three weeks or so later, big problems. First, with the switch in 4 HI - nothing except the clicking again. I move the switch on and off a few times - nothing. I brought the truck to a stop and tried 4Lo - nothing.

Then I went back to 4Hi and it finally engaged while I was moving, but with a very loud clunk. Then - it disengaged and then re-engaged (with the switch still in 4HI)

Closer to home, I disengaged it again on a snowy hill and came to a stop, and put it in 4Hi - same engagement as earlier with rear tire spin and front hub clicking, then BANG - back into 4HI !!

Back to the shop it goes on Tues. I told them regardless of what they find, I am requesting them to disassemble the front hubs and inspect them, as I'm sure there will be some damage up there.

Has anybody had similar experiences?

A side note - my rant...
I am pretty much a Ford guy. I can count 13 Ford products I have owned - including four currently. This truck has been in the shop more times than all the other non ford products I have owned in the past combined. It's sad to say it has me questioning my faith in Ford at this point. I know many of you have trucks that have never needed to go in the shop - and that's great - but I am hugely disappointed in this vehicle. I love the looks of the truck, but what's the sense of having a 4wd pickup if the 4wd doesn't work WHEN YOU NEED IT!!

 

My buddie's 05 XLT with 12K on it did the same thing the other day. His sits in a garage and has been in 4WD maybe twice just to try it out. He lives in DC. They had to replace a actuator motor.

 

It sounds like the vacuum 4x4 system ingested some water which shorted out the actuator on the firewall. When the dealer replaced the actuator, they didn't get all the water out of the system and that has probably shorted out the new actuator as well. Its either that or the hubs themselves are going bad and leaking vacuum.

 

I have an '04 w/ 46K+ miles and mine just started making a grinding noise as well. If I click it over to 4 wheel drive the grinding goes away. I click it back to 2WD and the griding is gone for a few minutes but then comes back.

I have only taken mine off road a few times but not lately.

 

Well, just got mine back from Ford Dealer.... my vacuum line was stretched (because of the lift) and broken. There was also a speed sensor that was loose.

2 hours labor = $160

Im pretty happy with that outcome. I probably could have fixed it myself but I didnt know what the problem was in the first place.

 

I have uesed the 4wd about 5 times in the past 2 days in some snow and ice and everytime she engages fine, I think the electronic shift on the fly doesn't engage as well as a manual floor shifter.

2007 F-150 XLT Scab 4x4 5.4L V8

 

I have the same exact issue with mine... gonna take mine in and have it diagnosed then probably either fix it myself or have them do it if it's cheap enough...

 

Ford still has issues with their auto hubs (They have since the early 90s when they were introduced). I just had mine replaced a few weeks back. In my case, I could hear the hubs engaging.... which was causing a bad noise doing down the road. It sounds like your actuators (or hubs using the older terms) are shot. Are you under warranty? Mine were swapped out with any problems. If you want, I can probably hunt down the work order from the dealership on this.

 

My truck is still under warranty. It's only got 26k on it.
What REALLY ticks me off is yesterday, I took the ATVs out with a couple friends and the hubs decided not to engage again, and I was stuck at the base of the hill - not very steep, but steep enough that the truck wouldn't go up while dragging approx 2500lbs of trailer and ATVs. It REALLY burned my up, since if they would have listened to me last time when I told them the clicking was in the hubs - this could have been prevented.

The truck is going in on Wed. I'm going to pull the writer into an office and have a chat with them, and I think it's time to call Ford in MI, too.
This is ridiculous.