You all were exactly right, IWE hose had a crack in it. After quite a battle with the Framingham ford idiots, they replaced the hoses and no more grinding.

Thanks Everyone

 

Glad they found it, and glad your all fixed up!

 

Not so lucky for me. I have what feels to be sufficient and equal vac to each wheel, yet the IWEs do not dis-engage. I'm thinking that my hose has been popped all winter and that the IWEs are now nice and stuck in the locked position. I drove it all day today. I was preppred to unhook the line up behind the battery should one side try to partially lock/unlock/grind. no such luck. all was calm, front end spinning along as it was before.

 

also, I can not seem to find a diagram of what these vac operated hub things look like. I've searched the a fordparts.com etc websites and all I can see is a $60-80 actuator and a slenoid. I guess I was thinking it was a larger unit. I can not take it in for coverage work 'till I'm off from work the week after next. I was hoping to get a better mental image of it. Physically, how is it attached to the hub assembly? I've put several unit hub bearings in dodge/jeep stuff, my hub looks darn near the same...less this gizmo. Is it a ring around the unit bearing with a Dog type thing? a link to a parts diagram with a pic would be greatly appreciated. also the ford unit bearing things are cheaper than the less complex ones I've installed. about 25-50% less. so I'm thinking the IWE makes up for it. and they do not get replaced as a set? thanks

 

also, I can not seem to find a diagram of what these vac operated hub things look like. I've searched the a fordparts.com etc websites and all I can see is a $60-80 actuator and a slenoid. I guess I was thinking it was a larger unit. I can not take it in for coverage work 'till I'm off from work the week after next. I was hoping to get a better mental image of it. Physically, how is it attached to the hub assembly? I've put several unit hub bearings in dodge/jeep stuff, my hub looks darn near the same...less this gizmo. Is it a ring around the unit bearing with a Dog type thing? a link to a parts diagram with a pic would be greatly appreciated. also the ford unit bearing things are cheaper than the less complex ones I've installed. about 25-50% less. so I'm thinking the IWE makes up for it. and they do not get replaced as a set? thanks

 

yeah, I doubled it. New Guy. and how do we send PM's? anybody do HCS or amsnow?

 

If you disconnected and felt the vacuum at the hubs, You found them. they are the grey aluminuim rings at the wheel ends of the half shafts, They have the double vacuum line to them, one is supply, the other is a vent (smaller one). The IWE actuators (also called the inside wheel hub by some) attaches via 3 10mm bolts arouns that gray ring you can see from the outside. To get it off, well, you have to unbolt the upper ball joint, and the steering arm, and the axle nut, (one time use nut, needs a new one) manipulate and push on the half-shaft to get it completely out of the knuckle. Slide the actuator off the end of the half shaft, re-grease the outer hub bearing, (take a bunch of grease and smear it in the back side of the knuckle) slide the new actuator on the halfshaft and assemble back together the same way it came off.. Once you do it once, the other side is a breeze. I have only replaced one of mine, the drivers side. the diaphram got a hole in it, and would not hold vacuum (thus, stayed engaged all the time). I know that the other side will be easy when the time comes. I suggest that you get a mityvac or equivilent vacuum pump with gauge to check you IWE actuators for vacuum leaks in themselves.

Inside the IWE actuator is a diaphragm that slides a cogged ring onto a gear that is part of the outer wheel hub. Vacuum keep the cogged ring retracted (disengaged).

 

thank you. (yes, I knew where it was) but I could just not picture by looking at it how it worked internally.