¡TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN Torque-On-Demand (TO)

[BBLV]

Ford is taking the cheap route to escape replacing the IWEs and/or vacuum solenoid by permanently engaging the IWEs/AWD on these trucks. They don’t do it on Raptors because the owners are generally more aware of their vehicle performance capabilities and would balk at the Ford “fix”. Peasant F150 owners are among the lowest common denominator and will be happy if Ford makes the noise go away for free.

As time goes on I’m losing what faith I had in Ford as a top domestic manufacturer. The idiots in govt have destroyed the last bastion of large scale independent business in the US.

Unfortunately politics have invaded every aspect of human existence on earth. Even automobile enthusiasts.

Well that escalated quickly

 

[Gatorgold]

The bulletin only applies to Torque On-Demand (TOD) transfer cases, not trucks with part-time 4WD. The reason is that the drag from the Transfer Case clutch causes the front driveshaft, differential, and axles to rotate regardless of whether the IWEs are engaged, so leaving them engaged full time does not make a big difference.

On part time 4WD (ESOF) trucks, the transfer case is fully disengaged in 2WD, so the TSB directs how to properly diagnose and repair the system.

No dealer should be performing the TOD on Raptor, as stated in the bulletin. I suspect this is due to the Raptor’s unique transfer case and optional Torsen front differential.

OP should return to the dealer and have them diagnose the system properly following the Workshop Manual. They’re vacuum operated hubs, it’s not that complicated.

I have an appointment Wednesday and will keep everyone posted. Thanks for the comments

 

[Gatorgold]

Thanks everyone for chiming in. They determined it needs a new IWE.

 

[smgilles]

I recently took my 2017 Raptor to the dealer because I was hearing a slight grinding noise at speeds less than 30mph. They solved the problem by capping off the vacuum line under the hood. They said the procedure permanently engages the IWEs (integrated wheel ends) without affecting any other functions. Why does it have the feature in the first place and is this the right solution? If there’s a bigger issue that needs to be repaired I definitely want to do it before my extended warranty runs out. Also the attached service bulletin states this solution doesn’t apply to the Raptor.

I fought the same battle on my 2017 Raptor too. They wanted to just cap the vacuum so the IWEs were permanently engage, which is obviously the incorrect procedure to perform on Raptors (Torsen differential especially and Torque on demand). I talked to a the regional Ford engineer who stated the truck "would probably be fine, but no guarantees". You can search my previous posts for the entire story. I made them trouble shoot the system. Told me everything was "fine".

Short of the long, I vacuum tested each component of the IWE system myself and discovered that the actuators were not completely disengaging with appropriate vacuum despite holding 25 mmHg vacuum. This required me to pull the hub and inspect, then put back together and take to Ford with the video evidence.

As @FordTechOne as alluded this should be an easy fix for any service tech. FTO is the one helped me diagnose and troubleshoot mine.