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.
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.
