Uh crap. Wheel hub blew out (Integrated Wheel End, IWE)

[pirate air]

Pirate, Thanks for the great explanation for those of us who are clueless!!!

Awesome jd and pirate, thanks!

No problem guys.

What can we do to stop this from hapenning...if anything?

I'd like to know too.

B, I was gonna ask, are you pretty sure that bang we heard came from the rear, and maybe not the front hub? Know what I mean?

As far as I know there's not much you can do. Its a crummy system imo. Ford has tweaked it over the years and it has gotten somewhat more reliable. I try to do as little shift on the fly as possible. I'll try and come to a stop and give the hubs a chance to cleanly engage/disengage when not under load. Before I hammer it, I make sure the hubs are locked/unlocked as need be. This works the hub teeth as little as possible. If the hubs begin to chatter its best to drive it as little as possible to avoid extra damage. Unplugging the EWI so it's not trying to half way engage is something else I would do.

 

[BigJ]

Good advise, that. I do tend to shift on the fly. I won't any more. Thank you again Sir.

---------- Post added at 04:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:54 PM ----------

PS: I edited the title of this thread to help those searching for info at a later date.

 

[bstoner59]

I'd like to know too.

B, I was gonna ask, are you pretty sure that bang we heard came from the rear, and maybe not the front hub? Know what I mean?

To me it sounded like the front driver side. That was my first thought when you posted this. I think the bang was caused by this problem not the cause. Seems like something F150's struggle with.

Note to self...try not to shift on the fly.

 

[Madcowranch]

This is good to know as I don't think I've ever stopped to engage 4WD.

 

[DubbsFaris]

This is good to know as I don't think I've ever stopped to engage 4WD.

Yeah, but this is what I call a slippery slope argument...

I don't want to worry about what Im gonna break because I do this or dont do that...to me, I take pretty good care of my vehicles, and I just am not gonna burden myself with the concern of breaking anything on it. I mean, eventually its all gonna break. Thats why Im gonna shift on the fly, drive it offroad, uphill, downhill, through mud and water, and on pavement like Im trying to win a race.

If it breaks down, I'll call a towtruck, send it to the dealer, and get it fixed.....warranty or not, there arent any parts that cant be fixed. What I wont be doing is jacking up my truck, pulling wires or hoses and trying to trouble shoot. Im dropping off the keys, telling the service guy the problem, and giving my phone number up so they can call me when it is ready. I didnt buy a Raptor to reverse engineer it....I bought it to pick up ass and put down rubber. (unless my wife is reading this- then, I bought an extra wide truck to fit my extra wide butt)

 

[BigJ]

Uh good on you?

Just out of curiosity, why take the time to read a troubleshooting thread if you never plan to troubleshoot? Why bother to reply to a post of suggestions if you never plan to take advantage of those suggestions?

Not trying to be a ****, but I don't understand what the point behind your post is. Maybe there is none?

 

[bstoner59]

I prefer to do whatever I can to avoid breaking down in the middle of nowhere. The money it costs to get a tow truck to come get me in the middle of the desert could be better used on mods!

 

[jdowens1]

I agree with Pirate there are a lot of things that can be done to minimize damage. I actually kind of like the 4wd system on the f-150 I like it better then the 03 and older version with vacuum and a shift fork. I think its far better then a chevy that takes 10 seconds to engage. I do think in the manual or workshop manual you aren't suspose to shift on the fly above 55 miles an hour. I will still use my 4x4 as intended. I do attempt to shift at slower speeds if at all possible. The biggest thing I have is when people try and engage the 4wd while the tires are slipping, I've seen some bad carnage come from that. Using 4wd 8 months out of the year I can't always remember to stop. One thing I have done over the years with ESOF system is once a month while sitting idling I will shift from 2wd,4wd,4 low. I got into the habit of this to just move the components and it helps keep the contacts in the shift motor clean. Knock on wood I have yet to have a shift motor or any part of my 4wd to fail with three different vehicles.

 

[Madcowranch]

Yeah, but this is what I call a slippery slope argument...

I don't want to worry about what Im gonna break because I do this or dont do that...to me, I take pretty good care of my vehicles, and I just am not gonna burden myself with the concern of breaking anything on it. I mean, eventually its all gonna break. Thats why Im gonna shift on the fly, drive it offroad, uphill, downhill, through mud and water, and on pavement like Im trying to win a race.

If it breaks down, I'll call a towtruck, send it to the dealer, and get it fixed.....warranty or not, there arent any parts that cant be fixed. What I wont be doing is jacking up my truck, pulling wires or hoses and trying to trouble shoot. Im dropping off the keys, telling the service guy the problem, and giving my phone number up so they can call me when it is ready. I didnt buy a Raptor to reverse engineer it....I bought it to pick up ass and put down rubber. (unless my wife is reading this- then, I bought an extra wide truck to fit my extra wide butt)

That's cool Dubbs. I like to have fun and abuse mine too. I'm just saying if there's something simple I can be doing to extend the life of my machinery, I'm all ears.
In addition to loving to drive their Raptors, some guys on here are more mechanically inclined (I'm somewhere in between) and love to take their shit apart to see how it works or just read about how it works or fix it themselves when it does break. It's all good.
Drive it like ya stole it!

 

[DubbsFaris]

Uh good on you?

Just out of curiosity, why take the time to read a troubleshooting thread if you never plan to troubleshoot? Why bother to reply to a post of suggestions if you never plan to take advantage of those suggestions?

Not trying to be a ****, but I don't understand what the point behind your post is. Maybe there is none?

Hmm, okay. I guess after reading my response and then yours, I see where you are coming from. Let me clear up the post a bit- I see these things a lot on Team Shelby, where we have a problem pop up, and all of a sudden, its OUR fault because the compnent didnt hold up to use. For example, GT500s have had a history of burning out alternators. Then all of a sudden we get people coming on the forum chastizing us because its not Ford's fault, it was "improper use" by the owner. This was one of my favorite examples, because I remember being told " turn off your airconditioners each time you get ready to turn off your car, and your radio, and dont add any accessories, or aftermarket electronics for god's sake....

Similar arguments with our clutches, superchargers, pulleys, etc...I could go on.

Point is, I know there are things we can do to minimize wear and damage, but I just dont see the point in worrying about it if it is covered under warranty. The truck has shift on the fly capaability, and the manual does not say you shouldnt do it, therefore, shouldnt we be able to do it without worry or fear?

But hey, Im the kind of guy that breaks it, and if I cant fix it, time for an upgrade...the other side of this is that you seemed to be really trying hard to figure out what is wrong, and I just dont have the time for that kind of stuff, as much as I would like to to tinker, there is no way I can find the time.

Im not saying you arent a ****, Im just saying your post doesnt make you one. I dont know if you are or not... but you are a moderator, so there is that...