F 150 owners take note

[Gizmo100]

Well I got a cheap education this week and I wanted to share with other owners.

Tuesday I noticed a rattling/grinding noise coming from my truck when accelerating on an incline. The noise was VERY concerning. It stopped as soon as I let off the gas.

So I Googled it and learned a lot....

The front hubs on a ford 4 wheel drive system are unlocked by a vacuum system. If the vacuum pressure drops the hubs will try to lock.

In my case the check valve was not sealing every time. So when the pressure dropped the hubs would try to engage but would instead grind. By watching a few You Tube videos I was able to use a vacuum pump and gauge to test the system and verified the check valve was not sealing completely.

Had I delayed... The hubs would have chewed themselves into little pieces and cost over a $1000 to get repaired.

I spent $30 on a vacuum pump and $10 for the check valve.

On a side note...

If you happen to run into this problem and are unable to repair quickly a short term solution is to turn on the 4 wheel drive. It will cause some extra tire wear but that will be much cheaper than replacing the hubs.

 

[SpencerPJ]

Glad you found the check valve, this is discussed often on Ford truck forums. It is a disappointing weak link with the Fords. I almost feel that I will purchase the check valve and carry it with me, first sounds, simply replace it before even spending the time to do the vacuum tests etc.

 

[Larry N.]

Thanks for posting this, something new to me. I'll have to keep a closer eye (ear?) on my 2007 F-150.

 

[winona]

Hummm. I'm thinking this is what happened to me. Luckily my truck was under warranty.

 

[OutdoorFT]

A reason why Ford may not be my next vehicle. I need a vehicle with reliable 4WD. This aint it.

 

[Larry N.]

A reason why Ford may not be my next vehicle. I need a vehicle with reliable 4WD. This aint it.

Well, my 2007 F-150 4WD has been reliable for many years.

 

[Gizmo100]

A reason why Ford may not be my next vehicle. I need a vehicle with reliable 4WD. This aint it.

I would have to disagree. My reason for posting this was to give people a heads up not bash fords. We still love the truck and I have complete faith in the entire truck.

It's a simple repair if you catch it right away. It's NOT something to delay in repairing.

It's a 2017 with 62,000 miles. half of those miles were towing a trailer. I replaced the tires and this valve. The dealer had to replace the big chrome grill due to peeling chrome. It did take them awhile before they got one that did not peel. A different dealer changed out the oil pan gasket due to seepage. It also was covered under warranty. They also threw in a free oil change for my trouble. Overall I think ford makes a good dependable truck and has a good network of dealers to take care of the customer.

 

[OutdoorFT]

I would have to disagree. My reason for posting this was to give people a heads up not bash fords. We still love the truck and I have complete faith in the entire truck.

It's a simple repair if you catch it right away. It's NOT something to delay in repairing.

It's a 2017 with 62,000 miles. half of those miles were towing a trailer. I replaced the tires and this valve. The dealer had to replace the big chrome grill due to peeling chrome. It did take them awhile before they got one that did not peel. A different dealer changed out the oil pan gasket due to seepage. It also was covered under warranty. They also threw in a free oil change for my trouble. Overall I think ford makes a good dependable truck and has a good network of dealers to take care of the customer.

Im definitely not disagreeing with you on that. Ive had other brands and the dealers were pretty bad. Even my low mileage Dakota.

 

[John From Detroit]

Glad you found it for had you not your Truck might have been Found On Road Dead as you may well have been described by Driver Returns On Foot.

Oh. I've not been a Ford fan for a long time. Bearings wear out and oil pressure drops. this causes more wear and tear and ... Well. at least on the older Ford Cars I owned.

 

[Old_Crow]

A different dealer changed out the oil pan gasket due to seepage. It also was covered under warranty. They also threw in a free oil change for my trouble.

That dealer was a marketing genius.
"I'm going to do a repair that requires dumping the oil and removing the pan, but, Hey, I'll throw in a free oil change."
Kinda like saying "I've got the repaint the roof of the car, but I'll throw in a free wash job."

Sorry, I worked at GM dealerships for over 20 years. My BS detector is probably set to a lower bar than most people's.

Yes, I know that doing the lube is an extra step, but a lot of the newer vehicles don't even require that anymore.

 

[Gizmo100]

Sorry, I worked at GM dealerships for over 20 years. My BS detector is probably set to a lower bar than most people's.

False alarm Old Crow ...They discovered the seepage while changing the oil the first visit. Ask for approval to add a UV solution to the new oil. Returned to dealer a couple days later to confirm leak. Then scheduled the repair time.
So within 10 days the oil got changed twice.
When I reminded them that I still owed for the original oil change they declined my offer to pay.

 

[Old_Crow]

No worries. Nice of them not to charge you for the original change, though.
I was a service writer for about a year. I had a tough time at that job because I tend to tell the truth, and similar to this forum, the truth is not always what people want to hear.

I was never so glad to change jobs as the day that the dealership GM told me to bring my tool box to work and go back to the shop. He thought he was demoting me(we had history), but everybody else in the shop knew he was doing me a favor. Surprisingly, working flat rate in the shop pays better than bs-ing the customers, too.