I decided to try these instead of trying to keep the IWE system going. Continuing to throw parts at it is a total waste of time, in my opinion. The system itself isn't a bad idea, because being able to stop the CVs and front differential from spinning will save the driver about 1-2 mpg and reduce wear on the axles and differential. Unfortunately, Ford didn't put enough effort into making the system durable. The vacuum lines get holes from heat rot and rubbing, the original vacuum solenoid was an absolute joke of engineering. They did "upgrade" it to be able to keep water out (and thus kept out of the lines that carry it to the actuators, causing rust, and eventually failure), but it's still a cheaply made plastic solenoid. The actuators that these Dorman units replace are far from being "built Ford tough". Again, IWE was a good idea, but badly executed. If your IWE has been non-functional, and you've heard any clicking or vibration while attempting to use it, just save yourself some time and buy a set of hub assemblies while you're at it. You're going to need them. These aren't terribly hard to install but make sure you have heavy duty jackstands and a torque wrench. Look up the torque specs for the fasteners. I used Lucas Xtra Heavy Duty to grease it all up. The 4wd works fantastic now. I'm very glad I did this, and would recommend it to anybody. Read more
Perfect fit for my 2013 Ford F150, no more vacuum issues Read more
The best Read more
I want to love this product. The splines for engagement with the CV are twice as thick as the stock vacuum selectable hubs. And the fact they're greasable is a huge plus as this is the same sealed area as the wheel bearings. But, the problem I ran into was spinning the transfer case chains when the tarnsfer case wasn't engaged in 4wd and at highway speeds with 4.56 gears on 35's means I'm spinning the shafts and transmission/transfer case as fast as 85 as a stock truck would be spinning them at 100mph. Had a. Crazy chain noise in my transfer case that necessitated completely removing the front driveshaft for normal stret driving. Which means I would have to reinstall it on the trail before I can use 4wd. Workable, but far from ideal. I just had the Alexs completely overhauled and upgraded to 4.56 gears and TrueTrac differentials and all new bearings and seals. But it's worth mentioning the tcase and the truck itself has 300,000 miles on it. So it could be that my tcase is about to give up anyways, but I doubt it. The tcase itself has never given me reason to question it's integrity. The electric vacu solenoid to engage the factory hub, and the factory hub itself have both left me stuck without 4x4 before though, which was the reason for considering this "upgrade". It is an upgrade in reliability of that part of the 4x4 system, but I'm left questioning if there's a reason besides fuel economy that Ford didn't spin the front drivetrain full time on this truck, that reason perhaps being a design internal to the tcase necessitating that the hubs be selectable perhaps. Read more
I have a 2015 F150. I bought it used and had it for about 6 months with no issues out of the front end. One day I engaged 4x4 and upon disengaging, a clicking noise started from the front end. It was intermittent at first, then became constant at speed, then developed a grinding noise along with the clicking. I thought my truck was falling apart. Upon further research (online forums and YouTube), I learned what an IWE was and how failure prone they were. I was torn between replacing them with vacuum actuated ones like the OEM, or bypassing the vacuum system and buying these. I chose these and I couldn’t be happier. They fit perfectly, installed easily, and they’ve held up well to regular off-road use. There are plenty of videos online showing installation, but most tell you to disassemble way more than I found necessary. When I changed mine out, I loosened the brake line brackets on the frame, the upper control arm, and the tie rod. That was all I needed to remove to allow enough clearance to pull the old unit out and slide this one in place. My truck does have a 3” level up front, so it might be different for stock height trucks. The grease fitting on this unit means you’ll be able to service this IWE instead of simply replacing it, saving money and preventing damage to the CV axle. As far as MPG loss, I haven’t experienced any either around town or on the interstate. This is a great product that will save you a lot of time and headache Read more
Everything needed if you want to eliminate your iwe system. Pretty easy to install and will definitely eliminate the vacuum 4wd. Hubs stay mechanically engaged. Read more
Works great and easy to install. Great value and fits perfectly. Eliminates the noisy rattle of the original Read more
Worked great to solve my IWE grinding from the leaking poor design of the vacuum actuated original setup on my Raptor SVT. Now 4wd works when I need it. Install was easy. Make sure to shoot some grease inside the fitting! Read more
