hey guys..
here is the deal... i have a 1999 explorer limited...
and for a couple of weeks now, when i start driving, and accelerating, i hear this loud noise coming from the back of the car... it is like when u see those big trucks with huge wheels and u hear those tires rolling on the streets...
the same kinda noise happens when i drive, the faster i go, the louder and the pitch gets higher... it was not coming from the engine, coz when i let go of the gas pedal, they noise is still loud, even though the RPM is at 1000 rpm, or a little lower, which is normal.
so i thought the noise was coming from tires, after i rotated the tires my self, like 3 or 4 months ago..
and tire pressure is fine...

so i dropped the car off at the ford dealer.. and guess what they told me..
the rear axle bearing is worn, and the whole rear axle need to be replaced...
of course my car is out of warranty, since i have like 60k miles on it...
and it would cost me around $2000, parts and labour..
the service rep there said that there is no direct cause of the wear.... and it happens..
that didnt make sense to me... coz i am sure this rarely happens, right?

i mean i will have to pay the money to fix the damn thing, otherwise that noise gonna drive me nuts...

but what u guys think... i mean what would cause this...

i mean the last time i dropped the car off in April.. it was coz of a leak in the "rear pinion seal"
so what they did was they replaced the cover and resealed it...

could it be cause by this?

thanx

A rear axle bearing shouldn't cost much over a couple of hundered to replace. Once in a while bearings go out. Guess it's just bad luck:(

The dealer is full of it. The "whole rear axle" does NOT need to be replaced. You need to have the bearings replaced in the rear end. Check around with some of the local 4wd shops, but it shouldn't cost you more than $200-$300 to have the bearings replaced.

true. true, you don't need $2000 to fix a axle bearing problem Get a second opinion. If the axle bearings on the end of the rear axle, the ones axle shaft's ride on go bad and score and pit the axle shafts. You can save money by installing what they call "axle savers" bearings instead of replacing the high dollar axle shafts.

I would go to some place other then the dealer if you can't fix it yourself. Most good wrenches can replace the bearings for you. If things are too bad inside go to a wrecking yard and find another rear end. It will be much cheaper that way.