Exteremly confused: Loud grinding and binding coming from passenger rear wheel well

[lizard00]

Okay so I have been trying to diagnose exactly what's causing this noise for a while now and i'm leaning towards a wheel bearing/maybe brakes? but not sure enough to replace anything quite yet. Out of seemingly nowhere one morning, when I tried to backup and leave my driveway the passenger rear wheel was binding and making an extremely loud grinding and sort of popping. I had someone else drive it while I listened and the sound is 100% coming from the wheel area, not the differential. Before this started the abs light would come on after driving a few feet, well after this started when that abs light comes on the noises and binding stops. It won't do it again until the key is turned off and on and it will start over again. I scanned the abs code and replaced the rear abs wheel speed sensor on top of the diff. Now, instead of the noise going away when the abs light pops on its continuous. Looking at that wheel, it is not aligned correctly at all, as well as the tread being worn unevenly. The rear toe link looked way off compared to the other side, and the sway bar link was literally moving up and down about a full inch. Im guessing it had been driven like this for at least 2-3000 miles as thats how long ago my brother had that toe link and sway bar end link, along with the rear struts and springs replaced. Apparently the mechanic didn't bother even trying to get the alignment close or tell him it needed to be aligned. The brake caliper seemed to be really loose as well, and the pads were bare on one end and had all the braking material on the other. The rotor doesn't look too great either. Even with the caliper, pads, and rotor off and turning the wheel hub its still binding. So obviously im going to have to replace all the bad brake parts and rotors n pads on the other side as well, but I don't want to waste money on a wheel bearing is thats not what the grinding is. If that was the problem, why would the abs light coming on make it stop? Any insight would be appreciated, thank you

 

[lizard00]

Okay so I have been trying to diagnose exactly what's causing this noise for a while now and i'm leaning towards a wheel bearing/maybe brakes? but not sure enough to replace anything quite yet. Out of seemingly nowhere one morning, when I tried to backup and leave my driveway the passenger rear wheel was binding and making an extremely loud grinding and sort of popping. I had someone else drive it while I listened and the sound is 100% coming from the wheel area, not the differential. Before this started the abs light would come on after driving a few feet, well now when that abs light comes on the noises and binding stops. It won't do it again until the key is turned off and on and it will start over again. I scanned the abs code and replaced the rear abs wheel speed sensor on top of the diff. Now, instead of the noise going away when the abs light pops on its continuous. Looking at that wheel, it is not aligned correctly at all, as well as the tread being worn unevenly. The rear toe link looked way off compared to the other side, and the sway bar link was literally moving up and down about a full inch. Im guessing it had been driven like this for at least 2-3000 miles as thats how long ago my brother had that toe link and sway bar end link, along with the rear struts and springs replaced. Apparently the mechanic didn't bother even trying to get the alignment close or tell him it needed to be aligned. The brake caliper seemed to be really loose as well, and the pads were bare on one end and had all the braking material on the other. The rotor doesn't look too great either. Even with the caliper, pads, and rotor off and turning the wheel hub its still binding. So obviously im going to have to replace all the bad brake parts and rotors n pads on the other side as well, but I don't want to waste money on a wheel bearing is thats not what the grinding is. If that was the problem, why would the abs light coming on make it stop? Any insight would be appreciated, thank you

Car is 2wd by the way

 

[Josef161]

When does that noise appear? If it is only at 12 mph (and only after you start the engine no matter if cold/warm) then it is most likely the ABS-testing. The vehicle automaticly performs a abs-test when it hits 12 mph the first time after you srart it. I had the same problem, i replaced my front wherl hub assembly and it went away (but i dont know if that would fix the problem in the rear too bc in the rear is different...

 

[lizard00]

When does that noise appear? If it is only at 12 mph (and only after you start the engine no matter if cold/warm) then it is most likely the ABS-testing. The vehicle automaticly performs a abs-test when it hits 12 mph the first time after you srart it. I had the same problem, i replaced my front wherl hub assembly and it went away (but i dont know if that would fix the problem in the rear too bc in the rear is different...

Its as soon as I move, and I can feel the wheel binding. If I put it in park/drive and take my foot off the brakes it doesnt move at all or moves a fraction of a revolution before binding, at which point the noise starts. It is so loud that I haven't driven it more than a few feet after replacing the abs sensor because now that the abs light isn't coming on, the noise never stops.

 

[gmanpaint]

Take the wheel off and inspect the hub, caliper, and cv axle. Any one of those can be the issue.

 

[lizard00]

Take the wheel off and inspect the hub, caliper, and cv axle. Any one of those can be the issue.

What signs would I be looking for? The caliper looks fine but I can't seem to get it completely tightened no matter how much I torque the bolts. I haven't looked at the cv axle yet

 

[Josef161]

I would recommend that you jack the car up. Then take the tire at 6 and 12 o'clock and try to wiggle it. Next take it at 3 and 9 o'clock and try to wiggle it again. If you have play in both tests it's for sure the wheel bearing (if the test is negative it still could be the wheel bearing but bc your wheel is sooo loud it really should wiggle if the wheel bearing is bad).

 

[Josef161]

It is almost for sure the wheel bearing (bc of the noise, binding wheel and warning light). If it isn' the wheel bearing i guess it is a stuck brake caliper, the sometimes get stuck bc mechanics often don't grease the brake piston guide pins, so you would have to grease them up and probably have to replace the brake pads. if the pins need to be greased i would recommend to grease them at all 4 brakes...

 

[lizard00]

Ill check again in the morning but I've already tried moving the wheel all the way around and it was solid. The warning light for abs was pre existing and just so happened to make the noise stop, after I replaced that sensor there are no codes except a few evap ones, and the noise remains unchanged. I'm thinking the alignment issues, it being pointed a few degrees to the left as well as sticking out more on the bottom than top (sorry dont know technical terms), has something to do with it as well. I'm going to take the wheel off after testing the bearing for play again and double check everything else as well. Do you think the cv axle could possibly be the cause as well? And is there anything I could do to test that? The only thing I found with the brakes is the seemingly loose caliper, and very unevenly wore pads. Guide pins are greased and look fine. Rotors isn't perfectly smooth but I dont think its bad enough to cause this sound. Its like a sheet of metal being dragged on asphalt, never heard anything like it from a vehicle

 

[gmanpaint]

A loose caliper is not a good thing. Are you sure your tightening the right mounting bolts, and not the Pin bolts? A worn rotor is a bad thing. A uneven set of pads is a sign of caliper failure. I suggest to replace the caliper, rotor, pads, and maybe even the soft line to the caliper.

A Broken CV axle can be easy to see sometimes. A broken Boot that let the grease out, will leave obvious signs. The cage inside the boot that houses the large bearings gives way eventually. The cage can shred the boot, and the guts go flying. Guts are ball bearings and grease. Before this happens, a lot of times, you will get a warning sound from them when turning. You will hear an audible repeating Clicking noise. When this happens, park it, and schedule the axle change asap.

A bad hub that is worn enough to cause an off camber stance, would most definitely wobble when doing the tire shake test. So that's simply alignment issues for the negative camber. A bad hub will make a humming noise, and can get worse or less while turning. A hub that is screaming loud, is about to separate and send your wheel on down the road solo style. Replace asap.


So the rear ABS sensor you replaced.... Was the old sensor covered in metal shavings? Like an abundance of it?

I suggest to remove that new ABS sensor, and inspect it for shavings. If it is covered with new shavings, your gear fluids are contaminated. When was the last time the fluids was changed?

Your rear 8.8 carrier, is known for bearing failure. There are plenty of threads here on this subject.

I would suggest you remove the rear differential cover, drain all the fluids, clean it out well, and inspect for damages. Gear teeth will be cracked and / or chipped if the carrier bearing, really let go past a loud Humming noise.

Let us know what you find out.

 

[lizard00]

A loose caliper is not a good thing. Are you sure your tightening the right mounting bolts, and not the Pin bolts? A worn rotor is a bad thing. A uneven set of pads is a sign of caliper failure. I suggest to replace the caliper, rotor, pads, and maybe even the soft line to the caliper.

A Broken CV axle can be easy to see sometimes. A broken Boot that let the grease out, will leave obvious signs. The cage inside the boot that houses the large bearings gives way eventually. The cage can shred the boot, and the guts go flying. Guts are ball bearings and grease. Before this happens, a lot of times, you will get a warning sound from them when turning. You will hear an audible repeating Clicking noise. When this happens, park it, and schedule the axle change asap.

A bad hub that is worn enough to cause an off camber stance, would most definitely wobble when doing the tire shake test. So that's simply alignment issues for the negative camber. A bad hub will make a humming noise, and can get worse or less while turning. A hub that is screaming loud, is about to separate and send your wheel on down the road solo style. Replace asap.


So the rear ABS sensor you replaced.... Was the old sensor covered in metal shavings? Like an abundance of it?

I suggest to remove that new ABS sensor, and inspect it for shavings. If it is covered with new shavings, your gear fluids are contaminated. When was the last time the fluids was changed?

Your rear 8.8 carrier, is known for bearing failure. There are plenty of threads here on this subject.

I would suggest you remove the rear differential cover, drain all the fluids, clean it out well, and inspect for damages. Gear teeth will be cracked and / or chipped if the carrier bearing, really let go past a loud Humming noise.

Let us know what you find out.

Ill take a close look at everything described after work, but this is why its confusing me: The abs sensor was an unrelated problem that just so happened to make the noise stop when the light came on for it. What could cause such a loud noise but completely goes away when an abs light is on? The old sensor had no metal on it just a little bit of sludge so I'm planning on changing the diff fluid whenever I get it driving again. But this new sensor fixed the abs light, and the noise is constant now. I dont think its the diff, I know sounds can travel through metal and it appears like there coming from somewhere they're not. However, I layed on the ground almost underneath the suv in the center and the noise was only coming from the center of the passenger rear wheel, didnt hear anything else coming from the diff. The alignment issues were also pre-existing, my brother owned the suv before me and had a mechanic replace the toe bar and the sway bar end link on that side and when I inspected them both were very loose and not adjusted correctly at all. I think you might be right about the caliper bolts as I remember only finding 2 bolts where the guide pins were but I mustve missed the others. Ill try finding and torquing those and see if that fixes it. Also bought new pads and rotors to throw on it because last time I checked I could easily compress the piston on the caliper. Thanks for the help Ill get on here and post an update with what I find.

 

[Trucking2019]

How many miles do you have on your vehicle? I had to change the right rear passenger bearing at 146K. I had a bad wheel bearing and upper ball joint on the front driver side at 221K. The noise was so loud I from the ball joint I could not hear the bearing had gone bad. They both went out around the same time. The bearing was a really low sound, since it had just started.

I did get an indication with the ABS light going off a bit before it I could hear the sound of the grinding, but I thought it was just sand from being at the beach. The mechanic asked me did the ABS light go off, because that is a good indication that the bearing is going bad causing it to wobble. When he showed me the wheel hub assembly the bearing was really bad.

The rotors go out of round and cause a noise, but the two noises are different.

 

[collinstm57]

My 2004 w/110,000 on it has most all of the suggestions replaced. The struts were quite noisy so replaced the spring/strut combos (cheap as the struts alone).
Ball joint boots were shot - replaced all around.
Rebuilt rear end - all of the bearings were scared and needed replaced. Didn't replace the gear set so it still whines a little around 60 but not bad. Wish I would have made it a LS but cheaped out... It is still a 3 wheel drive.
Took it on a 400 mile round trip and the rear passenger wheel bearing started rubbing. Thought I was going to loose the wheel before i got home.
Morale of the story -- given the age most likely everything is near end of life.
I'm retired and value reliable transportation over cost.

 

[Gazios]

Lizard:

I take it this is an Explorer? I didn't know that they used CV axels in the rear???

Anyhow, if you haven't looked at them, look at the E brake system. Your loose caliper may have caused your E brake to auto adjust fully and is the binding. I hope you stopped driving this thing.

Anyway, if you start with the wheel and work your way inward, you will identify the issue.

The second thought I had, from reading your description of the sounds and sensations is that your carrier is locking up, possibly even the universal joint right before the pinion.

Good luck, figure it out before you buy parts ..)

 

[jr230]

Okay so I have been trying to diagnose exactly what's causing this noise for a while now and i'm leaning towards a wheel bearing/maybe brakes? but not sure enough to replace anything quite yet. Out of seemingly nowhere one morning, when I tried to backup and leave my driveway the passenger rear wheel was binding and making an extremely loud grinding and sort of popping. I had someone else drive it while I listened and the sound is 100% coming from the wheel area, not the differential. Before this started the abs light would come on after driving a few feet, well after this started when that abs light comes on the noises and binding stops. It won't do it again until the key is turned off and on and it will start over again. I scanned the abs code and replaced the rear abs wheel speed sensor on top of the diff. Now, instead of the noise going away when the abs light pops on its continuous. Looking at that wheel, it is not aligned correctly at all, as well as the tread being worn unevenly. The rear toe link looked way off compared to the other side, and the sway bar link was literally moving up and down about a full inch. Im guessing it had been driven like this for at least 2-3000 miles as thats how long ago my brother had that toe link and sway bar end link, along with the rear struts and springs replaced. Apparently the mechanic didn't bother even trying to get the alignment close or tell him it needed to be aligned. The brake caliper seemed to be really loose as well, and the pads were bare on one end and had all the braking material on the other. The rotor doesn't look too great either. Even with the caliper, pads, and rotor off and turning the wheel hub its still binding. So obviously im going to have to replace all the bad brake parts and rotors n pads on the other side as well, but I don't want to waste money on a wheel bearing is thats not what the grinding is. If that was the problem, why would the abs light coming on make it stop? Any insight would be appreciated, thank you

hit many of the parts as did threads so far. i suspect the cv joint the 02 went to 4 wheel independent suspension so many more parts.\
but you never mentioned the parking/emergency brake which i believe is a small brake shoe inside the roter which is its brake drum. i own a 99 and had that apart. a 03 and 04 haven't pulled rotors on them but something else to check. only thin with abs i dont like fords abs and will not fix when it fails drive it like a reg brake truck worked for me better but its possible its sending fluid to one brake check the frount opposite side to see if its locked too.

 

[Mbrooks420]

The first step is to figure out what’s up with your caliper.

The second step is to no longer drive a vehicle that has obvious brake problems.