hard vibration coming from the front wheel

[chefy]

Im not only new to this forum, im also new to ford vehicles. i've always been a chevy guy but after a week of driving my 4.6 2006 xlt, i may never go back.
For some reason when im driving down the road at about 43-50 mph im getting a Intermittent hard vibration coming from the front passenger side tire. it doesn't do it when im braking or when im not driving in the the 43-50 mph range. it only vibrates for like 3 or 4 seconds at a time, and it does it every 30 seconds or so. any ideas on what it may be?

 

[JDC81]

Well these year Explorers go through front hub/bearing assembly's pretty frequently. I just had both fronts changed at 45kmi. If bad enough they can cause a shake. Other than that I would check your tie-rods and ball joints for play.

 

[edwx]

What part of the country are you in? In winters past I have accumulated sand in the rim which puts it out of balance, and it can vibrate. Sounds too early in the winter for that though.

 

[Old As Dirt]

I would think you would hear some noise with bad bearings. Sounds like a balance problem to me, but the intermittent part doesn't make sense. It almost sounds like something rolling around inside the tire which occasionally gets to the right/wrong spot for a short time.

 

[chefy]

i live in minnesota. we haven't had much snow here this year and they dont use a lot of sand. im going to take the wheel off next week and see if i can find anything.

 

[chefy]

Im still having the problem, but i've discovered that if i shut the o/d off when im driving between 40-50 mph it doesn't vibrate. as soon as i turn it back on it starts again. once my taxes come back, im going to bring it in

 

[03 Explorer XLT]

Could be auto 4x4 engaging. You could try hitting the 4x4 high, while going in a straight line, and see if the vibration comes back.

 

[j.lvance]

Let me know what the issue was. I have a 2007 and it is doing the same vibration that you explained. I have not tried turning off the OD when driving, but will tomorrow.