Roaring Noise from front end

[stsmoker]

I bought my 05 XLS AWD a few weeks ago. Noticed a dull roaring noise from the front end. Thought it might be the tires because the front had more all terrain tires and the back had lesser aggresive tread. So I rotated the back to the front. Noise reduced slightly but barely at all. Also there is a vibration in the steering wheel. Very very slight however but its a very high frequency fast vibration. Actually you can only feel it when you hold the top of the steering wheel where there isnt a connecting support i guess you can say for the steering wheel. I dont know if its a just an AWD thing or if its the bearings or what...anyone have this same problem? Any ideas or thoughts?

 

[corkey]

check the front wheel bearings,,, mine had a dull sound and small vibration, and it kind of went away a bit if you turned just a bit,,

 

[gsmaclean]

Definitely the front wheel bearings (probably just one side). I had the same exact thing, felt it through the steering etc., just changed my bearings out today, and the noise is now gone.

 

[34Ford]

It was my left bearing. I jacked it up and I could hardly turn the wheel it was so bad.
Bought a complete hub off Ebay and fixed it myself.
Save a bunch.

 

[corkey]

only way to get it is complete,, make sure if you have the abs wire , the new one has it too ,, it plugs in under the bumper,,

 

[gsmaclean]

only way to get it is complete,, make sure if you have the abs wire , the new one has it too ,, it plugs in under the bumper,,

No it doesn't, it plugs in inside the engine compartment, on the top of the inner fender. Nowhere near the bumper.

Amazing the amount of incorrect information posted here by people who haven't done what they are talking about.

 

[stsmoker]

Yeh i was checking today to see if it was the bearing by swerving back and forth but there was no change in pitch barely at all and i jacked it up at school and there was no play in the wheel...is there anyway else to check the bearings themselves

 

[gsmaclean]

Yeh i was checking today to see if it was the bearing by swerving back and forth but there was no change in pitch barely at all and i jacked it up at school and there was no play in the wheel...is there anyway else to check the bearings themselves

Mine had absolutely no free play in the front wheel bearing - it just did not feel smooth when it was rotated. The difference between the bearing on my right wheel (very smooth, no problems) and my left wheel (crunchy, would stick from time to time) was very apparent.

 

[stsmoker]

Are you talking about when it was lifted it was sticky when you tried to turn the wheel itself?

 

[stsmoker]

And for all of yall out there who drive a 3rd gen Explorer....if the radio, Fan, AC, and everything else is off with the windows rolled up...when you are going down the road cruising at 60 is it relatively quite? And is there a TSB on these bearings because there are only 43000 miles on these bearings?

 

[corkey]

yes, jack up the front end, and than spin the wheel around a few times,, and compare the one side to the other,, is one easy to spin and no sound, but the other is a bit tougher? , and noisy,?? if so than it is the wheel bearing,??, other than that listen to see if maybe it is the brake caliper, or any other rotating part, as it doesn't make this noise when you are sitting still,

 

[stsmoker]

Yeah..the noise is coming from the front end and I dont think its the tranny cuz i can put in neutral and the sound stays exactly the same. I was thinkin that it could be the transfer case but i dont know much about them? I dont know though. If it were both of the front bearings could I test the front bearings and compare them rear wheels bearings?

 

[gsmaclean]

Are you talking about when it was lifted it was sticky when you tried to turn the wheel itself?

Exactly. Spinning the wheel (or take the wheel off and turn the brake rotor by hand) you could feel the bearings catching on the LF side. You have to have both front wheels off the ground, so that the other wheel can spin through the differential.

 

[stsmoker]

Allright, tommorow i'll jack it up and see if i can feel anything. My auto teacher should know what to hear or look for. Appreciate the help...I'll be back prob after i find out tomorrow if i can feel if the bearings are bad or not. Thanks guys!

 

[stsmoker]

So I just had my truck up on the lift and I could not tell a difference between either of the sides. The only noise i heard was the brake pads barely brushing against the rotors, and the only resistance i felt was from the differential. Any ideas of what else it may be? Bearings inside the front diff maybe? I have no idea. Teacher said keep driving it until it gets a little worse to help diagnose the problem a little better. No sense in fixing something that isnt broke.

 

[doc100]

it is most likely your bearings. Just did both of mine, had it up on the lift could not get much play in either wheel brough my father inlaw in who is a mechanic and he had a tough time...after short test drive we had both determined just do it and get it over with. Swapped out both sides probably only had to do one but unless you just drive it longer being able to tell is next to impossible. Had this problem in my ranger also and ford fixed it under warranty then. They did the driver side and were wrong so then had to do the passanger. Needless to say I am riding in scilence now just do the bearings and you will be much happier, the wiring harnees comes on the new bearing and plugs right in above the fender wall but thats the easy part good luck...

 

[stsmoker]

Yeh i dont have the money to do it right now. But I'm planning on going to MD to see my girlfriend (750 mile drive from here)...do you think the bearings will be fine until then or should I not drive the Ex on a road trip like that until the bearings are fixed?

 

[doc100]

I drove mine for some time just kept getting louder little by little. Not sure if anything else will really happen heck the guy from napa suggested I drive it longer and wait unil I could tell which side it was without any doubt, but hey that a personal preference. As some would say thats what radios are for!

 

[coled43]

Did you say that there were non-matching tires on the front and rears? All the tires should match with all wheel drive. Tires could cause similar noise (matching or not). Also, if you haven't already, check the rear bearings. Sometimes the noise seems to come from all over.

 

[stsmoker]

Yeah i never thought about the tire thing, i could see where that might cause a problem. And Im pretty sure it is in the front, going about 40mph, there is a a vibration. VERY small amplitude but extremely high frequency. If you put a piece of metal and gently rest it on the gear shift on the column it makes a buzz (sounds like a bee) noise due to the vibration. But i'll check the rear bearings Wed. and also check the front again just for the heck of it.