outlier
Active Member
- Joined
- September 1, 2007
- Messages
- 84
- Reaction score
- 0
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2002 XLT
Hello all,
Took our 2002 Explorer XLT (80K miles) up to Firestone as there was an uncomfortable sort of grinding and roughness and what the wife describes as "running heavy." I had noticed this along with a whining sound that rises in pitch as one accelerates. As the thread title describes, it is most noticeable from approximately 40 to 70 MPH, but only when I am pressing the gas pedal. If I am traveling at these speeds and let off of the gas, the whining stops.
I had not initially noticed this development in part as 1. I usually drive our Nissan Pathfinder and 2. When I drive the Explorer, I am usually taking it on short trips and am blasting Deep Purple, Motorhead, Yngwie Malmsteen, that sort of thing... So I did not hear it at first...
After I did notice, it became painfully obvious to me at least. I started driving the Explorer a lot more. The Pathfinder sat in the garage for a good while, upon which I did take it out at one point. The problem then became even more conspicuous as the Pathfinder was nearly dead silent and like riding on air in comparison.
Shortly after I'd dropped the Explorer off, Firestone called me back, said that it was a common problem, that the wheel bearings had gone bad and that this was typical in Explorers with between 60K to 110K miles. I had noticed uneven tread wear on the front tires, and they pointed that out to me as evidence.
I told them to go ahead and do the work. Got it back and the roughness and uncomfortable vibration is definitely gone.
BUT, driving it, the whining is still there. It's getting loud enough that when listening to talk radio at a normal volume, the whining is starting to drown out the radio.
So there's obviously another problem there, but with this economy, we just don't have the money to blindly toss around in hopes of solving the problem.
I know that the vehicle is overdue for a transmission fluid service, but I'd be very disappointed if I spent more money I don't have right now on something that doesn't solve the whining noise problem. I'd definitely like to know if I can zero in on this whining noise first and then think about tackling some of the other scheduled servicing, etc.
Any thoughts? Recommendations?
Thanks in advance.
Took our 2002 Explorer XLT (80K miles) up to Firestone as there was an uncomfortable sort of grinding and roughness and what the wife describes as "running heavy." I had noticed this along with a whining sound that rises in pitch as one accelerates. As the thread title describes, it is most noticeable from approximately 40 to 70 MPH, but only when I am pressing the gas pedal. If I am traveling at these speeds and let off of the gas, the whining stops.
I had not initially noticed this development in part as 1. I usually drive our Nissan Pathfinder and 2. When I drive the Explorer, I am usually taking it on short trips and am blasting Deep Purple, Motorhead, Yngwie Malmsteen, that sort of thing... So I did not hear it at first...
After I did notice, it became painfully obvious to me at least. I started driving the Explorer a lot more. The Pathfinder sat in the garage for a good while, upon which I did take it out at one point. The problem then became even more conspicuous as the Pathfinder was nearly dead silent and like riding on air in comparison.
Shortly after I'd dropped the Explorer off, Firestone called me back, said that it was a common problem, that the wheel bearings had gone bad and that this was typical in Explorers with between 60K to 110K miles. I had noticed uneven tread wear on the front tires, and they pointed that out to me as evidence.
I told them to go ahead and do the work. Got it back and the roughness and uncomfortable vibration is definitely gone.
BUT, driving it, the whining is still there. It's getting loud enough that when listening to talk radio at a normal volume, the whining is starting to drown out the radio.
So there's obviously another problem there, but with this economy, we just don't have the money to blindly toss around in hopes of solving the problem.
I know that the vehicle is overdue for a transmission fluid service, but I'd be very disappointed if I spent more money I don't have right now on something that doesn't solve the whining noise problem. I'd definitely like to know if I can zero in on this whining noise first and then think about tackling some of the other scheduled servicing, etc.
Any thoughts? Recommendations?
Thanks in advance.