2005 Sport Trac Front Right Wheel Binding

[scapino]

Hi All:
Question - on my 05 Sport Trac with 195k miles; I just finished a 750 mile road trip. Everything was fine; arrived at my destination and parked it for two days. Today I started it up and put it in 4-wheel drive to get up a hill (on a dirt road). I don't use 4wd often. After about a half mile (going only 20 or 30mph) I started hearing a god-awful noise from the front right (passenger) wheel. At first I thought I had a tree branch or something stuck in there. Pulled over and everything looks fine underneath. Took it out of 4-wheel drive and it's still making the noise - binding and pulling hard to the right (pulling hard while only doing 15 or 20mph). At one point I was facing downhill thinking I would coast down - but what ever is binding was preventing me for going forward; I had to give it gas to go down hill. Backing in reverse seemed better; but then a quarter mile in reverse it started binding again.
The best way I can describe it; it's like when you are in 4-wheel drive and turning sharp on dry pavement; the wheel will (not sure the technical term) kinda bind and slip. But it's doing the same going straight on a muddy dirt road - and it's not even in 4-wheel drive any more. Plus the screeching noise. My best guess is that the right wheel is half stuck in 4-wheel drive (not sure if thats even possible)...

So I guess my question is this - I'm about 50 miles from the nearest service station (and 10 miles from the nearest paved road) - do I drive this beast out of here or wait for my brother to show up and tow it the 750 miles back home to my local mechanic?

Little background info - I replaced both front wheel hubs around 5yrs ago at 110k miles; and just had a transfer case service (coz it was leaking) a year ago at around 185k miles. The front differential was changed (again coz leaking) about 3yrs ago. And not that this matters; but I just put new pads, rotors, and calipers last month... Tires are good, only a year old.

I'll pull the tire off tomorrow for a better look - but I don't have any tools up here so not much good it will do.

Thoughts?

 

[974X4BLACKSPORT]

I would at least start by inspecting the brakes, get a fflash light and get under there and look at the pads, calipers, then look at the axles, rims, anyting out of place or unusual.

 

[swshawaii]

^ Tighten your caliper bracket bolts!

 

[koda2000]

Sounds brake related to me. I'd check the caliper bolts and if they're tight I'd remove the caliper and check to see if you've got something caught between the brake pad and rotor. I once saw a piece of a screw embedded in the center of a pad. I have no idea how that can happen but I saw it with my own eyes. It's also possible your caliper is stuck.

If everything regarding the caliper looks okay I'd be thinking a hub bearing issue.

 

[scapino]

UPDATE
Ok, so before I did anything today I test drove it for about 2 miles. Wheel does not seem to be binding any more but it is still making the god awful screeching noise. Not constantly; but seems to get worse as it warms up - after I drive over 25mph. Note I'm on a dirt road (lots of hills & curves) so its kinda hard to go over 40mph at this location.

I parked it & pulled the passenger tire off - everything (boots, tie rods, shocks, etc) looks ok. (see attached pics) Pulled the caliper & pads off - they are also fine. Rotated it (the axle) by hand - it rotates fairly easily but sounds likes there is sand or pebbles in there. As comparison I rotated the drivers side tire - it rotates a little smoother vs passenger and definitely no noise. So I put the passenger tire back on and ah ha -- noticed some play in the tire after I torqued the lug nuts. The tire kinda rocks back and forth when pushing at the 2 O'clock & 8 O'clock positions. I believe this is a stereotypical sign that the wheel hub/bearing is bad? As I mentioned earlier I had replaced both hubs about 85k miles ago - so it's about time I guess...

So now the question becomes - how the hell do I get home? (I'm currently on a fishing trip in Canada)
How long can I drive it like this??
Do I drive it the 50 miles into town and find a local mechanic??
Do I drive it the 750 miles back home (Chicago) to my trusted mechanic?
I've got fairly new tires on it - would hate to ruin them driving like this.
Last time I had to replace the hubs I think I drove about 350 miles or so until I realized what the problem was...
It drove fine all the way up here - does it make since that engaging the 4-wheel drive could cause it?

I'm sure there is a tread on here that talks about the hubs - but any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[koda2000]

There's no way I'd attempt driving 750 miles on a bad hub bearing. I'd find a local mechanic and get it replaced ASAP.

Running in 2WD or 4WD makes no difference. The wheel hub still has to turn.

Find an auto parts store if possible. Buy a quality hub assembly (like a Timken) and take it to a mechanic to get it installed. That way you wont have to pay his up-charge on some POS hub and you can drive home with piece of mind.

Once you're home you can think about replacing the left side yourself.

 

[scapino]

Actually, that was my next question - what brand should I get? RockAuto.com has prices ranging anywhere from $40 to $150ea. Years ago I had a mechanic 'scold me' coz I didn't buy Moog parts...

If I remember correctly, when I had the Hubs replaced five yrs ago (85k miles ago) I did one each Timken and Moog (I forgot the specifics but I think the store didn't have a matching pair; or something like that). Now I'm curious to know which one failed first (the Timkin or Moog) - i'll post an update on this after I pull them off.

The closest town (50 miles) is big enough (Thunder Bay; population 100k) so I should be able to find service (assuming it's not some obscure Canadian holiday). I just asked my Canadian neighbors for a good mechanic recommendation in town and they said, "We don't recommend any mechanics around here - but the Ford dealership is pretty good". I'll call the local dealer for a quote tomorrow; but I'm willing to bet its in the $400 - $500 range for parts alone plus maybe another $1000 labor...?

I'll bring my own Vaseline...

 

[koda2000]

The Ford dealer will definitely rape you on the part and the labor and will probably recommend addition repairs. Replacing a hub bearing is a simple job, any halfway decent mechanic should be able to handle it. It's up to you. Maybe look at Yelp for reviews.

 

[scapino]

So I just realized that I never posted my promised update to this thread (apologies). The short version of the story is that Yes, it was a bad wheel bearing. And no; I could not determine what brand (Timken or Moog) that went bad first.

The long story is this:
The local Ford dealer didn't even have wheel hubs in stock - they quoted 3 days delivery and about $1200 usd to do the job.
I found a local mechanic that had two SKF hub/bearing assemblies in stock. He quoted an hour labor each to replace.
The problem was location - the mechanic was 50+ miles away and I was in an area with no cell phone signal.

So, I drove out, 10 miles down a dirt road; the same noise started again from the wheel area. Not grinding and not constant - don't know how to describe it, just a noise where you know it's not good. Then about 4 miles away the noise got really bad - so bad I wasn't sure I'd make it to the main road. (keeping in mind I had no cell service here) And then, all of a sudden, it was fine. Seriously. Best way I could describe it is if you had a meat grinder and a bone was stuck in it - grinding and grinding - and then all of a sudden the bone passes and its normal again. But still, I don't go over 35mph to be safe.

Then I get to the main road and start driving. Everything sounds good and it's driving perfectly straight. I kick it up to 65mph; no problems. So now I'm thinking WTF; am I just wasting money replacing the Hub/Bearing up here (canada). About 10 miles down the main road I had to slow down for construction - rolled down the window to listen and I did hear a slight 'whine' from the wheel area. So I kept going; but it's still driving perfectly. Then about 35 miles into the trek I had to tap on the brake. And that is when the ABS light came on... My assumption is that the hub was starting to heat up and melted the ABS sensor.

Then 2 miles later the womp-womp sound started.

By the time I got to civilization it was making a god awful noise. Didn't even dare to go over 45mph; starting to feel a nasty vibration in the steering wheel.

And it just went down hill from there...

Looking at the GPS I had 8 miles to the mechanic - and i'm just praying that I can make it. The best speed I could do was 35mph - had to keep pulling over to let people pass.

Finally turned off the highway; 2.5 miles to go. It got really rough on the side streets but I did get it to the shop. The guy charged me $750CAD plus about $100 tax (total $850CAD; about $630usd) to replace both hubs. Said it gouged one of my rotors a bit; but I didn't see any groves in it (they are new rotors).

Probably would have cost $450 at my local guy in Illinois so not too bad I guess. Prices are higher in Canada (the entire livable wage thing up there).

Anyway, it was an experience.

 

[ptf18]

What is the FORD recommended replacement mileage on these hubs...oh... or is that something the new car salesman doesn't tell you? Kind of like alot of items for owners that KEEP their vehicles.

 

[koda2000]

I don't know that there is a recommended replacement mileage on front wheel bearing hubs. I'd say it depends on how/where you drive. More turns, more off-road, more speed, bad roads = more wear. Our 2000 Mountaineer AWD was driven reasonably and had 180K on its OE front wheel bearing hubs when I sold it. I replaced the front wheel bearings and rotors on our RWD 2000 Mountaineer at around 200K because they showed signs of play/wear.

Wheel bearings usually give some warning when they're going south. Like most automotive repairs, if you're paying attention to weird noises and vibrations you should know when something isn't right. To be proactive, I'd think about replacing the front hubs at around 100K-150K. Same for ball joints, but both of these things may wear out sooner.

On old vehicles things just need replacing sooner or later...
- Water pumps
- Starters
- Alternators
- Wheel bearings/hubs
- Axle seals, various gaskets
- A/C compressors/clutches
- Exhaust system components
- Sensors

My theory is, if you repair things when it makes sense it doesn't hurt your wallet all at once, and it almost always cheaper to keep her. If you wait until you vehicle has 10 things wrong with it, needs 4 tires, brakes, shocks, a battery, a radiator, a fuel pump and it's unreliable, it's overwhelming and you're gonna want to buy something newer rather than sink that much money into and older vehicle. That's how it was with my ****-for-brains ex son-in-law and his '97 Sport. He wouldn't fix anything until it became undrivable and in the end it just wasn't worth putting thousands of dollars into the truck all at once.

Didn't you say you worked with airplanes? How do they keep planes in service for decades? Preventive maintenance.

If worrying about possible future repairs is keeping you awake at night, it may be time to buy a new vehicle with an extended warranty.

 

[ptf18]

Koda: thanks for your input. I'm on board with your views on replacement items especially with stuff the manufacturer never "recommends being "renewed".
You are correct about my "involvement" in the aviation field. For the most part the manufacturer list replacement times on "life limited" items. Items that they have "calculated" to be in need of "renewal" due to anticipated wear/tear stress/strain that they feel will be induced on whatever item over the course of so many hours of operation. BUT that still leaves alot of items that are not covered AND some aircraft are still in service many years and operating hours after there manufacturer thought they would be operation. Take the Douglas DC-3 for example.

What I was eluding to was that my son has a 2010 Explorer with 90k on the meter. He was asking me about front hub bearing replacement times. I had no idea as I "thought" his Explorer had taper wheel bearing. You know the "old fashion" take them out, clean inspect, grease and reinstall type of bearing. I geuss not. When I saw the O.P. post I thought I'ld ask. Its what make this Forum as great as it is.

 

[scapino]

Well, I don't know what Ford recommends - all I can tell you is my experience. On my '05 Sport Trac I got 110k miles on the original bearings / wheel hubs. And the replacements I only got 85k miles. And again I'm still shocked that when the bearing failed the second time there was no warning. But anyway...

Relating to the comment about "Lifetime" - I had a Mini Cooper that had "lifetime transmission fluid". There was no recommendation to replace the fluid and no instructions on how to replace the fluid. Needless to say I ended up with pricey trans job at 65k miles. Nothing is lifetime. (period, end of sentence)

 

[koda2000]

"Nothing is lifetime. (period, end of sentence)"

Amen to that.

 

[oklagp1200r]

Lifetime to the Automotive manufacturer is to reach the end of the warranty period!