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- August 24, 2011
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- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2001 Mercury Mountaineer
This is my first post on this forum and so many other members have put some great post and how-to procedures, that I felt I should join as a paid member. The information on this forum has been worth much more than the cost of the membership and I appreciate all the useful contributions so far.
I have a problem with my vehicle, which I have not found an answer to yet.
Vehicle: 2001 Mercury Mountaineer, 5.0 liter AWD, BW 4404 transfer case (viscous coupling , I think, D4 axle code= 3.73 ls rear differential, 96,000 miles on the vehicle.
Summary of problem: 1) low pitch whirring noise on even the slightest acceleration coming from transfer case, front differential area. 2) Binding on turns, any radius, like a 4x4 makes on dry pavement.
History:
1) started making an intermittent clunking popping noise when turning, It is my sons car and I don’t know if it was making other noises before this
2) I drove it on a 800 mile trip and by the end the clunk turned into a grind that sounded like part of the car was dragging the pavement some of the time, also noticed at a pit stop that the wheels seemed to bind when turning, like a 4x4 with locked differentials
3) Replaced the driver side half shaft and the front drive shaft, both of which had failed CV joints, inboard one on the half shaft.
4) The clunking/popping noise was fixed but the binding is still occurring and now I can notice the low pitch whirring noise at speeds of 40+ mph.. When first driven, it can take anywhere from 20 ft to 100 yds before the binding starts, and sometimes it starts right away.
Took the car to a reputable but expensive repair shop and the recommendation was to drive it into the river. Said he could not tell what was wrong except by opening it up and by the time he was done with replacing pieces by trial and error the expense could me more that the car is worth
The car is in great shape otherwise and I would like to keep it. A new car is too expensive, most used cars are just someone else’s problem they are ditching and I can’t sell this in the shape it is in. I can afford and prefer to use remanufactured parts becuase I need a reliable car, and I am pretty sure I could replace the transfer case myself. So far have not found many reman front differentials and it seems that most people tend to have theirs repaired.
Questions
1)Any help with the diagnosis, could the differential be causing the binding, or is the transfer case? The fact that sometimes it doesn’t bind right away makes me think the viscous coupling is bad.
2) Which should I replace, first the tc or the fdiff?
3) Any good sources for reman front diffs?
4) Also, the service manuals say to mark the front drive shaft to transfer case and differential, so that it can be reinstalled in the same rotational alignment. How does this apply to a drive shaft replacement? On the transfer case end the cup yoke ensures correct center alignment. Is there any special procedure for centering the front differential end with the cardon joint?
Sorry for such a long post and thanks for taking the time to read it. Also, thanks in advance for any helpful advice you have.
David
I have a problem with my vehicle, which I have not found an answer to yet.
Vehicle: 2001 Mercury Mountaineer, 5.0 liter AWD, BW 4404 transfer case (viscous coupling , I think, D4 axle code= 3.73 ls rear differential, 96,000 miles on the vehicle.
Summary of problem: 1) low pitch whirring noise on even the slightest acceleration coming from transfer case, front differential area. 2) Binding on turns, any radius, like a 4x4 makes on dry pavement.
History:
1) started making an intermittent clunking popping noise when turning, It is my sons car and I don’t know if it was making other noises before this
2) I drove it on a 800 mile trip and by the end the clunk turned into a grind that sounded like part of the car was dragging the pavement some of the time, also noticed at a pit stop that the wheels seemed to bind when turning, like a 4x4 with locked differentials
3) Replaced the driver side half shaft and the front drive shaft, both of which had failed CV joints, inboard one on the half shaft.
4) The clunking/popping noise was fixed but the binding is still occurring and now I can notice the low pitch whirring noise at speeds of 40+ mph.. When first driven, it can take anywhere from 20 ft to 100 yds before the binding starts, and sometimes it starts right away.
Took the car to a reputable but expensive repair shop and the recommendation was to drive it into the river. Said he could not tell what was wrong except by opening it up and by the time he was done with replacing pieces by trial and error the expense could me more that the car is worth
The car is in great shape otherwise and I would like to keep it. A new car is too expensive, most used cars are just someone else’s problem they are ditching and I can’t sell this in the shape it is in. I can afford and prefer to use remanufactured parts becuase I need a reliable car, and I am pretty sure I could replace the transfer case myself. So far have not found many reman front differentials and it seems that most people tend to have theirs repaired.
Questions
1)Any help with the diagnosis, could the differential be causing the binding, or is the transfer case? The fact that sometimes it doesn’t bind right away makes me think the viscous coupling is bad.
2) Which should I replace, first the tc or the fdiff?
3) Any good sources for reman front diffs?
4) Also, the service manuals say to mark the front drive shaft to transfer case and differential, so that it can be reinstalled in the same rotational alignment. How does this apply to a drive shaft replacement? On the transfer case end the cup yoke ensures correct center alignment. Is there any special procedure for centering the front differential end with the cardon joint?
Sorry for such a long post and thanks for taking the time to read it. Also, thanks in advance for any helpful advice you have.
David
