New member here, need some help 97 xplr sport

[DonnieLBC]

hello everyone,

i need some help with some problems i'm having with my 97' explorer sport trac. The main problem im trying to deal with right now is something to do with the front suspension/axle region of the vehicle. this problem is very evident sometimes but not ALL the time. It seems like i could drive for days and not notice the issue but sometimes its constant. For example, if I need to make a tight turn at a slow to moderate speed i start to get some hesitation from the wheels with clunking sounds and slight screeching from the tires from all the wheels not wanting to turn in sync. this is all accompanied by a high to low pitched grinding noise from the axle area. i dont know if its the transfer case or the axle or what!

I took it to amco but the guys there said they could'nt figure out what was wrong. there is also a default code flashing and its the 4whl hi and 4whl lo lights blinking in unison a few time, not sure how many times off hand at the moment. sometimes i will be driving down the street and the car will be driving just fine but then all the sudden ill start to feel the car want to pull either to the right or left and there will be a pretty good grinding sound, of which i can feel through the floor, coming from underneath the floor and when i slow down it gets louder and more intense and upon stopping might clunk a couple times. Also, this problem is causing the insides, the inner half, of the front tires to wear tremendously.

I dont know what to do!!! anybody have any insight to what may be going on here????? ive been told it could be a problem as simple as a bad sensor but i have no idea!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!! THANKS

 

[buckwill]

id jack it up wi tires off the ground,, do the 3-9 an 6-12 tire shake,, look for loose tie rods,, spin the wheels listening for front bearing grumbles, look to u joints in front axles.. check oil in your T-case, sounds almost like u have combination of T-case, front axle, ball joint,, upper an lower a frame in any or all combinatiobns,, jack the rear off the ground,, with jack stands so all 4 wheels are clear,, run it in gear 4 wheel and listen for noise,, dont run it fast,, not needed, just listen for grinding,, clunks..

 

[egeyer82]

Does this vehicle have a TT lift? Also it sounds like your tires are to big, possibly broken belts... Tires do some very odd things and produce very odd noises! So don't overlook that! But most importantly you most likely have a very negative camber. More so on one side then the other. (Just from the wear, and the seemingly tragic noise while turning) Ingall's offers camber adjuster kits around $25 per wheel. They only go up to 3degrees positive, beyond this you'll need a good shop. standing at the front of your truck your front tires should look straight up and down. ex. l - l NOT THIS / - \

 

[1Aauto]

Welcome to the site

 

[egeyer82]

Also, I'm cheap... Your transfer case in that year, will decide your traction in the rear is slipping and automatically power the front axle. It kinda sounds to me like yours is having an issue with when to power the front? I'm sure it could be a sensor, a slew of wires, bad transfer case ect. ect. Since I stated I'm cheap already, I'd look up "Brown Wire Mod". It really could be as simple as putting in a switch that allows you to manually CUT power, thus, not allowing the transfer case to power the front axle until you decide. I'm surprised the mechanics at the shop didn't investigate this further, or that none of the other members have jumped all over this... Do what I'm about to do and buy a Wrangler!