Rear end Growling on first drive

[Ormas4X4]

It's been a long cold winter. With the overhaul completed over a week ago, I had to wait on some help with the reinstall. Got it sitting on the frame on Monday, finished and started it this afternoon. It started on the second crank and was smooth and quite in less then 10 seconds. I let it idle for about a half hour and then shut it down to check fluids. I put the code reader on it and only had a code for the ABS, which reset and never came back. We how have about 8 miles of driving time. Buying a vehicle that does not run is risky. All and all, I'm pleased with the performance.

I do have one big issue which will have to be repaired before too long. The rear end is growling. I have very little experience with rear ends, and if I can afford it, I'll let someone else do the work. I did replace the gears in my 7.5" Mustang, with a new limited slip unit. I did not get the backlash adjusted correctly and it had a little whine, so I had it reset. I wonder what I should expect to pay in a shop. Going to Ford is more then I can afford..

 

[broncojunkie]

I have no idea what year or model you have, but I'm going to assume you have a limited slip rear-end and you need to change the fluid and add Ford friction modifier.

 

[Ormas4X4]

Thanks for the reply. As per my signature, I have a 2003, 4X4 Vin K. It is a 2003, XLT 4WD with a V6 4.0 Liter engine which has a VIN number with the eight digit K. I probably should look at the rest of the vin and see which rear end and axle ratio I actually have. I should also add that the Explorer has 202,x.. miles. There is no indication that the rear axle has any leaks. Also there is no indication that the wheel bearings are bad or that the seals are bad.

I think my plan will be to check the oil level just in case, but I will get a trained pro to do a test drive for me. Besides the audible growling, there is associated vibration. The rear tires don't show any defects which look like noise or vibration makers.

 

[jojotheclown]

When mine went, I didn't have the time to deal with it myself even though I had the tools and the knowledge to. After reading about how many people had second failures, I just went with a Jasper unit for the warranty.

 

[broncojunkie]

Thanks for the reply. As per my signature, I have a 2003, 4X4 Vin K. It is a 2003, XLT 4WD with a V6 4.0 Liter engine which has a VIN number with the eight digit K. I probably should look at the rest of the vin and see which rear end and axle ratio I actually have. I should also add that the Explorer has 202,x.. miles. There is no indication that the rear axle has any leaks. Also there is no indication that the wheel bearings are bad or that the seals are bad.

I think my plan will be to check the oil level just in case, but I will get a trained pro to do a test drive for me. Besides the audible growling, there is associated vibration. The rear tires don't show any defects which look like noise or vibration makers.

Sorry I somehow missed your sig info. Does the noise happen constantly or just turning at slow speed? My ex has 140,000 miles and I've replaced 2 wheel bearings already. They offer a slightly higher-priced replacement with a new design, which is supposed to last longer. As for your rear-end, if you suspect that, I would change the fluid before you do anything. There is a service bulletin on these that called for replacing it with heavier fluid. Also, the Ford friction modifier is a MUST. Even if you buy a high-end synthetic fluid that says "no friction modifier required". The fluid and friction modifier don't last forever, either. Once they get some miles on them, you have to replace the fluid.

Changing the fluid is very simple. The auto parts store or Harbor Freight will have a small hand pump that screws right into the bottle of gear oil. There are plugs on the back of the dif. I believe the lower drain plug can be removed with a 1/2" ratchet (no socket). The top fill/check plug uses a 3/8" ratchet. What I did was empty out half a bottle of high-quality synthetic fluid. Put 1 1/2 or 2 bottles of friction modifier (only available from dealer and fairly cheap) in the bottle of gear oil and pump that into the upper hole. Keep filling that same bottle up till you have fluid coming out of the hole. I over fill mine, but I believe they tell you it's supposed to be 1/2" below the hole. Use some teflon tape on the drain plug, just to make sure you get a good seal. Oh...and you will need to remove the spare tire to get room to work. It's pretty easy to do.

If you suspect a bearing or rear diff going out, you can jack it up and use a stethoscope to see where the noise is coming from. If you don't feel comfortable, take it somewhere and have them do it on the rack. I'm serious, however, when I say that old fluid does make a big difference in these rear-ends. Even in non-ford vehicles with limited slip...the fluid needs to stay fresh or you will have problems. I've been through the same thing with 3 different dodges that were equipped with lsd.

 

[Ormas4X4]

Thanks for the good info. I went out and had a reliable trusted mech go for a ride with me. He tell me that it is most likely the Right rear hub bearing. Until now I did not know that this generation has IRS. He recommends that I change both rear hub bearing. He does not think that the Dif has any issues. I will change the oil as you suggested before I am done. At any rate, I'll start with the Right Rear hub and go from there. He also feels that I might have some bad u joints. Kind of foolish of me, but I jacked up the front to help in removing and reinstalling the engine. I never looked past the transmission to see what the bottom of the Explorer looked like. I'm impressed, that it is more of a truck then the earlier versions.

 

[broncojunkie]

Yes, but it makes everything more difficult and more expensive to work on!

Do you mind me asking what kind of price he quoted you on the bearing? I paid the shop to do mine. It was $320, I believe, which included the part. I'll also mention that the snap ring broke when they b removed it. Might mention it to them that they might want to get a new one, as they are prone to rusting.

 

[Ormas4X4]

I went to a parts store/machine shop. The price was $100 per side, with me doing the disassembly. He did tell me that other parts might be required depending on how easily things come apart.

 

[Ormas4X4]

To finish off this thread, Here is what I did. First of all, I purchased a Timken bearing. I got the part from Autozone. That was a bad decision. I paid $180. for that bearing, rather then the Duralast part they brand and sell. I should have purchased the Timken bearing from the internet. Where it sells for as low as $105. I had my nephew do the work. First of all after removing the rotor, the last remaining parking brake shoe fell out. Despite the three people who said they would not replace it, I decided that I wanted my parking brakes to work. Getting the ball joints to release was the first hard task. Following that we took the hub assembly to a local garage to have the bearing and hub pressed into place. The owner let us install the parking brake after the old hub and bearing was removed. The shop had trouble removing the snap ring and then his very large industrial press had trouble pressing out the old bearing and hub. We reassembled the side without any problems. I did decide to replace the rear brakes while we were in there. Once the car was back on the road, I could hear that the loud growling was all but gone. Following the instructions I found on here, I made some left and right turns to confirmed that the opposite side was also a bit noisy when making a turn to the right. It's not that bad, so I plan to let it wait while I save some more money. All and all, the job cost me about $400. That included the bearing, the rear and parking brakes and labor.