Squeaky front hubs? 1999 Explorer 4x4

Over time my good old '99 Explorer 4-door XLT 4WD (just under 180k miles) has been making more and more squeaking/rubbing/chirping sounds from the front end as it started rolling over 3-4mph up to 25+ etc. Varied in time but got much worse recently. We used to call it our "deer whistle" and it got embarassing driving thru parking lots etc.

I finally came back here and started doing some research, thinking it was a bad bearing/hub type problem or perhaps a transfer case / differential issue as it seemed directly related to rotational speed and definitely not my brakes (totally replaced with high quality last year thanks to great posts here).

Went to Jiffy Lube and checked levels - all OK. Drained and filled transfer case, old fluid was syrupy and darkish but no sparkles and no bits. Vacummed and re-filled front diff just to be sure (probably never done before). No obvious signs of anything to the guys in the pit. Noise continued.

Went to a recommended mechanic who test drove it with me. Said it didn't seem to be a bearing and he had absolutely NO IDEA what it might be, but the next step was to put it on the lift .... but the lifts were full and I'd have to come back later. I had visions of $200+ hub replacements (parts) on each side not to mention the labor charges etc.

Noticed 2 doors down was the Henderson Nevada "AAA Car Care Center" so walked in there. First thing, they wanted me to come back later and drop it off for 3-4 hours so that they could have time to check out whatever the problem might be.

I groaned and said "I just can't believe this damn sound". The manager said "tell me about the sound, maybe I can help". So I gave him the abbreviated summary and he immediately said "I KNOW WHAT IT IS".

Don't you just love the sound of that?

He said he had worked at Ford for a long time and that he saw lots of this where the *dust covers* over the inside wheel bearings dried out in the desert heat and started to rub and make noise. He said: just crawl under and spray that area from underneath (showing me a diagram of the hub/wheel assembly) with WD-40.

So this morning, I jacked up the front, put it on stands, sparyed right and left front wheels on the inside where I could see the bearing cover within the asembly, first with WD-40 and then with Silicon Spray and spun them around a couple times and then put it back on the ground for a test drive.

It worked - no more noise.

I'm writing a *real* nice letter to the local AAA thanking them for his kind advise. Hope this helps someone else here struggling with a similar noise problem. Try this first.

Cheers,
- Don (post #2)

I have possibly the same problem can you ,if possible post some pics of where you sprayed the silicane lube cheers

I'll try to get a picture or two later on. For the moment, perhaps I can describe it to you first. I'm talking about the inboard side of the steering knuckle to which the front hub mounts (outboard) and thru which the axle passes. You can see the outboard view of all this in the *excellent* write-up here:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165429

Here's a picture from that thread showing the general area I'm talking about, although at an angle and from a different perspective:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m236/garthfan0523/hubboltswithtext.jpg

Basically, the part of the hub that mounts to the steering knuckle does not turn but the inner part which slides over the axle splines *does* turn and has a bearning on the inboard side which has a dust cover on it -- this is the thing that ages and dries out and then starts making noise. Unless you take this all apart, the only access to this cover is thru the sterring knuckle from the inboard side of the wheel while under your Ex.

It's actually quite easy: Crawl under the your Explorer from the front bumper, then scoot over and and look closely at either front wheel assembly. Look at the center of that front wheel assembly and you'll see a clearance inside the hole in the steering knuckle of around 1/2" all the way round and inside that you can (kind of) see the bearing cover. That's what was making the sound on my Ex. That's where I sparyed.

If you *safely* jack up and *safely* support your Ex, you can have soneone slowly turn the wheel and you'll easily see that area as it turns and the steering knuckle obviously doesn't - as well you'll see the rest of your front drive train turn - kind of fun.

Also, if you do this, you can get back up, wipe off the dirt, and then go to the outside of the wheel and gently but firmly shake the wheel (assuming it's still *safely* off the ground) top/bottom towards/away from you and then again the same thing right-side/left-side to see if there's any strange play in the bearing etc to see if you have any really bad front end wear - should be pretty tight, but that's another topic and I am NOT a mechanic.

HTH,
- Don

noise near hubs

Many thanks for your reply,i had big plans to get at this on the weekend but the forecast is for 100f on both days ,so it might wait till it cools off a bit,cheers Mark.

It's called the Dust Excluder Seal. There is a TSB that covers the issue. When under warranty, Ford replaced them with updated parts that used a different seal material. That fixed the problem for mine (until they fell off at bearing change time a couple years ago and I didn't bother replacing them). The squeal will be back eventually. Lube is only a temporary fix.

gijoecam said:

It's called the Dust Excluder Seal. There is a TSB that covers the issue. When under warranty, Ford replaced them with updated parts that used a different seal material.

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Guess I can't complain that it took >150k miles to manifest itself on mine. Thanks for the information on the TSB. It made a lousy deer whistle anyways - gotta find some Bamby bars at some point - then I can hang more light up front as well.

gijoecam said:

That fixed the problem for mine (until they fell off at bearing change time a couple years ago and I didn't bother replacing them).

Click to expand...

No dust in Michigan? We've got plenty here in the LV valley if you'd like us to ship you up a ton or so ... (grin)

gijoecam said:

The squeal will be back eventually.

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Yeah, but I still feel about US$600+++ relieved, even if just for the moment, and certainly much more confident that something up front won't quit rotating suddenly. Had actually put off a drive up to Idaho because of concerns over the source of the noise.

Two nice things I re-learned from this experience: 1) always look for the experienced guy who says "I know what that is" (like in these forums and my lucky find at AAA); and 2) always do your homework - sometimes there really is an easy answer.

gijoecam said:

Lube is only a temporary fix.

Click to expand...

Any place lube can break-down, leak and/or dry out, I guess it's always temporary. Are you suggesting that the next time the noise appears that more lube won't "fix" it?

Thanks,
- Don

perth said:

had big plans to get at this on the weekend but the forecast is for 100f on both days, so it might wait till it cools off a bit

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And I thought you Aussies were tough! Perhaps your C-to-F is off? Grin!

Half the year here in the Las Vegas Valley (Nevada), 100F is kinda mild! We can go three straight months in a row where the *low* temp (at 5am) never breaks below 83F and the highs are well into the 'teens for days at a time. My personal break-point is 105F, then I get lethargic and very stupid. Hope it cooled off for you.

Here's a picture I just took after crawling under the front bumper and then scooting over to the Ex's right wheel and aiming up at the area in question:

That gap inside the rusty steering knuckle where the axle goes thru is where that bearing cover is located. A little spray in there (both wheels) and the noise went away.

HTH,
- Don

deliberate said:

And I thought you Aussies were tough! Perhaps your C-to-F is off? Grin!

Half the year here in the Las Vegas Valley (Nevada), 100F is kinda mild! We can go three straight months in a row where the *low* temp (at 5am) never breaks below 83F and the highs are well into the 'teens for days at a time. My personal break-point is 105F, then I get lethargic and very stupid. Hope it cooled off for you.

Here's a picture I just took after crawling under the front bumper and then scooting over to the Ex's right wheel and aiming up at the area in question:

That gap inside the rusty steering knuckle where the axle goes thru is where that bearing cover is located. A little spray in there (both wheels) and the noise went away.

HTH,
- Don

Click to expand...

Thanks for the picture,i travelled through the US over 20 years ago and went through Nevada,very similar to parts of Aus,Just to proove how tough (or stupid) we aussies are i will give the front a going over this weekend,it looks like a 4 beer job to me cheers Mark.

I've searched high and low for this thread. Looks like I've found a remedy to my problem. I will be buying some silicone spray tomorrow!!!

Any suggestions on brand/type silicone lube?

Can the dust excluder seal just be replaced? Easily?

The whole hub is easy to replace. Almost all the tools are to be found on parts store "loaner programs" - except the torque wrench (it needs to be a 200 ft-lb one).
I got a couple of hubs from Detroit Axle for less than $100 - they seem to be decent quality.

SoNic67 said:

The whole hub is easy to replace. Almost all the tools are to be found on parts store "loaner programs" - except the torque wrench (it needs to be a 200 ft-lb one).
I got a couple of hubs from Detroit Axle for less than $100 - they seem to be decent quality.

Click to expand...

Is that necessary? "Easy to replace" but HARD on the wallet!!!

I'm NOT replacing this hub. It's brand new and I only started having problems immediately AFTER they were installed by my mechanic. If anyone is replacing it it'll be the mechanic. Probably under warranty still too.

Is the dust excluder seal part of the hub or can it be replace independent of it?

Dust seal is a separate part. The hub does not have to be replaced, but the CV axle does have to be pulled from the hub to install it, so at a minimum the upper control arm ball joint has to be disconnected from the knuckle, axle nut removed, brakes removed so the kuckle can swing out enough for the cv axle to be pushed through the hub (sounds like a lot more work than it truly is). The dust cover slides over the axle, then reassemble. BTW - the dust seals were dropped on later models and generally are not found on reman CV shafts.

Actually I remember now that my 2001 doesn't have one. I wonder if those seals where equipped based on the region of sale - they make more sense in dusty/desert areas?

I also find this thread:
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1128178-2005-f350-4x4-dust-seal-issue.html

Thanks for the tips. I sprayed it with silicone lube today so we'll see if it makes that noise again. Worst comes to worst I have a front diff seal that's blown out that will be replaced soon and I'll just take the dust excluder seal off while the axles are already pulled and leave it off. Probably won't know if it helped or not for another week though, it doesn't do it when it's cold out and looking at the weather forecast winter isn't over quite yet.