EABinPlain
New Member
- Joined
- December 13, 2023
- Messages
- 4
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- Plain, Washington
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 02 XLT & 00 Eddie Bauer
I have scoured the forum threads to see if there has been a similar issue and fix, but to no avail. My local mechanic has been on vacation and though he returns this week and I might be able to get in to see him, there's a blizzard (literally) warning, so that may not be an option...
2002 Ford Explorer XLT with 305,000+ miles. V6 SOHC. Automatic transmission.
The issue: when driving on dry, flat pavement, as I cross the 25mph threshold, I experience a low whirring and then abrasion that appears to emanate from the front passenger side. After a few seconds, I get a slight "binding" that pulls the vehicle to the right. The noise is rotational, in that it occurs in conjunction with the rotation of the wheel/axle. This is all when in Auto. When I switch to 4wd High, the abnormalities present themselves almost immediately. Furthermore, it makes no difference if I am accelerating or decelerating; the issue occurs when I'm coasting down the hill. Braking doesn't affect the noise (with the exception of reducing speed.) The vehicle shifts normally and with ease.
No metallic grinding noises. No odor or aroma. When I jack up the vehicle, I can turn the wheel/tire with relative ease; it doesn't spin freely, though.
I have replaced the wheel hub (I happen to have a spare,) put in a new CV axle (there was a bit of age on the boots and insert collar,) replaced the brake caliper (again, rubber boot issues.) New sway bar links and new inner/outer tie rod. The rotor is in fine shape; brake pads are clean with no apparent wear issues/scarring. Differential fluid levels are topped off and good. I have checked the issue with freshly balanced/mounted wheels with no change.
My next step to determine just what is wrong is to remove the front differential cover and do a physical examination of the guts. (I'm waiting for more favorable weather conditions as I am doing this work in my snowy, sometimes frozen/sometimes not driveway. And doing this in blizzard conditions outside is not fun.)
Thank you. (And thanks to the creators of this forum for providing a resource such as this.)
2002 Ford Explorer XLT with 305,000+ miles. V6 SOHC. Automatic transmission.
The issue: when driving on dry, flat pavement, as I cross the 25mph threshold, I experience a low whirring and then abrasion that appears to emanate from the front passenger side. After a few seconds, I get a slight "binding" that pulls the vehicle to the right. The noise is rotational, in that it occurs in conjunction with the rotation of the wheel/axle. This is all when in Auto. When I switch to 4wd High, the abnormalities present themselves almost immediately. Furthermore, it makes no difference if I am accelerating or decelerating; the issue occurs when I'm coasting down the hill. Braking doesn't affect the noise (with the exception of reducing speed.) The vehicle shifts normally and with ease.
No metallic grinding noises. No odor or aroma. When I jack up the vehicle, I can turn the wheel/tire with relative ease; it doesn't spin freely, though.
I have replaced the wheel hub (I happen to have a spare,) put in a new CV axle (there was a bit of age on the boots and insert collar,) replaced the brake caliper (again, rubber boot issues.) New sway bar links and new inner/outer tie rod. The rotor is in fine shape; brake pads are clean with no apparent wear issues/scarring. Differential fluid levels are topped off and good. I have checked the issue with freshly balanced/mounted wheels with no change.
My next step to determine just what is wrong is to remove the front differential cover and do a physical examination of the guts. (I'm waiting for more favorable weather conditions as I am doing this work in my snowy, sometimes frozen/sometimes not driveway. And doing this in blizzard conditions outside is not fun.)
Thank you. (And thanks to the creators of this forum for providing a resource such as this.)
