'04 explorer drive train noise

[csinatra]

I have an '04 with 40k on it. For about the last 6 months the front end? has been making some drive train noise - it's most noticable at 30-40 mph. I have been reading some of the posts here and saw that front wheel bearings seem to be a fairly common problem on these vehicles. I jacked mine up and the bearings seem tight.
One thing I did notice though is that the front shafts, T case etc. turn with the front wheel(s). Is this normal? does the front running gear turn all the time whenever you're driving on a control trac 4x4 system?

Any thoughts/input would be appreciated.

Charlie

 

[waskly]

yes the drive train will spin when the vehicle is moving.

 

[imp]

6 year-old vehicle with 40K, average mileage 555 per month, 6 months noise making, about 3,000 miles now, she's been making noise? Has it gotten any worse during this time? Is it really bad, or just scaring you? If a wheel bearing is failing, it will worsen, surely, and should have, by now. imp

 

[jakedrew]

hey, this is the exact same problem I am having and cant figure it out.

i did a left front bearing and new tires. No luck. My next thing is I need struts as one is leaking. I am thinking maybe the tire noise is transfering through the strut as there is no liquid left to dampen the noise. ?

If that dont cut it, right right wheel beairng.

Also, I am not sure how common are front differentail bearings to go out?

I also have a 04.

I have to figure this out!!!!

 

[csinatra]

Well if all that stuff spins all the time I guess a little noise would be "normal". At first I thought tires but I rotated them and no change. I guess I'll run it 'til something breaks. Wheel bearings are definitely OK.

 

[imp]

i did a left front bearing and new tires. No luck. My next thing is I need struts as one is leaking. I am thinking maybe the tire noise is transfering through the strut as there is no liquid left to dampen the noise. ? IMO, unlikely. The strut is nothing more than a strong shock absorber, whose ends serve extra duty of providing suspension points, unlike shocks. Their up and down movement serves the exact same purpose as a standard shock: to prevent excessive fast wheel movement up and down. That ability they lose, as their juice leaks out.

Also, I am not sure how common are front differentail bearings to go out? You're not alone there: no one else is sure how often a mechanical part is likely to go out, either! It could be said, though, that an AWD might experience a somewhat higher failure rate of front diff. bearings, since in 2WD or 4X4 AUTO, less load is carried by those bearings under most driving circumstances. imp

I also have a 04.

I have to figure this out!!!!

 

[Roweri]

Have a 2005 XLT and it's got the same deafening roar from the front end between 35-40MPH. Been doing it since we bought it used with 30K. Four years and 80K later nothing has burned out or fallen off so I just ignore it or turn up the radio. haha. Would be nice to know what's causing it though.

 

[imp]

Have a 2005 XLT and it's got the same deafening roar from the front end between 35-40MPH. Been doing it since we bought it used with 30K. Four years and 80K later nothing has burned out or fallen off so I just ignore it or turn up the radio. haha. Would be nice to know what's causing it though.

Just wondering, did you test-drive it before laying out the moola? imp

 

[matt0248]

My 02 had alot ofbearing noise from the front. I could have sworn it was the left front wheel bearing. But I replaced them both just to be sure. Sure enough, the right frontwas worse than the left. It was not loose or anything, it was just really hard to turn by hand and not smooth at all. So, bearings can be "tight" and still noisy.