04 Explorer EB 4.6-growl/grind at hwy speed

[PBB]

Hello,

Not sure if I have a tire,bearing or TBD issue on my 04 Explorer EB 4.6 (4wd or awd,not sure LOL) with 123k miles on it........

Yesterday, I took a 2 hour highway drive to pick up my German Shepherd GranDog. 80% of my driving is local so it has been awhile since I have been on a highway ride. While at highway speeds (65-80 mph) when I applied slight pressure to both right or left there is grind/growl type noise that isn't noticeable at the lower speeds. The front tires will need replacing in a few thousand miles. I am not seeing any type of unusual wear. No shimmy in the steering wheel. I could take my hand off the wheel and it would stay straight and be nice and smooth.

Any ideas or suggestions to help me diagnose the issue? Unfortunately, the nerve damage left from back surgery won't allow me to repair a hub or such anymore but it is nice speaking to a mechanic with a little knowledge.

BTW, the German Shepherd and My Golden Retriever (who rode shotgun) were worthless diagnosing the problem. However, the did a great job forcing me to wash my windows because of all the drool they left!

Thank you any help or advice!

Patrick

 

[SyberTiger]

It's a pretty common problem for the wheel bearings to go out on these vehicles. If you got 123K miles before the bearings went out then you did better than 75% or more folks. Likely you'll need to replace both hub assemblies. I don't think there's a point in diagnosing which side went bad first because the other one isn't far behind. Just make sure you install high quality bearings and not the cheap Chinese junk.

 

[07gtman]

just did the front bearings on my 05 mountaineer 2 weeks ago, and the back are making the same noise, the fronts went in pretty quick about 2 1/2 hours..it was only quiet for about a week before the rears started howling...

 

[Number Twelve]

I've replaced both rear hub bearings and the differential and I have not found the growl.

 

[imp]

I've replaced both rear hub bearings and the differential and I have not found the growl.

@Number Twelve
Replaced Differential? As in the WHOLE center section? And a growl persists? Was the replacement any good, has the tone of the growl remained the same? Only other things capable of growling back there are the U-Joints, CV Joints, and the dog in back. imp

 

[XploX]

The hubs are very common. They are easy to change, but if you are unable, it might cost quite a bit. The labor is ridiculous.

U-joints and CV- joints don't make a growling noise, they make a clunking noise. If the diff was changed, was it set up correctly? If it's not shimmed properly and correct pre-load on the crush sleeve on the pinion, the gears don't mesh well and can have excessive backlash, which causes a noise.
Just a thought.

 

[imp]

The hubs are very common. They are easy to change, but if you are unable, it might cost quite a bit. The labor is ridiculous.

U-joints and CV- joints don't make a growling noise, they make a clunking noise. If the diff was changed, was it set up correctly? If it's not shimmed properly and correct pre-load on the crush sleeve on the pinion, the gears don't mesh well and can have excessive backlash, which causes a noise.
Just a thought.

@XploX
Agreed and understood. What we don't really know is what does "growl" sound like? I call gear noise "whine or hum", caused by improper gear mesh or scored gear teeth; loose or scored pinion bearings produce a higher-pitch hum, sometimes a growl, due to spinning much faster that the axles. U-joints definitely clunk. C-V joints I've been lucky enough to not have heard (yet). imp