1998 xlt. Loud whining and some other questions.

[Turbo teggy]

Hello fellas, I am new to the forums and explorers in general. I just bought a 1998 5.0 xlt. Was told it was AWD, but can't be sure until I put it up on stands and see the wheels move. My girlfriend said she saw the front wheels move when i goosed it in the snow, but i dont know if she knows what to look for. All I know is that it handles like a dream in this miserable weather we are having. She has 230k on the clock, but the motor seems pretty strong, and the previous owner says he has changed the transmission. The interior is pretty nice too. The only real issues it seems to have is that the passenger door lock won't unlock, the lights in the radio don't work, and it has a pretty loud whine, which is my main problem.

I've been doing some researching and it seems that the whining is attributed to faulty bearings/ring & pinion gears, etc. I've been reading and they say to use a heavier wieght oil in the diff, but I'm wondering how much that will help, if at all. I've heard that it's pretty common, and that it won't really hurt anything, other than it's stupid annoying. If using a heavier oil doesn't work, I plan getting it rebuilt or replaced as long as it doesn't have any major issues untill this coming November. How much should something like this cost if I was to get it rebuilt? If I decide to swap it with another one, which ones should I look for/are compatible? Is it hard to swap? I've always heard that American vehicles are easy to work on, but I'm an import guy so I have no idea. Any tricks to maybe calm it down a little bit in the mean time?

What wieght oil should be used in the trans? Not sure if maybe the oil types or anything have been revised since it's come out. Is there any type of recall or anything that the dealer will fix or replace? Anything you would tell a new explorer owner to look for or do? Thanks for your time.

 

[safn1949]

They are all AWD and mine whines also,it is either the wheel bearings or the differential.A rebuild will be big bucks as it is a time consuming deal,go to a boneyard and get a front diff from a 4 wheel drive not an AWD.You should be able to score one for about $200 and V6 and V8 are the same.

I would suggest that you remove the front driveshaft and drive it,noise gone,front wheel bearings.Noise still there front diff.Wheel bearings are about $110 each from rockauto.com a forum sponsor,go to the vendor forum for their discount code.

FYI the truck will slowly roll away in park with no front shaft so be careful.I'm sure others will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Turbo teggy]

Thank you very much for your response. A couple of questions though. It sounds as though the sound is coming from the rear, so I would assume it's the rear diff and not the front, although I will check both. I will also check the wheel bearings, but I thought they make more of a clunking sound when turning. Since the whine usually happens on acceleration at about 20-25 mph and over, and will stop when i take my foot off the gas (although it has whined on deceleration but not as much) Im assuming its the diff and not the bearings. If I go to a junkyard and to get a another one, what should I look for so I don't pick up another bad diff? Also, I'm assuming that the Awd and 4x4 diffs are different, why wouldn't I want an awd diff, and will using a 4x4 diff still allow me to keep AWD?

How difficult is it to swap them? I've never messed with anything but hondas. Is it worth it to try using the heavier wieght oil in there first? How often does that help/solve the problem? Considering how loud it is, I'm assuming this is more of a mechanical failure and not something that can be cured with oil, but I don't know fords so if you guys think it's worth a shot I'll try. Also, this may be a stupid question, but is there a way remove the drive shaft and make it a fwd? I saw where people made them rwd, but was wondering if it could go the other way aswell. Thanks for your time. Turbo teggy.

 

[Turbo teggy]

Evening bump.

 

[Turbo teggy]

Also, seems that the trans wants to slip a little when I first start her up in the morning. Only going into first, it hesitates a bit, then goes. Seems though once it's been driven for a couple minutes, there doesn't seem to be any issues. Is this something to worry about? I don't really care if it's just a quirk of the car, but I dont want the trans to take a **** on the highway, or leave me stranded. Anything you guys would advise me to do or check?