2001 V8 AWD front end noise upon acceleration

[Hunz]

Hi all, I recently purchased a 01' awd ex with 185,000 miles on it. The ex has a "winding up" noise upon acceleration from 0-25mph, after that it disappears and rides like a dream. I also noticed that when I went up a hill (on the road) yesterday the noise became louder. What do you all think? Should I remove the front drive shaft and see if the noise is still there?

I suppose if the noise goes away I am looking at a front diff issue probably the pinion bearings.?.?.? I have changed the bearings on a rear, but the front diff looks like a whole different complicated mess.

The G.R. is a 3.73, let me know guys

 

[safn1949]

I am going to guess front drive shaft,my 2000 make a noise at 55+.Let off the gas and it goes away,hit a hill with the cruise on and it comes in.I am betting u joint.

Take the front shaft off and see if it goes away but remember park will not hold the vehicle with the drive shaft out.

 

[storlied]

It's your front diff, specially if it's a whine.. mine does the same. Usually drive shaft issues will give you vibrations and you'll have binding issues.

 

[Hunz]

Storlied, have you made an attempt to repair yours or are you just putting up with the noise. I honestly have no idea how to attack the front diff. The rear was fairly easy for me when I put all new bearings in it. Do you have any advice??

 

[EMG7895]

I'll second the front diff, mine does the same even with a new oem driveshaft and cvs.

 

[Joe Dirt]

How about when accelerating, then letting off the gas- do you get a vibration for 5 mph of deceleration?

 

[storlied]

It's gonna be a pain in the ass... I'm living with it.. the fix is going to be my gear upgrade to 4.56. [new bearing anyways]

There are quite a few threads on dropping that diff.. but I mean.. how much do you wanna put up with? If there's anything you can do that will help is... change that fluid! It gets contaminated easily if you off-road through nasty stuff.

Another thing is... is it a bearing? Or the gears? ............you Could always just pull a junk yard unit.. but there's risk of the same whine. With us having AWD, we put more stress on that front end than the other models IMO.. so this is a pretty common noise/issue.


And could you clarify for our other members here.... vibration or whining? I'm pretty sure you have the AWD worn front diff whine. Ujoints are pretty obvious.

 

[my pos mounty]

My suggestion is to use www.car-part.com to find a replacement front diff, and you CAN pick and choose which diff you want by calling the yards and giving them the stock number listed on the website. Just shy away from the AWD models listed because the front diffs are always in use, while the explorers and rangers are not. Typically the front diff is more of an issue with the AWD trucks and not the Auto 4WD trucks.
Removal/replacement is easy.
Side note: When searching for a front differential for these rigs, you have to search using the "Carrier / See Also Differential" heading. Searching any other way for it will not give good results. (3.73 ratio is a D3 or 46 for explorer/mounty platforms, and 96 or F6 for Ranger). Ranger, explorer and mounty will all fit as long as it does not have the Vac disco globe (only on the 95 year I believe).
For those unfortunate few (such as storlied and gavin) who live in Alaska or other rural states, the price may be prohibitively high, however around where I am (New Hampshire) I can get a front diff for $100 -$150 all day long.
Just my 2 cents, use if for what its worth.

 

[storlied]

Lucky.. then again even here.. depends on where you look. I don't remember how much Gavin paid for his extra D35, maybe he'll chime in. And yeah.. this AWD just loves to eat these things.

 

[Hunz]

It's definitely a whine not a vibration. I checked the drive shafts for play and they are both solid...and wouldn't you believe it. When I bought the car the rear diff had small wet spot on the under side of it, so I drained the fluid and cleaned it out real well and back in went the 75w-140 synthetic with the 4oz of friction modifier. I took it for a drive today and now it has a small whine when I get on the gas.....what the heck? I will give the car parts site a try and keep an eye out for some of those 4wd front diffs. Were you talking about the entire front axle for $150 or just the carrier gear?

I am truly to the point now where I think i may just buy a grade A front and rear axle and make the swaps, but even then I know I'm not guaranteed a "no whine condition".

Have any of you swapped an entire front axle before? I know the rear will take about a day if I put new seals and axle bearings in with it, but the front just scares me.


One more question. Replacing the carrier would still leave the old pinion gear and bearings in there. What if they are worn too?? What would be easier, a whole new axle or replacing the carrier gear and the pinion?

Thanks for all the help so far guys

 

[my pos mounty]

It's definitely a whine not a vibration. I checked the drive shafts for play and they are both solid...and wouldn't you believe it. When I bought the car the rear diff had small wet spot on the under side of it, so I drained the fluid and cleaned it out real well and back in went the 75w-140 synthetic with the 4oz of friction modifier. I took it for a drive today and now it has a small whine when I get on the gas.....what the heck? I will give the car parts site a try and keep an eye out for some of those 4wd front diffs. Were you talking about the entire front axle for $150 or just the carrier gear?
Yes, the search criteria I wrote earlier will yield an entire front diff/axle assembly for the front (and not just the carrier). You can find just about any part you could ever want on that site.

I am truly to the point now where I think i may just buy a grade A front and rear axle and make the swaps, but even then I know I'm not guaranteed a "no whine condition".

Have any of you swapped an entire front axle before? I know the rear will take about a day if I put new seals and axle bearings in with it, but the front just scares me.

Yes, I have done both front and rear axle assemblys. The front is easier than the rear.

One more question. Replacing the carrier would still leave the old pinion gear and bearings in there. What if they are worn too?? What would be easier, a whole new axle or replacing the carrier gear and the pinion?

I would never abdicate changing just a carrier, that is just how that particular website categorizes the front diff/axle assembly.

Thanks for all the help so far guys

 

[safn1949]

Then if it is the front diff,it should still whine with the drive shaft removed? I was guessing the drive shaft because of the condition of the rear joint,but with the shaft removed then I would guess it would still make the noise because the diff would still be turning.

I realize it wouldn't have as much stress on it.Anyone tried that?

 

[Lanky]

My front end noise is more of a Woo-woo noise that starts being noticeable at about 30mph and at highway speeds the noise gets louder during acceleration. Have replaced both wheel bearings and one axle shaft. I think I am going to drop the front carrier and take the cover off to check things out. Will let you know what I find.

 

[Joe Dirt]

It could also be the front pinion bearing... I replaced one with similar symptoms that cured the issue.


Or, if it's a woo-wooooo...

 

[hotrod31]

if you accelerate and it whines and quits on deceleration it will probably be a crown and pinion gear. if it has a constant whine it will probably be bearings, i work at a dealership and it seems that since ford went to synthetic gear oil there has been problems. you would not believe how many diff we've done! i put 80/90 in my front and rear diffs (with motorcraft friction modifier in rear) In my '98 5.0 awd with absolutely no problems! good luck!

 

[Impact9]

if you accelerate and it whines and quits on deceleration it will probably be a crown and pinion gear. if it has a constant whine it will probably be bearings, i work at a dealership and it seems that since ford went to synthetic gear oil there has been problems. you would not believe how many diff we've done! i put 80/90 in my front and rear diffs (with motorcraft friction modifier in rear) In my '98 5.0 awd with absolutely no problems! good luck!

(Old thread yes I know but useful)

Crown and Pinion? I know Rack and Ring but not Crown.

 

[Turdle]

A crown gear is a beveled gear-another name for ring gear. The spider gears are also crown gears.