2002 Sport Trac Humming Sound From Front Wheel

[coolashaka]

Good day fellow Explorer enthusiasts! I have an '02 Ford Explorer Sport Trac 4x4. I have a problem with my vehicle because I hear a strange humming sound coming from the front driver side wheel. Whenever I accelerate, this humming sound becomes more high pitched and I also feel vibrations on my gas pedal. Normally this sound only appears after around 10 to 15 minutes of driving.

The humming sound could be heard in this video I took:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tRV4ewdTM0&feature=youtu.be

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!

 

[swshawaii]

This must be the easiest "repair" EVER. Hope this is the fix.

http://www.revbase.com/BBBMOTOR/TSb/DownloadPdf?id=127647

 

[coolashaka]

Hi swshawaii, thanks for the quick response. Here is a photo of my accelerator cable:

http://postimg.org/image/v5guziezh/

Is this correct? Also, will this get rid of the humming sound in the front driver side wheel?

 

[swshawaii]

Position of your clip appears correct. Make sure the #6 wire isn't touching the throttle cable. Test drive and report back.

 

[coolashaka]

Humming and vibration are still present. Vibration is not limited to the gas pedal alone but also the brake pedal, probably caused by the humming near the front wheel.

 

[roamer37]

Front hub bearings on the left front wheel?

 

[Bobmbx]

Bearings. Hit the highway, and listen to the sound when you go around left and right curves. If it goes away when you turn left, its the right bearing. If it goes away when you turn turn right, its the left side.

Or, jack up the front and spin the tires by hand. Listen for any grating sound (other then the brake pads hissing on the disc. There should be no sound, and the tire should spin very, very smoothly.

 

[gguerra]

I had to to replace both front hubs at around the 100k mark. They would make a terribly loud humming sound. I to thought it could be bearings but determined it to be wheel hubs. BTW, mine is an 03 4x4. Total cost including parts/labor was around $900. Hubs were around $250 a piece. Hope this helps.

 

[jadez03]

This must be the easiest "repair" EVER. Hope this is the fix.

http://www.revbase.com/BBBMOTOR/TSb/DownloadPdf?id=127647

Thanks for this! I have the humming noise in my 07 Sport Trac and it's been driving me nuts. I'll test this when I get off work, hopefully it's not a bearing.

 

[swshawaii]

Thanks for this! I have the humming noise in my 07 Sport Trac and it's been driving me nuts. I'll test this when I get off work, hopefully it's not a bearing.

Unlikely since that TSB applies to the 2001-2005 V6 only.

 

[jadez03]

Unlikely since that TSB applies to the 2001-2005 V6 only.

Doh! That's what I get for not reading very closely and surfing the forums while at work. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Bobmbx]

I had to to replace both front hubs at around the 100k mark. They would make a terribly loud humming sound. I to thought it could be bearings but determined it to be wheel hubs. BTW, mine is an 03 4x4. Total cost including parts/labor was around $900. Hubs were around $250 a piece. Hope this helps.

The bearings are inside the hubs.

 

[gguerra]

When I had the problem, the first thing I suspected were wheel bearings and did the tests by turning the wheel both ways as mentioned above. I did not make any more or less noise while turning. The noise was present when going straight ahead and would get louder as I went faster. Bottom line, it was not the bearings. I was only sharing MY experience which may or may not be the case with the OP.

 

[swshawaii]

Sorry gguerra, just scrolled up and saw your previous post #8 stating bad wheel hubs were the culprit.

 

[jadez03]

When I had the problem, the first thing I suspected were wheel bearings and did the tests by turning the wheel both ways as mentioned above. I did not make any more or less noise while turning. The noise was present when going straight ahead and would get louder as I went faster. Bottom line, it was not the bearings. I was only sharing MY experience which may or may not be the case with the OP.

Also would like to know what you found out! I tested my 07 on the highway last night and the noise, like yours, doesn't change on wheel direction, but def. gets louder on acceleration.

Edit: I see you said it was both front hubs. Eek.

 

[gguerra]

Sorry for the delay, emails from this site were going to my junk folder.

My ST is from another generation (2001 thru 2003). It could be that Ford fixed the faulty hubs problem, maybe not. My mechanic was the one that diagnosed it. I had taken it to a couple of other shops before that and they were not sure. I cannot tell you how he came to that conclusion but it definitely fixed the problem. The truck had around 95k and is now has 145k so it did fix the problem. I think he lifted the truck for sure and either ran the truck or removed the tire and turned it manually. At least you have an idea as to the culprit. Hopefully you will not have to replace both hubs (if that is what is wrong). I see you live in AK, so the possibilty of finding it at a junk yard is probably none. That being said I am not sure I would want to risk it and just buy new. It appears ebay has them cheap. Look here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Explor...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f2c021f90

I bought mine locally at an auto parts store and they were a little over $200. Can't tell you if if they were the same quality as the ebay parts. (Probably not)

 

[JEWELL0]

Front Bearings

I have 97K on my 2004 Sport Trac and it started to get a humming sound on the drivers side front that got louder and louder with speed. I jacked it up on both sides and the drivers side definitely did not spin as freely as the passenger side.
After reading some of the excellent posts here on bearing assembly replacement (see Sticky "How I changed my 05's Front Wheel Bearing") I got the part from a store here on the island for $148 and replaced it. Took about two hours and it wan't as tough as I expected.
A couple of tips:
Have a rubber mallet handy and a 15mm box wrench. The three bolts that hold the bearing assembly on are hard to get to with a socket .. . I used the wrench with the mallet to knock the bolts free. Liquid wrench was also helpful Also - the axle nut for my truck is a 31 mm NOT a 30 mm so check before you walk away from the store. Lessons learned the hard way ...
I used a $14 three jaw puller to remove the drive shaft from the bearing - a little tap with the rubber mallet was all it took to separate.

Another tip: Cut the ABS sensor with with some diag cutters before you pull the bearing assembly out, it will make it easier to re-install the new cable correctly. Also, the disconnect for that cable is under the left front bumper on my truck so I didn't need to get in the engine compartment to disconnect.
Have fun and thanks for all the tips!! Saved me $500 at least