2003 Ford Explorer Rear Differential Whine

[shirpet]

High pitched whine

Refer to TSB 05-12-6 as I suggested. Ford has a service kit that includes all effected bearings, seals and the gear set. They also include a sticker to refer the heavier gear oil that replaces the original 75W-90 with 75W-140 QL.

My '96 Explorer did the same thing. They put some other lube in the differential, but it didn't help. Now my 2003 Mountaneer howls at exactly 72 MPH and at some lower speeds in the 30 to 40 mph range. It also seeems more prevalent in colder weather (below freezing.)

I'm beginning to be less of a Ford products fan.

 

[roddster67]

My 99 XLT has been whining like crazy for the past month or so. It is VERY loud! The shop that usually does my major repairs wants $800 -$2,000 to rebuild it!!!!
I'm thinking of getting a used warranteed rear end and having that installed by a shop in LA. Other than the rear end taking a dump, the only other problems I've had were a leak in the intake manifold and an inop door lock switch. Not too bad for 124,000 miles in SoCal.

 

[xchris]

:thumbdwn: Somebody send me some of that heavier lube -- it'll come in handy when Ford sticks it in my a$$ and makes me pay for their problem

 

[SpartanTS]

I wonder if you installed some sound deadening (dynamat or brown bread), would that quiet the noise?

I had the gear oil changed and that made "somewhat" of a difference. Now it doesn't howl as loud as it once did.

 

[Atom Ant]

Is it possible to buy a new rear end, that was built the right way? Not 1 that was built by the supplyer with worn equipment.

 

[deejay]

i have to chime in after getting my truck back yesterday after 3 weeks of chasing this noise.i have a 03 xlt 4x4.my mechanic is great i went on vaca for a week and had him go thru it.it all started with my tranny being dead so he didnt really get to test drive it.so when he finally got it from the tranny guy he realized i needed to rear tires.so they were changed.then he started chasing a whine.first rear wheel bearings then universal joint then transfer case.then it seemed to be the boneyard transfer case.replaced that one.then to the front differential.ugh.so stressed out he decided to involve the tranny guy who first started the job.he insisted the was a tire issue.ya right who would of thunk but sure enough my spare was a brand new mich,so he matched it up on the rear.my fronts were nexens wth 10,000 miles fairly new.all identical in size exept when he put a rope arount all 4.the to different brands showed a 2 inch difference.going back to the tranny guys diognosis he changed all four to the same brand and that whine noise i hear everybody discusing.........FINALLY GONE!could just be a coincedence,but the truck runs like brand new again.hope this helps at least a lil bit.thanks

 

[deejay]

oh ya by the way there was a bulliten sent out about this tire issue by ford that basically says you really cant just change 1 or 2 tires.what a scam.

 

[Willard]

oh ya by the way there was a bulliten sent out about this tire issue by ford that basically says you really cant just change 1 or 2 tires.what a scam.

That's not a scam. That's what happens when you drive a AWD or 4WD vehicle. You have to have four tires of the same exact size to prevent binding of the drivetrain and overstressing things. I find it dumb that Ford had to send out a bulletin to tell people this when it should already be stated in the manual somewhere.

 

[earlppike]

i bought a 98 explorer xlt v-8 awd 8 years ago , im pushing 190,000 and the rear end has started doing the whining... up till now never done nothin but kept oil and plugs changed... i just took the cover off the rear end the other day and drained it , sanded the outside and painted and filled back up with the 75-140...(napa auto parts) .. the dreaded whine is still there i hope it will die down soon once the oil has time to get to all the parts..also the front shaft is missing is it that hard to find one or just that expensive.... i only paid 3,000 for the truck and that was 8 years so i have def. got my moneys worth out of it but i would like to see the front wheels pull one time

 

[CFieldAZ]

so.......

got the whine.

can anyone recommend any after market part not built by ford that work?
maybe an upgraded product?

 

[rwxyz]

Just got back from a 1K trip and the Whine has got to go.

Found a kit for the 8.8 with 3.73 rear end for $155 on Ebay But
my rear end is the 3.55 with the 4.0L 6 cyl.

 

[wheelin'explorer]

So my question to guys who posted ok this thread early on, if you still are an active member. did you figure out how to rid this? My has the whine in it. I just did a fluid change on my diff which seems too take care of it for a day or two. I also have the problem of it not letting my diff slip as it should, I get that grinding noise in turns. The new shutouts fixed both problems for about 3 days. What's next? I put in the fluid weight Ford said it came from the factory. Ring and pinion our what?

 

[icepickjazz]

So my question to guys who posted ok this thread early on, if you still are an active member. did you figure out how to rid this? My has the whine in it. I just did a fluid change on my diff which seems too take care of it for a day or two. I also have the problem of it not letting my diff slip as it should, I get that grinding noise in turns. The new shutouts fixed both problems for about 3 days. What's next? I put in the fluid weight Ford said it came from the factory. Ring and pinion our what?

I am facing both issues on my 2004 Explorer. I am trying to figure out how to deal with them. It's really 2 separate issues. Grinding in the turns is caused by the clutch packs. If you have the Limited Slip you also need to put in 4 oz of the friction modifier when you changed the fluid. Did you do that? Some people suggest more, but I am wary of that. If you did, then you are looking at clutch pack replacement. See TSB 06-02-16 for more details on the clutch pack issue. You get get ford racing parts which are the same as oem but much less expensive. The ford racing clutch pack rebuild kit PN is M-4700-B and the Ford PN is 6L1Z4947B.

The axle whine is caused by ring and pinion. See TSB 05-23-3. This gets more complicated and you are basically looking at rebuilding rear-end. Most of the parts listed in the TSB are as follows:

1. Ring & Pinion -- Ford racing part number M-4209-88373 (this will change depending on your gear ratio. Part number listed is for a 3.73 rear-end). Ford OEM 8L3Z4209N
2. Ford Racing Ring and Pinion Installation/Bearing set Part number m-4210-b or m-4210-b2. The kits are the same except for the b2 kit has the newer style pinion bearings ( known as the "high torque" bearings) Either kit would work fine, but you may need the side bearing races mentioned next.
3. Ford OEM side bearing cups. The ones in the Ford Racing kit do not always work in the Explorer rear ends, but is still well worth the $$. If you did not need the cups, you could return them.
4. Pair of half shaft seals (OEM)

Then of course you need the confidence to rebuild or have someone rebuild it for you. I found someone who would do ring & pinion and clutch packs and bearings for $426 labor.

Here are some DIY Links that may help you
Rebuild Clutch Pack
8.8 Rebuild
Pirate Ring & Pinion Setup


Instead of doing this some places might also suggest rebuilt rear end. Because it may be cheaper to install a OEM or a Jasper rear end on the long run, due to the 1 for 1 replacement warranty.

I haven't decided what to do yet. This should give you something to thing about. Good luck.

 

[wheelin'explorer]

I am facing both issues on my 2004 Explorer. I am trying to figure out how to deal with them. It's really 2 separate issues. Grinding in the turns is caused by the clutch packs. If you have the Limited Slip you also need to put in 4 oz of the friction modifier when you changed the fluid. Did you do that? Some people suggest more, but I am wary of that. If you did, then you are looking at clutch pack replacement. See TSB 06-02-16 for more details on the clutch pack issue. You get get ford racing parts which are the same as oem but much less expensive. The ford racing clutch pack rebuild kit PN is M-4700-B and the Ford PN is 6L1Z4947B.

The axle whine is caused by ring and pinion. See TSB 05-23-3. This gets more complicated and you are basically looking at rebuilding rear-end. Most of the parts listed in the TSB are as follows:

1. Ring & Pinion -- Ford racing part number M-4209-88373 (this will change depending on your gear ratio. Part number listed is for a 3.73 rear-end). Ford OEM 8L3Z4209N
2. Ford Racing Ring and Pinion Installation/Bearing set Part number m-4210-b or m-4210-b2. The kits are the same except for the b2 kit has the newer style pinion bearings ( known as the "high torque" bearings) Either kit would work fine, but you may need the side bearing races mentioned next.
3. Ford OEM side bearing cups. The ones in the Ford Racing kit do not always work in the Explorer rear ends, but is still well worth the $$. If you did not need the cups, you could return them.
4. Pair of half shaft seals (OEM)

Then of course you need the confidence to rebuild or have someone rebuild it for you. I found someone who would do ring & pinion and clutch packs and bearings for $426 labor.

Here are some DIY Links that may help you
Rebuild Clutch Pack
8.8 Rebuild
Pirate Ring & Pinion Setup


Instead of doing this some places might also suggest rebuilt rear end. Because it may be cheaper to install a OEM or a Jasper rear end on the long run, due to the 1 for 1 replacement warranty.

I haven't decided what to do yet. This should give you something to thing about. Good luck.

I did add the friction modifier, my problem actually quit once I did it. I think I was just paranoid listening for a noise and convinced myself it was still doing it. I do that a lot with my ex, but my problem is fixed for the time being. Hauling a trailer of four canoes 6 hours Thursday! Fingers crossed it stays away!

 

[HCCA 250]

Seems there are a LOT of double posts. The problem is the same for most people. The rear diff, had a problem from the factory. I hold firmly the belief, that it was a factory F-Up. They can argue all they want to. I work in manufacturing, and have seen many times, that the manufacturer made an error. However, the difference comes when the manufacturer will own up, and make it right. Or, if they know they are wrong, but will not admit their errror.

I had the same problem a others. But, mine was repaired under warranty. I had the problem return. And, they repaired again...under extended warranty. They second time seemed to be the right fix. No problems since. BUT, the rear end was sounding a little rough, a few months ago. I had the fluid changed (and Friction modifier).... Sweet silence!!

And, as per an eariler post, yes, sound dampener will help. I used Second Skin Damplfier Pro, and Luxury Liner Pro. Pay special attention to the rear cargo area. Made a huge difference. But, the Luxury Liner Pro, needs to be installed like carpet. No gaps, holes, or seams. Otherwise, you might as well not do it at all.