2005 EB Explorer V8 Various issues

[EBfan]

Before I start i'd like to say hello as i'm new to the forum and new to having an explorer as well..

I picked up a used 2005 Eddie Bauer 4.6l V8 Explorer a few weeks ago and so far have a few issues - I would like to state here that like the majority of you I love the car it's great. I'm going to list out the issues that I have in the hopes that someone will step in and have some handy comments and map out as I go the fixes of these issues to help any future owners along the way that are coming up with the same problem. So here I go - I'll start off with the most important things feel free to chime in if i'm wrong and (or) being an idiot any or all advice is welcome ..


At around 65 there is a grinding (whirring) noise from the front something which I have heard before and sounds very similar to a wheel bearing on it's way out, accompanied with a little wiggle akin to having an unbalanced tire, I think it's more likely to be one of the front wheel bearings (hubs) and as such I was thinking of just replacing both hubs - I have had it up on a jack and can't seem to find play in either - As with all bearings i've had go over the years it whines more (or less) when going around corners however it's not yet to the stage that it makes any noise at all until over 60 .. I was thinking of going with the Timken SP470200 and replacing the pair of them myself.

I'm going to undertake all the work on this truck and i'm hoping that with the help of you guys i'll be able to have a nice driving truck to run around in. Many thanks for any pearls of wisdom you guys want to share - Keep on exploring folks

 

[EBfan]

Ok first hurdle - Now i'm looking at SKF bearings as I have looked around the forums plenty even before I joined - For the Timken I was looking at it was a single part number that covered the model that I have - The SKF however at Rockauto have two different hubs listed - One is listed for Front; 4WD; XLT Sport the other Front; Eddie Bauer; Limited; XLT Model .. Now mine is both the Eddie Bauer and 4WD so which would you suggest going for - What I didn't mention in my initial post is that I'm a Brit and have been living here in the USA for the last two years however my terminology may not be correct to the USA way on some things so HUH! is an appropriate answer lol

 

[apenland01]

welcome

You need to make sure you read the notes at rockauto. I've ordered quite a few parts over the past few months and everything has been exactly right for my Eddie Bauer V8.

If you are looking for the SKF bearing hubs, you need the get the one that specifically says Eddie Bauer, 4x4 front ($160 each). I just did mine this past weekend with these SKF's.

 

[EBfan]

You need to make sure you read the notes at rockauto. I've ordered quite a few parts over the past few months and everything has been exactly right for my Eddie Bauer V8.

If you are looking for the SKF bearing hubs, you need the get the one that specifically says Eddie Bauer, 4x4 front ($160 each). I just did mine this past weekend with these SKF's.

That answers my question perfectly thank you. That is what I was getting at though the descriptions I posted above are direct (copy paste) From the Rockauto site i'm going to go for the specific Eddie Bauer one as that is at the price you specified of $160 the other one is $140 and I think for a different model - The part number is BR930456

 

[EBfan]

Apenland any tips and advice you can share on doing the hubs would be good - Did you follow the torque settings and what torque setting did you use for the large axle nut (hub nut?) If i remember correctly 184-250 ft lbs and could you tell me was the nut 30mm or 32mm please and thank you

 

[EBfan]

Small update: The Hubs will be ordered this week probably from Rockauto as they seem to be as cheap as anywhere else for the SKF hubs.

The Explorer only came with one key and no fobs so I've ordered another key that i'll have to get cut and cloned at a locksmith, as well as two three button key fobs. Also on the way is a new gas cap as it's doing the gas cap is loose light and service engine soon light. Along with that a bluetooth ODB2 reader so I can read and reset any codes that may come up.

The past couple of days the low tire light has come on at startup (only in the morning) and gone off around 10 minutes into my journey to work - I'm going to check the tire pressures - It may be that the tires are cold in the morning and as they expand slightly with the warm up of use then they have enough pressure to make the light go off or it may be a faulty sensor - I suspect the former but I'm not ruling out the latter either..

I have other things to do on this car but pretty much everything apart from the Hubs and surface rust underneath is pretty much niggley items, like the drivers heated seat not working. Once I get into doing the hubs i'll start adding some pics up and some details as to what i'm doing and why on my posts (kind of a build log if you will)

 

[drdoom]

The nut is a 35mm. I think the torque is EDIT: looked it up in the Ford book it is 184 ft lbs.

 

[apenland01]

axle nut

I used 184 ftlbs on the axle nut because that is what I saw. I had to go borrow a torque wrench from autozone because my craftsman only goes to 150.

It's a pretty straight forward job, just know that the hub bolts are stubborn and will be tight all the way out.

Knowing what I know now, I would get the hub puller to help keep the axle pushed in while you are removing the hub bolts. I used one hand to push in the axle and the other was working on the hub bolts.

I used the deep offset wrench set from harbor freight for $9.99 and it is exactly what you need to get at those hub bolts.

EDIT: Also the axle nut was 30mm on mine.

 

[EBfan]

Thanks for the thorough reply - It also reminds me that I need to check my torque wrench. A hub puller is a great idea and although it won't help to get the hub off of it's rim i'm sure it will make the moving of the spline out of the way a bit easier as i really wasn't looking forward to pounding it out with a dead blow hammer lol - I may have to shop around for the deep offset wrench as there's no HF near me but plenty of other places or I can just order it online - Thanks again for the reply and i'll keep an open mind about the size of the axle nut just incase they changed sizes as only ford can do lol

 

[2000StreetRod]

three keys

I suggest that you get two keys programmed so you have a total of three. The second key is expensive to program but if you have two functional keys a third one is relatively inexpensive. Anyone purchasing an Explorer with only one PATS key should reduce the offer $200.

 

[EBfan]

I suggest that you get two keys programmed so you have a total of three. The second key is expensive to program but if you have two functional keys a third one is relatively inexpensive. Anyone purchasing an Explorer with only one PATS key should reduce the offer $200.

Thanks for the tip - I'll grab another key before i get this one cut - The one that i have with the vehicle looks like a clone key rather than a genuine ford PATS key - I suppose it won't hurt to have a third even though there's only two of using the car a spare is certainly always handy..

 

[EBfan]

Small update - Haven't ordered the Hubs yet but I'm not offroading and it's currently not getting any worse but they will be ordered shortly - I have had explorer mail this week though in the form of a bluetooth OBD2 reader and a new motorcraft gas cap - Originally the error code only pointed to the gas cap however this week it came up with the P0455 code meaning gross EVAP leak - Is this possible to be just the gas cap that i haven't changed yet or possibly the purge valve ? - I have read that the purge valve is located below the battery tray but I am struggling to find a pic of what the 2005 4.6l V8 purge valve looks like - Anyone have a pic handy at all ? Thanks again folks for all that you do on here

 

[Country Man]

You could have a leak in the filler tube with that EVAP code.