4wheel whine | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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4wheel whine

WizardOfOdds

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Year, Model & Trim Level
92 Explorer
Hey guys,

Well, winter is here in Canada now... started snowing pretty good today so I put the ol' girl in 4x4. When in 4x4 it gives a whining sound. Gets louder as you speed up and lessens as you show down. Anyone know what this could be? I don't want to lose my 4x4 at the start of winter. Also, when in 4x4 and trying to turn, the steering wheel tries to jerk back, as if not wanting to turn. Is this common in 4x4s? Ive never owned a 4x4 vehicle before that's why I'm asking.

Anyone help is appreciated. Thanks
 



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Gear whine in general is an indication that the front gears are not meshing properly. However, having said that, most people will say that gear whine is natural for certain type/brand of gears.

As for the difficult turning problem while in 4wd, yes thats natural when the vehicle is driven on hard, dry surface (such as dry pavement), but should go away once the vehicle is on snow.
 






^ what he said, plus the first thing I would check it to be sure all of the differentials and gear boxes are full of clean and proper fluids. As for the steering jerking if it is occuring on slick or loose (dirt) surfaces you might want to check the front axle u-joints to be sure that they are not frozen (rusted).
 






Ok thanks guys, it's too cold to do the work myself out now so I'll probably take it to a shop and get all the fluids swapped and they can check the u-joints. Now I know a bit what to expect.

By the way it was doing all this on light snow, like slush
 






My front end whines/hums when in 4x4 as well. I'm pretty sure it's the U-joints though, they are pretty rusted. They were bound up last year and clunked quite often when driving. I sprayed them with some penetrant/lubricant once every few months and they don't clunk anymore (just on sharp turns), just a nice hum to them as I drive. I'm not too worried about it - if i have to have it in 4x4, chances are I'm not going to be doing hi-way speeds. If I do, I would make sure the hubs unlock before hitting the freeway!
 






Ok I will spray them with some WD-40 they are pretty rusty as well
 






Best to replace them... No way WD40 is going to do anything good for them.

BTW, just an observation on WD40... It is the WORST lubricant I've ever seen. It will eventually freeze the parts that you lubed with it into one solid mass. Ever notice how stuff eventually squeaks more, requiring more and more oil to function after a while? It is also not that great a penetrating oil.

I recommend using PB Blaster for the penetrant and regular oil or grease for the lubricant. Both are far better at their tasks.

WD40 is best at what its name indicates -- as a water displacement spray. I always carry a can in the truck with me, as it will dry out wet wires in seconds, making an otherwise un-drivable vehicle run again, especially in snow country, where the underhood area can get packed with snow.
 






ditto...i pitched my can of wd40. I used a product by Seafoam called "creep" and also sprayed some with Lithium grease on them to help repell water. They will get fixed eventually once I have the front end apart for brakes and such.
 






So I found this thread from searching for a similar problem that I am having... Since I have a 2001 I figured I would post it in the correct place but I did not get any responses there. Thus, I figured I would post over here!

Summary of my other post:
When 4x4Hi is engaged I hear an increasing whine as speeds increases from 10+MPH. In an effort to troubleshoot the problem (and since I purchased this truck used and do not know the full maintenance records) I changed the fluid in the front differential and the transfer case. The noise is still the same after that. I read the above post and thought perhaps it is the U-joints but my understanding is it would do that all the time considering the front differential is always rotating but not "connected."

Although I know I need to replace the front pinion seal I'm not sure what else the problem could be... When switched back to 2WD the sound goes away immediately.

I understand there is always some degree of drive train noise in 4WD but this sounds more then "normal."

Thank you!
 






make sure u change the transfer case oil i had a whine still after i changed the front u joints didnt go away till i replaced the transfercase oil. if it was like mine it had never been changed.
 












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