Bearings or Diff?

[USMCSurvivalist]

Over the course of owning my explorer, I have replaced the front drivers side bearing due to grinding. I have a howling noise that sounds like the rear end that would present when I press the accelerator at speeds above 50mph. I figured that was the rear diff whine that many experience, but after some additional howling and grinding started when turning, I forked over 750 dollars and had both rear bearings replaced. It fixed the new noises but now the howling that I used to get just from acceleration will also be present intermittently as the vehicle slows down while coasting(maybe intermittent due to suspension movement up and down?). Is it possible they put in a bad bearing? The rear diff got worse? Or maybe the howling while slowing down is finally the front pass bearing going out? It's hard to locate the howl as I drive. It sounds loudest in my left ear as I drive like it's coming from the left behind me but if I turn my head right to listen to it, it sounds quieter and like it's on the right.That could just be position in the truck and the acoustics but IDK. I was thinking of changing the front pass hub but I don't want to spend 250$ if I don't have too. The howling during acceleration above 50 has been around forever but the intermittent howling during deceleration has only cure s after the shop changed the rear wheel bearings.

 

[pet575]

I think you'd be wasting your money with front bearings. If it were bearings, the noise shouldn't differ whether you are accelerating or coasting. Sounds to me like my rear differential does: slight howl/whine on acceleration; quiet on coasting.

 

[USMCSurvivalist]

I think you'd be wasting your money with front bearings. If it were bearings, the noise shouldn't differ whether you are accelerating or coasting. Sounds to me like my rear differential does: slight howl/whine on acceleration; quiet on coasting.

That's the thing though, since the rear wheel bearings have been changed its howling when I stop accelerating between 50~65mph. When accelerating it starts in that range but the howl gets quieter as I push towards 70 mph. I am sure it's probably my rear diff, and I'm going to add heavier oil but I am concerned my new bearings might be crap I didn't think to mention to them to use Timkin only. I am thinking if the gear oil change only quiets the acceleration portion of the howling, then it's back to bearings. If it's both then no bearings need to be touched. It seems to me if this explorer rear end is full of issues maybe it's time to try a different non explorer set up if possible.

 

[pet575]

I have exactly the same thing in mine. It doesn't howl much at all until you get over 50 and then it stops around 70.

 

[USMCSurvivalist]

I have exactly the same thing in mine. It doesn't howl much at all until you get over 50 and then it stops around 70.

What about when your slowing down in that range?

 

[pet575]

I don't think I have anything when coasting or slowing down.

 

[Rangerman1987]

We just recently bought a 2003 with 120,000 from original owners and noticed the dreaded howl (whine) right away. I tried to determine on my own what it could be and after talking to a friend who is more knowledgeable than I am he insisted that it was the wheel bearings and not the rear differential. So I took it to our own personal mechanic and after test driving it he then determined it was the rear differential and not the bearings. So he replaced the rear wheel differential with a used one with about 70K on it for 800.00 and a day after the repair the noise (whine/howl) was back. Not as bad as before but never the less still there? At this point I am of the opinion that we are just going to live with it this way and after all that I have read about this being a common issue with this year Explorer I am going to just chalk it up as one of the many Achilles heels that this model year has.

 

[Rangerman1987]

I forgot to mention that the whine/howl happens when we decelerate after reaching a speed of at least over 40 mph and then letting off the accelerator, coasting to a slower speed. Again it is not as loud/pronounced as before with the original rear differential but is still evident.

 

[gdgiordano]

I have the same "howling" noise on my 1997 accompanied by an occasional jolt at speed as well as shifting from drive to reverse or reverse to drive. Mine is an AWD if it means anything.