phake
New Member
- Joined
- October 8, 2009
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Durham, NC
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2004 Ford Explorer
Well I have my answer to my droning noise.
I had a drone that started at about 45 and got louder and higher as I sped up, but which was unrelated to whether my foot was on the gas. I had eliminated tire balance and alignment.
Some had suggested seeing whether it got worse when I turned. I did not think so. However, when I went out with a mechanic friend for a ride it became clear that I did not do it right. He took the explorer out at about 40 MPH (I couldn't even hear the noise yet) and then jerked the steering wheel to the side, like you would do if you suddenly noticed a dog on the road. He did this back and forth and you could really only hear the roar or drone when we were being slung one way, and not the other. Problem solved -- bad wheel bearing on the side to which you were being slung when you hear the noise (i.e. if you swerve right, this puts the weight of the vehicle on the left, so if you hear the noise then it's the left wheel bearing).
One final note -- I did not think the noise sounded that bad. I thought I was acting way ahead of any serious problem. However, when we got the old bearing off it was even hard to rotate with your hands and some rubber or plastic parts showed signs of melting. I think it was serious and could have locked up! I have probably driven 2000 miles since I first heard a hint of the noise.
I had a drone that started at about 45 and got louder and higher as I sped up, but which was unrelated to whether my foot was on the gas. I had eliminated tire balance and alignment.
Some had suggested seeing whether it got worse when I turned. I did not think so. However, when I went out with a mechanic friend for a ride it became clear that I did not do it right. He took the explorer out at about 40 MPH (I couldn't even hear the noise yet) and then jerked the steering wheel to the side, like you would do if you suddenly noticed a dog on the road. He did this back and forth and you could really only hear the roar or drone when we were being slung one way, and not the other. Problem solved -- bad wheel bearing on the side to which you were being slung when you hear the noise (i.e. if you swerve right, this puts the weight of the vehicle on the left, so if you hear the noise then it's the left wheel bearing).
One final note -- I did not think the noise sounded that bad. I thought I was acting way ahead of any serious problem. However, when we got the old bearing off it was even hard to rotate with your hands and some rubber or plastic parts showed signs of melting. I think it was serious and could have locked up! I have probably driven 2000 miles since I first heard a hint of the noise.
I've referred quite a few members on here to this guy and there have been zero problems 
