Droning Noise

[phake]

This got buried in a previous thread so here goes again:

I'm trying to decide on the source of a noise I'm hearing. Let me describe mine:

It's a medium pitch droning noise that starts at about 40 MPH and increases in volume and pitch until about 75 MPH when it starts to go away. It's a very constant "MMMMMMMMM" that is not affected by whether I'm giving her gas - it is solely related to speed. I haven't noticed any change when turning, though a passenger thought it varied slightly over bumps. It seems to come from the front, though it's hard to place front-back or right-left. There are no shimmies or shakes.

I have completely eliminated tire balance as a issue. That leaves me with either:
1) bad wheel bearing or
2) bad rear differential (it's a 2x4)

Of final note, though I don't know how this could be related, the ABS light has started coming on sometimes, though it usually does not come on if the car has been driven before that day.

 

[05_moutianeer_mn]

I bought a 2003 XLS from an auction . Had the same thing.
I had the tires balanced right away.
They told me I had a bent steel rim and moved it to the back (IIRC).
I bought 2 new steel rims and 4 new tires still had the vibration.
On this site I found TSB 05-16-4
Titled (in all caps) Driveline 1st order Vibration/Boom/Drone Between 55 and 75 MPH.
I went to the ford dealer and they said $420 for a new rear drive shaft pn 6L2Z-4602-A.
So I asked if they could lower the price or wholesale it for me.
I have been there a lot buying motorcraft parts.
He talked to the manager and said sure to steves repair wholesale net price = 357
I had to get a 12pt socket (size can’t remember right now, pm me for detail)
And installed new drive shaft and Walla the vibration/drone fixed.
So there is a 2004 ex drive shaft in a junk yard on the internet right now $59.99.
I have seen core values of $60 on these.
It has 70 K on it and the site has pics of the hulk and it is side impact only.
Maybe worth a shot .
I was thinking of going over there next week to snag it.
Open game for you if you want it pm me. I’ll give you the link they will ship it.
Also you could mark the front and rear interface of your drive shaft and with the special 12 pt socket (size of which I wish I could remember but can confirm upon request) it could be dropped and you could install 2 new $12 u joints maybe would solve problem .
U joint fix?
Not guaranteed.

 

[Limited02]

If it was a wheel bearing, you would notice an increase in sound when you turned left or right. So if the front right was bad and you turned left, the sound would get louder. That's what mine does. Now I also have a higher pitch mmmmmm that I notice and think its the rear end. When I am going 40ish and barley giving it gas, you hear it. If I let off, it kind of goes away. Also dissappears at highways speeds as well because wind noise and tire noise takes over.

Now I have also thought of the driveshaft being a problem because when I had the rear jacked up, I was messing with the driveshaft and noticed it had a little play in the center. I believe it's a 2-piece driveshaft and possibly the u-joints are going bad. Since the above posted mentioned he paid over $350 for a new one, I would rather find a aluminum driveshaft out of an F150 and have a driveshaft specialist modify it to fit my Ex. That way it's lighter and a one piece.

Somtimes when tires start to wear down, they can develop a drone of some sort.

Good luck and start with the cheapest fixes first!!!

 

[jakedrew]

I was going to say about the TSB driveshaft deal. Not as good as information as posted that is for srue


good luck and keep us updated

 

[05_moutianeer_mn]

Well JD ;
The TSB drive shaft deal is not a deal.
Ford engineering wrote the TSB.
What information or anecdotal data do you offer to back up your skepticism of a drive shaft out of balance issue?
Has your perky 04 had any issues you would share?
I wonder how much an out of balance rear drive shaft contributes to all these rear diff issues.
The 2 piece drive shaft is designed for collapsibility in the event of a collision.

 

[jakedrew]

you sound like a dick, but i will post back anyway.

you misunderstood my saying of "deal" is not like a "good deal". just saying i would have posted to search for tsb's referring to the drone noise as i rememeber reading about one when i was looking through tsb's, but your info is better then mine.

I fully understand what a TSB is and have done my homework on them for the explorers.

My perky 04 ( why the hell you would say that i dont know), issues= 10k miles new radio/ ecu reflash, 25k miles- water pump(yes that is right), 30k new rims, 32k rear end clutch packs, 37k shifter soloniod, 40k i replaced sway bar bushings up front,45k i replaced rear abs sensor, 48k i replaced tensioner pulley, 49k i replaced the heater control switch,50k miles rear end whine= new ring pinion, now coming up on 60k i have to replace the belt/clean the pullies as the shop who did the water pump f'd it up with the belt popping off and they threw it back on all scredded and i took it back and got a new belt put on, so now i have rubber build up on the pulleys and the belt sweeks when the a/c clutch engages. And my p/s fluid needs changing as my steering wheel has a faint queek if you listen. I have to tackle the fuel filter too here soon.

anyways. I have a vibration i am tracking down also, that is why this post interested me.

I am on my third set of rims. First ones corrorded around the ford emblem and got all replaced. then 30k miles later had the steering wheel vibrations and got 2 new rims as two had a hop to them on the balance machine.
Vibs got better.

Have new tires on there at 50k miles(currently at 60k), still vibrated a little. Ran around with the spare tire and never got any better where i put it.

been in and out of the shop a few times (extended warrenty).

last round i got my my steering shaft replaced. Helped with the loose feeling steering wheel.

got the rims rebalanced and seems to be better. so that is where i am leaving it at.


so my adive , check the balance on them tires, could have thrown off a weight. It is cheap to get done.


Driveshaft. information? anecdotal - i dont even know what that word means that how dumb i am.

but anyways, just saying it is a TSB for a reason. Many people complain about a issue, ford records it to make it easier and something to look for first when a customer comes in with a certain issue.

so that is something to look into with the driveshaft "TSB". That is what i did before my warrenty was up on my perky 04. I just went through the TSB's and let the dealer know which ones i thought applied to me . 100$ deductable no matter how many issues you have in one trip, so i had a list.


good luck non the less. (dick)

 

[05_moutianeer_mn]

Ok JD:
Maybe my response was not so polite,
Maybe your 04 is not as perky as I had imagined.
I apologize to you and those in the forum that I have offended.


The meaning of anecdotal is searchable on Google.
Copy and paste.
The expression anecdotal evidence has two distinct meanings.
(1) Evidence in the form of an anecdote or hearsay is called anecdotal if there is doubt about its veracity; the evidence itself is considered untrustworthy.
(2) Evidence, which may itself be true and verifiable, used to deduce a conclusion which does not follow from it, usually by generalizing from an insufficient amount of evidence. For example "my grandfather smoked like a chimney and died healthy in a car crash at the age of 99" does not disprove the proposition that "smoking markedly increases the probability of cancer and heart disease at a relatively early age". In this case, the evidence may itself be true, but does not warrant the conclusion.
In both cases the conclusion is unreliable; it may not be untrue, but it doesn't follow from the "evidence".
Evidence can be anecdotal in both senses: "Goat yogurt prolongs life: I heard that a man in a mountain village who ate only yogurt lived to 120."
The term is often used in contrast to scientific evidence, such as evidence-based medicine, which are types of formal accounts. Some anecdotal evidence does not qualify as scientific evidence because its nature prevents it from being investigated using the scientific method. Misuse of anecdotal evidence is a logical fallacy and is sometimes informally referred to as the "person who" fallacy ("I know a person who..."; "I know of a case where..." etc. Compare with hasty generalization). Anecdotal evidence is not necessarily representative of a "typical" experience; statistical evidence can more accurately determine how typical something is.
When used in advertising or promotion of a product, service, or idea, anecdotal reports are often called a testimonial, which are banned in some jurisdictions.[citation needed] The term is also sometimes used in a legal context to describe certain kinds of testimony. Psychologists have found that people are more likely to remember notable examples than typical examples[1].
My intention was only to relay my experiences.
I again apologize for the judgmental label I had applied to you JD.

 

[phake]

Back to the noise...

Well, would it be the driveshaft even if the sound does not change when you let off the gas? It seems that the sound would decrease then.

 

[jakedrew]

I say wheel bearing.

When my rear end was howling i could make it do it and go away. Just give it a little gas at like 50 ish, let off, give it a little gas and it would howl.

and that ABS light is some sensor on the master cyclender. Do a little searching about it and it will explain it more.

 

[clarks2001]

I have a droning noise too. I was told today it was probably coming from the axle bearings in the differential. Going to another shop to verify this.

 

[EasyRhino]

Sounds like what mine was doing when the left front wheel bearing was going out. I could not isolate the sound for the life of me, and it did not change when turning in any direction or at any speed.

 

[RickM]

My '02 4x4 V8 has the same issue. All new bearings this winter (thank you Ford) and 4 new tires/balanced.

My observations regarding the infamous droning whine:

- Can happen at just about any speed but particularly between 50-70.

- Drone noise ceases when I let off the pedal. Give gas and the droning starts back up as torque makes it way through the rear.

- Noise gets louder as time goes on....as rear heats up.

- When getting off highway exit, on one of my routine trips, the drone is typically quite loud. The exit consists of a long tight curve. When I'm out of the curve and onto the straightaway the rear is suddenly quite. Has lubrication made it's way to a component that's dry?

 

[jakedrew]

^ when you let off the gas and give it again noises is the same thing my 04 did and i got the rear end done. now it dont make any noise.

only thing i have to add.

 

[RickM]

^ when you let off the gas and give it again noises is the same thing my 04 did and i got the rear end done. now it dont make any noise.

only thing i have to add.

What was done? Were the bearings replaced and/or pinion gears?
I've read that some have luck and others don't.

 

[RickM]

.

 

[jakedrew]

just the ring and pinion and new fluid( 75w140 i think) and the friction modifier fluid.

there is a TSB out there for it.

 

[jp450]

I had the drone. Dealer replaced the drive shaft. Drone gone. Under warrenty at the time. I too looked up all the TSB's and would drop it off with them on a regular basis to fix the issues on the list. Some were worth it and some, after looking back on it, I wish I never had done, ie AC compressor. However, the drive shaft TSB was worth it because the noise is now gone and I paid nothing to fix it.

 

[phake]

Problem solved

I posted my solution here:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2314379#post2314379