Artbaileyjr
Member
- Joined
- November 26, 2011
- Messages
- 32
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- So Cal or S.E. Idaho (Depending on the season)
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2002 Eddie Bauer
I picked up my '02 EB in November of last year (2011). I noticed a minor howl in the front end. The tires had slight cupping and I simply attributed the sound to that.
I drove the "X" 700 miles the day after I picked it up with 153,x.. on the clock, to my winter hangout. It is my daily driver here, and sees allot of miles.
I have replaced the tires with some General Grabbers which have a pretty mild tread pattern. I've replaced ALL the lubricants, including the front differential. I've checked the front wheel bearings by: 1) - Lifting the vehicle and trying to find any movement. All tight. 2) - Spinning the front wheels by hand and feeling/ listening for any roughness from the bearings. Perfectly smooth and quiet. 3) - Taking a 60 mile ride at interstate speeds and checking (by hand) the temperature of the wheel bearings (absolutely cold) and the front differential. (About 80-90 degrees - 65 degree day. I would see this as normal for any differential after a long drive)
I am a highly experienced mechanic and the sound seems like what I would expect from a pinion bearing, but the sound will ordinarily change when the gear oil is changed or the differential is cold. The "X" does not change, regardless of temp, acceleration, deceleration or just steady throttle. I have also owned some form of 4X4 for most of my adult life. The difference is that my 4X4's have always had manual locking hubs (except for a full time early 70's Blazer). When I accidentally left the hubs locked and reached highway speeds, the front differential would always let me know, but not ordinarily a howl. Also, my past and present 4X4's have the differential unsprung. (Not mounted to the chassis) It doesn't seem to be coming from either side and the pinion bearing area stays cool which doesn't seem to be consistent with a rough bearing.
A visual inspection shows nothing that would suggest any issues, in fact, it looks like new under there. (Wheel to wheel) The differential looks spotless except for the area below the fill plug.
Sooooo.... My question is: Is a minor howl in the front end common to this platform? Am I missing something here?
I will also add that we are not talking about a horrible, grinding, growling, vibrating noise; Just a mild howl. You can not hear it if the radio is just cracked enough to hear music.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
Art
I drove the "X" 700 miles the day after I picked it up with 153,x.. on the clock, to my winter hangout. It is my daily driver here, and sees allot of miles.
I have replaced the tires with some General Grabbers which have a pretty mild tread pattern. I've replaced ALL the lubricants, including the front differential. I've checked the front wheel bearings by: 1) - Lifting the vehicle and trying to find any movement. All tight. 2) - Spinning the front wheels by hand and feeling/ listening for any roughness from the bearings. Perfectly smooth and quiet. 3) - Taking a 60 mile ride at interstate speeds and checking (by hand) the temperature of the wheel bearings (absolutely cold) and the front differential. (About 80-90 degrees - 65 degree day. I would see this as normal for any differential after a long drive)
I am a highly experienced mechanic and the sound seems like what I would expect from a pinion bearing, but the sound will ordinarily change when the gear oil is changed or the differential is cold. The "X" does not change, regardless of temp, acceleration, deceleration or just steady throttle. I have also owned some form of 4X4 for most of my adult life. The difference is that my 4X4's have always had manual locking hubs (except for a full time early 70's Blazer). When I accidentally left the hubs locked and reached highway speeds, the front differential would always let me know, but not ordinarily a howl. Also, my past and present 4X4's have the differential unsprung. (Not mounted to the chassis) It doesn't seem to be coming from either side and the pinion bearing area stays cool which doesn't seem to be consistent with a rough bearing.
A visual inspection shows nothing that would suggest any issues, in fact, it looks like new under there. (Wheel to wheel) The differential looks spotless except for the area below the fill plug.
Sooooo.... My question is: Is a minor howl in the front end common to this platform? Am I missing something here?
I will also add that we are not talking about a horrible, grinding, growling, vibrating noise; Just a mild howl. You can not hear it if the radio is just cracked enough to hear music.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
Art
