Front end hum + Newbie questions

[djohnston]

Just picked myself up a high mileage highway driven (166,x.. mi) 01' XLT 4WD, have a few quick questions which I couldn't find by searching for an answer:

1) When I'm doing 10-55mph I've got a low humming / vibration up front. The steering wheel jitters a little bit. When turning either direction, or transferring the weight to either side it stops, then resumes when balanced. I've tried jacking it up briefly and trying the wheels for play, nothing shockingly obvious. My best guess it could be the side bearing / assembly ? This would be a new hub assembly for me since I've got an 01?

2) One of the boots on the driver side upper tie rod looks worn -- am I going to have to replace the entire front axle rod assembly, or can I get away doing the single tie rod?

3) ABS light is on -- aside from checking the rear sensor (which I'm going to do), would this have anything to do with the aforementioned drive side bearing / assembly ?

Thanks in advance

 

[Hoppy]

Welcome aboard djohnston, You have found an excellent forum for explorer upkeep and modifications.

Your front end hum / vibration may be caused by your wheels out of balance. At least the vibration could be caused by this. As for the hum, it could be the bearings. It could also be the tires. I have a set of General Grabber AT's on my 2K explorer and they hum to beat the band, but that is because of the aggressive tread on them.

The boot, do you mean the accordian boot that attaches to the rack and pinion gearset? Or do you mean the tie rod end itself? The boots either way should be able to be replaced without replacing the entire component.

ABS Light, You'll have to scan the computer tofind out for sure. If your front wheel bearings are shot, you will have to replace the front wheel sensors as apparently Ford thought it would be a good Idea to incorperate the sensor with the bearing and attache a $400 price tag to each bearing. That may fix any front sensor problems.