Glacier needs some front driveline help!

[Glacier991]

Ok, here's the deal. I've been driving my Ex a little lately, since my main ride is being used by my 20 year old daughter for a few weeks. My Explorer is well loved, but has 221,000 miles.

I have an increasingly loud clicking noise from the drivers side from wheel area. Definitely front driveline related somehow as it speeds up and slows down in accordance with vehicle speed.

I have, by listening from the driver's seat in parking garages with sound reflecting walls closeby, pretty well ascertained that the noise is from the driver's side front wheel area, as opposed to more inward (like front diffy - at least I like to think I am that discerning_) anyway...

I decide it must the the U joint.... I mean that makes perfect sense, both noise wise and location wise. I pop the $11 for a new one, and tonight pull it apart and remove the front driver's side driveshaft (in case you didn't know the 1st gen's used U joints and not CV joints up front)... and I find that the U joint is fine!

(I will replace the U joint as a matter of course since I have the replacement and the vehicle has 221K on it, but I need it early tomorrow.... so that may wait....)

Anyway.... all I see left as the noise producer is the auto hub.... I plan to clean it out tonight and relube it with ATF instead of grease.... but I am kind of at a loss here....

Anyone had a similar experience, or can anyone offer any insight? Am I on the right road here, and do front hubs fail like this - that is making a clicking noise? If so what is the failure modality and will I be in trouble should it crap out on a 200 mile round trip on the freeway tomorrow and Sunday? Is there a repair I should be making beside cleaning it (hub) out ?

Glacer needs help.

 

[ma96782]

I can be wrong on this..........sounds simple.......but, it worked for me.

I once had a similar sounding problem...........I checked the tires and found a nail in the tire. Coming from where I suspected hearing the noise. Sometimes, even large rocks caught in the threads can make the same sort of sound.

Aloha, Mark

 

[Glacier991]

Good thought Mark. In my mind I had discounted this because instead of a "tick" this was a more solid "click", and sounded much more mechanical... but your advice was sound and I just rechecked the tire. Alas not as simple as that, but good advice anyway! Thanks!

 

[IZwack]

If you suspect its the auto-hubs, you could pull the hub locking mechanisms out from the center and do a lap around the neighborhood without them. Assuming the spindle bearing nuts are properly installed, your wheel shouldnt pop out

 

[thewishkah]

I would suspect the auto hubs as well 221K on them is amazing. An easy way to tell is to pop it into 4x4 while slowly driving and see if it stops or changes the sound of the clicking. Does it sometimes go click click click bzzz click? thats what mine were doing for a while before they went completely, Good luck on finding the issue and fixing it, Jon.

 

[11lariat]

my driver's side auto hub on my 92 started clicking when it went..that was at 78k miles though

properly lubricating it may help you out..my fix ended up being a set of warn manuals

good luck with it! hope you get it tracked down

 

[Glacier991]

Thanks guys!

 

[Glacier991]

Well, here's the update. It was the auto hub causing the clicking. Following the advice here and in other places on this site, here's what I did. (after reattaching the spindle and replacing the drive shaft and putting the rotor back on and the brakes back in place). I took both halves of the auto hub - the part in the outer shell and the part that goes onto the spindle, and thoroughly cleaned then in my parts washer using mineral spirits. I disassembled the one in the shell and cleaned it thoroughly. It was pretty ucky.

Then after reassembling it, I soaked both parts in ATF (someone else here had suggested that). I allowed the shell to drain and wiped out any excess atf. Now when I spin them the feeling was smooth rotation - something I cannot say was the case before. I reassembled the hub, put the inner hub piece on the spindle shaft followed by the driveshaft spacer and C-clip on the driveshaft, and then put the outer hub shell in place over the lug nuts, making sure of my alignment to the inner hub piece, and then put the tire on and torqued the lug nuts to spec.

Test drive time.... Quiet as a mouse. No more clicking. SUCCESS !!

How long this will last and whether I am on my last legs on the auto hubs remains to be seen, but for now, I'm a happy camper.

Finding what I did has made me decide to do the other one when I get a chance. I'll do a photo post on the process. I am thinking it might be something one ought do as periodic maintenance (say every 60,000 miles) and certainly might be a good idea on a high mileage explorer where it has never been done.

Thanks to all for your help and support.

Glacier

 

[EMG7895]

I do that to mine when ever I work on the brakes, doesnt take long and its good preventative maintainance.

 

[Glacier991]

I think your post in a Brake thread to that effect was where I picked up the idea. Thanks for sharing it!