Howling noise from rear end at highway speeds

[lil_shane84]

my explorer has recently decided to annoy the hell out of me.

i have a 2003 XLT with 114,XXXmiles

whenever i drive on the highways there is a noise coming from the back of the vehicle between approx 50-65 mph, its a whine/howl noise. the second i lift off the gas it goes away until i slow down to around 40 then it howls again for a little bit. occasionally the sound pauses for a split second about every 2 or 3 seconds... PLEASE HELP!

 

[97awdx]

Could be the pinion bearing, they usually howl when under load, or it could be a rear wheel bearing. Does the driveshaft have any side to side play in it?

 

[lil_shane84]

theres no playin the drive shaft...

so the pinion bearing or wheel bearing could be making the noise?

why would it only make noise at that designated speed, cause once i hit like 65 the sound is gone

 

[just2L]

I would put money on the bearings. Mine did the same thing seemed to fade out at highway speeds.
This was a couple of years ago I purchased the hub from a junkyard off a totaled EX with 30,000 miles on it. Has given me no problems since, saved about 1/2 the cost of a new one.

 

[jacobl]

I think its the pinion bearing. It went out on my 2002 at 83k miles. My truck made the same noises you are describing. I got to thinking more and it could also be a bearing i have replaced 5 rear wheel bearings. my ex only has 155k highway miles.

 

[rrgone]

my explorer has recently decided to annoy the hell out of me.

i have a 2003 XLT with 114,XXXmiles

whenever i drive on the highways there is a noise coming from the back of the vehicle between approx 50-65 mph, its a whine/howl noise. the second i lift off the gas it goes away until i slow down to around 40 then it howls again for a little bit. occasionally the sound pauses for a split second about every 2 or 3 seconds... PLEASE HELP!

http://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/supplier/tsb/05126.pdf

I would try draining the rear diff and filling it with synth 75W-140 as noted in the TSB and see if it quiets down. If you have a LS diff then be sure to add XL3 Friction Modifier. If that doesn't help you can start looking at rear end bearings and/or wheel bearings. If it quiets it down some, or it comes back after a while, it means you need the rear end bearings for sure.

There was a post in here some time ago where a guy rebuilt his own diff and put up pics of the bearings he took out. Showed what POS bearings Ford used in these rear ends. If you search around here I bet you can find the post.

Good luck.

 

[xtoolmaker]

http://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/supplier/tsb/05126.pdf

I would try draining the rear diff and filling it with synth 75W-140 as noted in the TSB and see if it quiets down. If you have a LS diff then be sure to add XL3 Friction Modifier. If that doesn't help you can start looking at rear end bearings and/or wheel bearings. If it quiets it down some, or it comes back after a while, it means you need the rear end bearings for sure.

There was a post in here some time ago where a guy rebuilt his own diff and put up pics of the bearings he took out. Showed what POS bearings Ford used in these rear ends. If you search around here I bet you can find the post.

Good luck.

I agree. Always start with the cheapest solution.Plus your rear end fluid may be low or worn out anyway.I would use Royal Purple fluid it has the friction modifier in it.Keep us updated.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

I changed out my rear differential oil with Amsoil, Amsoil is one of the better quality oils.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

There was a post in here some time ago where a guy rebuilt his own diff and put up pics of the bearings he took out. Showed what POS bearings Ford used in these rear ends. If you search around here I bet you can find the post.

OOOOOO! I would love to read that! I searched for a while but couldn't find it. Can you please post a link to it? Are you subscribed to the thread so you could find it easily again?

Thanks.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

There was a post in here some time ago where a guy rebuilt his own diff and put up pics of the bearings he took out. Showed what POS bearings Ford used in these rear ends. If you search around here I bet you can find the post.

Not making this thread you are referring to with differential bearing pictures a sticky is a crime! Why isn't this thread a sticky?!?

 

[rrgone]

OOOOOO! I would love to read that! I searched for a while but couldn't find it. Can you please post a link to it? Are you subscribed to the thread so you could find it easily again?

Thanks.

Man, took me 20 minutes to find this:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=202090

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Man, took me 20 minutes to find this:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=202090

Thanks man I really appreciate this. I searched for a while with common terms such as bearings, differential, rebuild and didn't find any threads with pics. Thanks again.

 

[lil_shane84]

thanks guys, ill start with draining the rear diff. im a broke college kid so cheap is going to be my first option. im gonna head to the shop after class and have them put 75w-140 in. ill let ya know what happens