howling noise... I'm looking for some advice

[explorerphil]

Hi everyone, I've got a 3rd gen 4x4 with a 4.0 liter. A few weeks ago I stared hearing a howling sound coming from my front end, I knew I had a bad front drivers side wheel bearing so I changed it. The sound persisted, so I checked my ujoints and my diff fluid. The diff fluid is full and looks new and the ujoints seems fine. I checked my passenger side bearing and it is tight, there is absolutely no play in the wheel and it turns smoothly.

At this point the sound is getting much worse and I feel soming is going to fail. I put it in 4x4 and the sound got worse with some (but not much) popping noise. If immediately thought CV shafts. Well even thought the was no obvious failure I first changed the drivers side half shaft, and then because the problem wasn't fixed I changed the passenger side. Guess what? Problem persists...


Now I'm scared its a transfer case. I checked the fluid and added some to the fill plug. All this and the howling sound is getting louder. Oh and it is accentuated when I put it in 4 low. I wish I would have tried that before doing the CV shafts.... I would have been certain it wasn't them.


Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[xlt03]

It sounds like your front differential is going. Mainly the pinion bearing.

 

[explorerphil]

It was the passenger side wheel bearing... I learned that the bearing does not have to be loose to be bad.

 

[Number4]

Bearing tolerance is something like .07". Kind of hard to eyeball that.