Loud growl front drivers side 40mph (not wheel bearing)

[jamespjackson95]

Hey guys so I am asking for a little help with an issue in having with my explorer. It is a 2006 EB 4x4 with 4.6 v8. About 3-4 months ago the car began to have a small sort of growl to it at speeds 40mph and up. As speed increases so does the sound. It was never really that loud and no one else noticed it so I did not really worry about it. A few months go by and the sound is still there but gradually louder. The sound is coming from the front divers side area. I jacked up the front end and checked the wheel bearings for play. There was none... I also checked the back... No play there either. A few more months go by and now it's even louder. It is to the point that passengers in the car can easily notice the sound and it drones out the radio. It sounds like a low growl, or maybe a similar sound to a truck that has mud tires.
The tires are less than a year old with no wear so I rotated them and the sound is still there. I was even so sure that it was front drivers side that I replaced the wheel bearing even through it had no play. Sound is still there. There is no change in the sound while turning. I was wondering if you guys had any other tips for me? You can't notice the sound until about 40+ and is loudest at 65ish. My explorer is 4wd so it could also possibly be something related to that. Just asking for some things to check.

 

[Flag Gibby]

Could be the front differential. Try running with the windows down to see if it is louder on the drivers side or passenger or if it is pretty even in noise from each side. I would safely get all the tires off the ground and run the vehicle in 4x4 mode and use a stethoscope to track the noise down or even easier, take it to a shop that you trust and let them track it down for you.

 

[Rcflyer330]

Go for a drive find out what speed the noise is barly noticeable. Then slightly turn the the wheel slightly to the right and left. If the noise gets louder by turning the wheel you have a bad bearing in the front. If it gets louder to the right its the left front bearing and the opposite is for the right front.

I had a bad bearing with no play the only way to tell was by the method stated above. Also my was only heard at 40mph.

 

[sg8]

I just had the same thing happen on my 2007 explorer. There was no play in any wheel bearings but I was sure the noise was coming from the front driver side so I changed that hub assembly.
Unfortunately, the noise didn't go away.
I finally took it to a garage where I sometimes take my vehicles if I don't want to fix them myself. We put the vehicle on the lift, turned off the traction control, and had one of the employees run it at about 35 mph. We then used a pry bar as a listening device and it turns out it was the passenger side front bearing.
I would have bet money that it was coming from the driver side and as I said before, there was no play in any of the bearings.
I hope this helps.

 

[Explorer_PL]

I just replaced right front hub as I was having some growling noise coming from the front. First I jacked up the car and there was no play whatsoever, so I was puzzled a little. I replaced it anyway and when I removed it I found out the grease actually leaked out. So the bearing can go bad and still be solid. It was making a noise when I was spinning it in my hands.

 

[jamespjackson95]

The sound is defiantly drivers side. I have already replaced the drivers side wheel bearing and the sound is still there. While driving the car there is no change in the noise when you turn the wheel to the left or the right.

 

[jamespjackson95]

Hey guys I made a new discovery that may be able to help. The sound is present and loudest at 30-35mph and 65ish mph. The sound goes away from 35-60ish and also goes away over 70ish mph. I tested this for about 30 mins and always seemed to stand true. Maybe that helps. Thanks.

 

[Explorer_PL]

The bearings can play with your ears. I bet it is one of the rears. And it can be either one. When one of mine went, I could swear it was one side since it would get louder if I made an opposite turn. Somehow the Explorers do everything just to confuse the owners

 

[MoonlightGT]

Hey guys so I am asking for a little help with an issue in having with my explorer. It is a 2006 EB 4x4 with 4.6 v8. About 3-4 months ago the car began to have a small sort of growl to it at speeds 40mph and up. As speed increases so does the sound. It was never really that loud and no one else noticed it so I did not really worry about it. A few months go by and the sound is still there but gradually louder. The sound is coming from the front divers side area. I jacked up the front end and checked the wheel bearings for play. There was none... I also checked the back... No play there either. A few more months go by and now it's even louder. It is to the point that passengers in the car can easily notice the sound and it drones out the radio. It sounds like a low growl, or maybe a similar sound to a truck that has mud tires.
The tires are less than a year old with no wear so I rotated them and the sound is still there. I was even so sure that it was front drivers side that I replaced the wheel bearing even through it had no play. Sound is still there. There is no change in the sound while turning. I was wondering if you guys had any other tips for me? You can't notice the sound until about 40+ and is loudest at 65ish. My explorer is 4wd so it could also possibly be something related to that. Just asking for some things to check.

Im having the EXACT same issue with my 06 EB 4x4 v8. symptoms couldnt be anymore the same as yours. I changed the driver side wheel hub assembly as well and the sound is still there. It DOES sound like driver side to me but now im thinking it could be passenger side or something to do with the front diff. i will check diff fluid tomorrow but i cant see there being an issue with the differential already as my explorer only has 65,000 miles.