Loud roaring

[JoshC]

Well i thought it was time to replace the BFG's on the old ladies Explorer. They had 58,000 on them and were still looking decent but the roaring was horrible. It should like i had an old set of mud tires on it. I bought some new tires about 1 hour ago and it didn't help any. Sounds like it's coming from the rear, but it also sounds like it's coming from all over. I can't tell if the bearings are good or bad and there wasn't anything wrong in the visual inspection while it was on the tire rack. Any ideas? The only symptom i have is the loud roaring, no other vibrations or anything.

 

[Rick]

That's definitely a tough one to diagnose without hearing it... Could it possibly be a bad clutch on the radiator fan?

 

[JoshC]

I don't think so because it's definantly something wheel speed related. It gets louder and you can really hear it at about 40MPH. Now when you are slowing down, between 40-30MPH, it's horrible!

 

[JDraper]

What tires did you buy?

 

[JoshC]

Firestone Destination AT

 

[Thelt]

I just replaced both my rear wheel bearings. They were very loud. One way to check it is to jack the wheel up off the ground and then see if it has any play in it. Mine felt like the lug nuts were not quite tight. The noise would get worse when I turned left and go away when I turned right.

 

[JoshC]

This just seems to happen no matter what. I haven't paid attention to whether it is worse when turning. I think we're going to take it this weekend on our trip to OH. Kind of scared to now

But i could take my company truck and have free gas

 

[JoshC]

I'm going to revive an old thread. Issue still exists and now i think i have wheel bearings going out Anyways, i have the drive train warrenty on this beast and i have about 5,000 miles left on it. My question-do you think a known problem, like a TSB would be covered under the warrenty?

Here is a link to the TSB if you are having the same issue:
http://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/supplier/tsb/05126.pdf

 

[Aero540T]

a rear axel noise like what is common in these, especially if you have a drive train warranty I would think it would be covered anyway. It sounds like you have wheel bearings going bad, so that probably isn't the issue. maybe you could claim it's rear axel noise and have the fluid swapped for new stuff anyway?

These wheel bearings can go bad without having any play in them. For instance, i worked at a tire shop and I had a noise on the left side of my vehicle (got louder when making right turns) and so I rotated the tires, and then even swapped tires, and it's still there. There is no play in the wheels, but I know it's not the tires or the axel, so the only thing left is bearings. Unfortunately I don't have the funds to replace them now so i'm going to wait till they really scream at me.

Edit: how does your tranny shift? I'd get a drain and refill at least while it's under warranty, if they'll cover it.

 

[JoshC]

I think i'll try to take if over to Ford tomorrow.

Tranny is okay. I'm waiting for it to die anyday though. Take a little bit to shift into reverse.

 

[Limited02]

How do you like you Firestones at's? I bought a set 3 months ago, had them balanced 5 times before they figured out two tires were bad, got those replaced and they still shake on the highway more than I want. Winter traction was great and they are quiet, but the shaking sucks.

 

[JoshC]

I like them so far. I had bought them in preperation of us building a house out on some property we have, but that didn't happen. A bit more aggressive then she needs, but they are good tires and wear good. No issues here!

 

[Skotty]

Same problem here.Dead on at 40mph,So far have replaced both rear bearings and driver side front bearing Very frustrating starting to think its the tires myself.Have bridgestone deulers (sp) with about 10k on them.

Good luck with this have gotten many a stange looks driving down the road with my head hanging out the window trying to figure out exactly where the noise is coming from

 

[jrford]

These are tough to find, since they are mounted to the Frame, noise and vibs travel. One tip i heard is to put it on a hoist and run it in gear then listen to each bearing. Also check the Diff, they have bearings too that can go bad. The noise can travel down the half shaft - sounds like the outer bearing is bad when it isn't.
I'm voting for the shotgun method just do them all it the only way to be sure. . .add it to the monthly maintenance schedule - do the oldest one. . lol

 

[gsmaclean]

I had a roaring from the front of my truck, and I would have sworn it was tire noise. I replaced both front bearings (left one was really bad), and the roaring noise disappeared completely.

 

[jrford]

I came across this in my searches.

BEARING NOISE
Bearing noise can be either a whining or a growling
sound.

Pinion bearings have a constant high pitch noise,
because it rotates at a faster rate. This noise changes
with vehicle speed. If noise is heard under a load, the
rear pinion bearing is the source. If noise is heard
during a coast, the front pinion bearing is the source.
Differential bearings usually produce a low pitch
noise. The differential bearing noise is constant and
varies only with vehicle speed.

Axle shaft bearing noise generally changes when
the bearings are loaded. Turn vehicle sharply to the
left and the right during a road test. This will load
and unload the bearings and change the noise level.
If axle bearing damage is slight, the noise is usually
not noticeable at speeds above 30 m.p.h.

 

[JoshC]

That's a good description.

Spent $550 on brakes, rotor, parking brake shoes and a front left wheel bearing Sunday. 7 hours in the garage and i got it all fixed. I knew the front left bearing was shot and it was. I also knew the i had a rear one out i couldn't figure out what it was. After reading on here i wasn't sure that any of the bearings would be under my Drive Train Warrenty. That is why i replaced the front myself. So i wanted Ford to tell me what bearing was going out and to give me an estimate about fixing it incase i couldn't do it. I told them about my warrenty. They called later that after noon and said i could pick it up. The print off with my keys said left rear bearing bad-replaced, $0.00. So i asked the Service Advisor about it and asked when i could get them to fix it and he said they did already. Then my dumb a$$ says well isn't there a deductiable! Yep....$100. Oh well, they fixed my bearing and now i have another one i can hear! Back to the shop we go.