New 4X4 owner

[andyjrich]

Hello All! I am new to the forum.

We just purchased a 2007 Ford Explorer 4X4, and have never owned a four wheel drive vehicle. Low miles for a vehicle this age (104500) and in fine mechanical shape and looks like new (almost). My only concern so far is it seems as if the front end is a little noisy. It resembles the sound a wheel bearing makes when it is wearing out. My mechanic assures me it is not a bearing, suggesting that maybe it is a more aggressive tire tread that I am hearing, and declaring the car good to go. I do not believe the issue to be with the tires and it has me a little worried. Could this possibly have something to do with the 4 wheel drive? We haven't used the 4 wheel drive yet, as there is no reason to. We are driving 8 hours to Tennessee next week and would love to know that our car is good to go. Any wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Rcflyer330]

Welcome to the forum!
One thing you should add is v6 or v8 just for reference but that does not matter in this case. Also what kind of tires are on the car are they all terrain or a touring tire?. You can just reply with the make and model of the tire if you don't know.

Yeah the issue could be anything you mentioned. Wheel bearing on these cars are easy to diagnose when you know what to listen and feel for. If you mechanic tried to feel for a bad wheel bearing by shaking the tire he will not diagnose it as a bad wheel bearing. Thease bearings will make noise long before any play is felt in the bearing.

So time for a test drive the easiest way to check wheel bearings is to get to a speed where you can just hear the noise then very slightly turn the steering wheel to the left listen for the noise to get louder and fell if there is a vibration in the steering wheel. Repeat this but turn slightly to the right. If the noise got louder turning to the left the right side front bearing is on its way out. If the noise gets louder to the right the left bearing is bad.
Front bearings are probably the most common problem on these cars. I have replaced the front bearings twice in 165k miles. The originals lasted me 109k miles or so and the rears have never been changed.

Now i said to feel for a vibration in the steering wheel this is because that would tell you its a front bearing if you were to feel a vibration in your feet or your seat it may be a rear bearing.

If you find nothing then you will have to dig deeper. Post back and let us know what your findings are and we can go from there.

 

[andyjrich]

Welcome to the forum!
One thing you should add is v6 or v8 just for reference but that does not matter in this case. Also what kind of tires are on the car are they all terrain or a touring tire?. You can just reply with the make and model of the tire if you don't know.

Yeah the issue could be anything you mentioned. Wheel bearing on these cars are easy to diagnose when you know what to listen and feel for. If you mechanic tried to feel for a bad wheel bearing by shaking the tire he will not diagnose it as a bad wheel bearing. Thease bearings will make noise long before any play is felt in the bearing.

So time for a test drive the easiest way to check wheel bearings is to get to a speed where you can just hear the noise then very slightly turn the steering wheel to the left listen for the noise to get louder and fell if there is a vibration in the steering wheel. Repeat this but turn slightly to the right. If the noise got louder turning to the left the right side front bearing is on its way out. If the noise gets louder to the right the left bearing is bad.
Front bearings are probably the most common problem on these cars. I have replaced the front bearings twice in 165k miles. The originals lasted me 109k miles or so and the rears have never been changed.

Now i said to feel for a vibration in the steering wheel this is because that would tell you its a front bearing if you were to feel a vibration in your feet or your seat it may be a rear bearing.

If you find nothing then you will have to dig deeper. Post back and let us know what your findings are and we can go from there.

​

Welcome to the forum!
One thing you should add is v6 or v8 just for reference but that does not matter in this case. Also what kind of tires are on the car are they all terrain or a touring tire?. You can just reply with the make and model of the tire if you don't know.

Yeah the issue could be anything you mentioned. Wheel bearing on these cars are easy to diagnose when you know what to listen and feel for. If you mechanic tried to feel for a bad wheel bearing by shaking the tire he will not diagnose it as a bad wheel bearing. Thease bearings will make noise long before any play is felt in the bearing.

So time for a test drive the easiest way to check wheel bearings is to get to a speed where you can just hear the noise then very slightly turn the steering wheel to the left listen for the noise to get louder and fell if there is a vibration in the steering wheel. Repeat this but turn slightly to the right. If the noise got louder turning to the left the right side front bearing is on its way out. If the noise gets louder to the right the left bearing is bad.
Front bearings are probably the most common problem on these cars. I have replaced the front bearings twice in 165k miles. The originals lasted me 109k miles or so and the rears have never been changed.

Now i said to feel for a vibration in the steering wheel this is because that would tell you its a front bearing if you were to feel a vibration in your feet or your seat it may be a rear bearing.

If you find nothing then you will have to dig deeper. Post back and let us know what your findings are and we can go from there.

Hello

The Tires are from Cooper, Discoverer SRX
Our mechanic also listened to the bearings with a scope, and did not hear anything. I will try your driving test next time I am in the car and get back with you. Thanks!

 

[Rcflyer330]

Hello

The Tires are from Cooper, Discoverer SRX
Our mechanic also listened to the bearings with a scope, and did not hear anything. I will try your driving test next time I am in the car and get back with you. Thanks!

Some tires are louder and the coopers could be one of them. I was thinking when you said aggressive tread something like a knobby all terrain tire. Tire age and wear will also play a factor in the noise the tire makes. I dont know if you could hear the bearings with a scope or not but I do know bearings will be louder when you put a load on them. The drive test I explained is how I diagnosed my first bearing with no prior experience.

 

[94Eddie]

Hello

The Tires are from Cooper, Discoverer SRX
Our mechanic also listened to the bearings with a scope, and did not hear anything. I will try your driving test next time I am in the car and get back with you. Thanks!

Also, look for uneven wear on the tires. A bad alignment can cause noise that can sound like other issues. You should inspect the ball joints and other suspension components. I bought my past 2002 Explorer with 49k miles on it. Right after I bought it the upper ball joints needed replaced because the rubber boots had deteriorated and dirt got into the bearing surfaces. It will probably be fine driving from Ohio to Tennessee. I recommend signing up for AAA and opt for the 200 mile towing range. In fact, every 4th gen and earlier Explorer owner should have a AAA account, IMO. Scratch that. Anyone with an older vehicle should have one.