new member

[johnjford]

i have a 1997 ford explorer sport trac and im searching the forums and cant find anything about my issue i have an issue with the front end it makes a grinding noise at low speeds and it pulls hard to the left when driving at low speeds ive been told it could be the front cv axles but i am unsure i have replaced both tie rods on it i believe it has all the orginal parts ive owned it for 3 yrs now and now its making this really bad grinding noise any help would be greatly appreciated i dont have much for money so the cheaper the better also if it is the front diff can i disconnect the cv axles and the driveshaft and just leave it or not?also i have an issue with the power steering its stiff it could be the pump or the rack any ideas as to how to determine one from the other?

 

[Gadget X]

First, welcome to the forum! Your grinding and pulling could be a cv joint, but it could also be a bearing. Raise the front wheel off the ground and check for play. Do this for both sides, sometimes it's hard to tell which side is messed up just from driver feel. Does s the steering pump make a lot of noise when you turn the wheel? There's a chance you could just have air in the system. There's a ton of info, and a lot of helpful, knowledgeable people on this forum. I'm sure you'll be able to fix your issues with the info here! Good luck!

 

[Gadget X]

Also, have you checked your brakes lately? That will cause grinding and pulling.

 

[Gadget X]

Just noticed that you have 2 threads on this.