Noise and vibration only in 4x4

[Tars]

I have a 92 XLT 4door 4x4 Explorer with 135,000mi, it has the electronic Transfer Case and manual hubs. In 4 wheel drive, or with the hubs locked in I have a pretty bad vibration and noise coming from the front of my truck. The steering joints, ball joints, and hubs are all new. The passenger side wheel bearings are also new. The vibration is only noticable at speeds over about 40mph, and only with the hubs locked. In 2 wheel drive, there is no noise or vibration.
The ford dealer didn't really know what to tell me after they replaced the wheel bearings and it didn't help. All the u-joints in the front are tight(no play in them). I guess I'm at a loss as to what it may be. The dealer said it might be spindle bearings, but they went on rambling about a hub service. Well any help you guys can give would be greatly appreciated, Winter is here in the UP of Michigan and it would be nice to have my four wheel drive working with out any funny business.

Tars
92 XLT

 

[leebo]

You're not running the 4x4 on the pavement are you???? The sounds and everything may be comming from the tires if you are. Give us a yell.

 

[Tars]

I'm not running four wheel drive on the pavement. The hubs are sometimes locked because of driving on snow and ice, and then dry pavement, but no the transfer case isn't engaged on pavement. As for the tires, they are Copper Weathermasters, they were on it when I bought the truck. There is some tire noise all the time, they are not quiet tires, but the other noise and vibration is only there with the hubs locked.


Tars
92 XLT

 

[stcroix949]

You say that the front u-joints are tight. My guess is that is the problem. Tight as in rusted tight. You can go to NAPA and buy U-joints with grease zerks in them. When I replaced mine a few years ago it cured all those funny noises and vibrations coming from the front end.

 

[BlueDogBandit]

fixed same problem last week

i initially thought it was the u-joints, so i went and got them from napa....heavy duty, greesable ones. the front driveshaft takes three. on the end closer to the transfer case, there is a knuckle joint, with two u-joints. when i took this all apart I realized there was a cv (costant velocity) set-up. It was shot. it was all dried up and the bearings were falling out. this parts was hard to find, but finally found a good driveline shop that had the part brand new. i paid $65, after talking him into a military discount and talking about future business. iwould make sure you can find this part before tearing the joint apart. if need be, if you can't find it, let me know, and i'll mail you one. sounds like your driving conditions prior to this were a lot like mine....on and off heavy snow and ice always not sure when your gonna need 4x4. hope this helps. oh yea, the u-joints i used cost about $22, but the have the greese fittings in the end caps, making the body a lot stronger than regular greesable u-joints. good luck, and if you need more help, let me know....knowing what you've already changed out, i'm sire this is the fix.

 

[Tars]

I thought it was the front u-joints, but they didn't have any play in them, and there was no binding when I rotated the driveshaft. Anywayabout those NAPA u-joints, I have them on the back, but I can't get any grease into them, I can't get the needle in to the joint to inject the grease. Any ideas?
About the noise problem, being that I'm up at school and have no place to do ANY work myself, I'm taking it to the dealer and having them give it a look over (not the same dealer that did the wheel bearings). Both dealers said they thought it was the spindle bearings. Personally I have never heard of spindle bearings, I just thought there were the wheel bearings up there. I'm having them look at the front driveshaft (u-joints) and the front axle (bearings, the u-joint in the middle of the axle, and what ever else they find. I hope it is something as easy as one of the u-joints.

 

[BlueDogBandit]

no play here either

i didn't have play up there either....but it fixed my problem. I am positive it was the cv joint at the transfer case side of the front drive shaft.

 

[Tars]

Thanks, I'll make sure to tell them to look closely at them. I don't have the cv-joint style, mines the double cardon type, with the two u-joints at the transfer case side, but I'll make sure they look closely at them. I'll let you guys know what they said by the end of the week.

 

[BlueDogBandit]

hmmmmm?

i'm not sure, but the cv that i'm talking about is between the two u-joints. there is a ball there with a spring that keeps pressure against the shaft....ie: costant velocity (CV). i didn't even know it was there until i got the u-joints out. who knows how many things the shop could change out for $$$$$$ before the find the right thing. if you don't have the stuff....why not pull the shaft and take just that to a drive line shop.

 

[Tars]

I think my driveshaft is the same as yours now, I didn't understand the spring bit, but in the Chiltons manual, they show that style driveshaft. Its the one I have. I would take it off, but I'm up at school with nowhere to do any work. The local authorities frown on it when you try to do work on your car in the parking lots in town where I have to park. So my only other course of action is to go to the mechanic. Anyway, I'll make sure they look closely at the u-joints before they go recommending any costly repairs. Hopefully that is all it is!

Oh yeah one more thing, when you replaced those joints, was your front axle making a rumbling sound? That is the best I can explain the sound coming from the front when the hubs are locked. Also is there usually an increase in noise from the front end on Explorers when in four wheel drive? I used to think the noise was from the junk auto hubs on mine when I bought it. After putting on manuals I haven't really used four wheel drive as speeds. The new hubs were put on this summer. My dads JEEP sounds the same in four or two wheel drive. I guess I'm starting to wonder if the noise I have is normal.

[Edited by Tars on 11-28-2000 at 03:58 PM]

 

[BlueDogBandit]

same noise

yea, it was humming, then ut got worse....a clunking. i thought it was my hubs too, even warrantied them out through warn....but it didn't fix the prolem. wish you lived around here so icould help you out. fyi, that hole cv/knuckle like joint is pretty tricky. i had a very experienced mecanic help me out, and he screwed up one of the u-joints before we were done. it may be worth it just to take it to a shop and tell them to replace the u-joints and constant velocity joint. or buy the parts and have them just do the install. that way you can shop around. like i said before....that cv piece is expensive and hard to find. none of the regular part sore hde itand the 7 ford dealerships didn't either. i know a guy that has several new ones if you need me to pick it up for you. good luck.

 

[Tars]

Thanks, I'm taking it to the Ford garage in town here, so I hope they know what they are doing, I've had good luck with them before when i had a Tempo. I'll definately let you know if I need that part. I should know soon what it is.

 

[BlueDogBandit]

let me know

let me know what you find out, and also how much it cost....i'd like to know what I saved. still, you may want get the parts your self...I don't think you can get greesable or heavy duty u-joints through ford.

 

[Tars]

I don't plan on them doing any work on the truck unless it is absolutely necessary. I just want then to look at it right now. I planned on buying the parts and getting it done somewhere where labor charges arent soooooooooo high. But I will let you know what they find.

 

[Tars]

FINALLY FIXED! When the mechanic that put on my ball joints and axle joints put the passenger side axle shaft back on he didn't line up the u-joints, so thats what was causing the noise and vibration. The Ford garage checked all the u-joints, even greased my rear joint for me, they all checked out ok. All it says on the reciept is repositioned right axle shaft. Sounds better and no more vibration, I guess I can be happy now, except that the mechanic that did the work the first time should have known better and because of his screw up, I'm out a bit of money, oh well whats done is done. Its fixed and I'm happy now.

 

[Tars]

Its been about a week now since my truck was fixed, we have snow on the ground so I used the 4x4 to drive a round a bit, no sound, no vibration. Drove much better also, guess they really did fix it. Glad thats all it was.