Popping and clucking at lower speeds '97 AWD 5.0L Explorer

[aarontx]

Hello everyone, I just purchased a '97 AWD 5.0L Explorer as a vehicle to tow my boat with. I was wondering if anyone could know what could be going on with this problem I am having.

I did a search and found a thread with simular problems, but symptoms were not exactly the same. Here goes:

When driving, usually from less than 30 mph to a stop, there is an audible popping and clucking noise inside and outside the truck. I can also feel it in the floorboard. It does not do this for about the first 5-10 minutes if the truck has sat overnight.

Also when taking off from a stop it is bad. Turning or straight it is just as bad. It clunks and pops badly when going 10mph or less or just coasting around 10 mph it is bad. When stopping it also starts when it is about 20mph all the way to when it stops. If you have the radio turned on it is barely noticable, but it still concerns me. When cruising at 60mph I cannot notice any noise.

I purchased this vechile with the knowledge of the problem, and the previous owner told me he had taken it to the ford dealership and told him it was the front drive shaft and boots. He replaced both of those items himself a few months ago, and it did not fix the problem. He has since purchased a new car and just wanted to sell this one since he could not figure out the problem.

I just changed the oil in the transfer case today as it was black, and put fresh merc atf fluid in. It did not seem to make a difference.

Does anyone have a link to a good rebuild kit for the transfer case? He did say the chain has never been changed, could that be the only part I would need? Any special tools needed to rebuild the case myself?


If anyone could post some suggestions I would really be happy. Thanks in advance for the help everyone!


-Aaron

 

[JoeMahma]

Hello everyone, I just purchased a '97 AWD 5.0L Explorer as a vehicle to tow my boat with. I was wondering if anyone could know what could be going on with this problem I am having.

I did a search and found a thread with simular problems, but symptoms were not exactly the same. Here goes:

When driving, usually from less than 30 mph to a stop, there is an audible popping and clucking noise inside and outside the truck. I can also feel it in the floorboard. It does not do this for about the first 5-10 minutes if the truck has sat overnight.

Also when taking off from a stop it is bad. Turning or straight it is just as bad. It clunks and pops badly when going 10mph or less or just coasting around 10 mph it is bad. When stopping it also starts when it is about 20mph all the way to when it stops. If you have the radio turned on it is barely noticable, but it still concerns me. When cruising at 60mph I cannot notice any noise.

I purchased this vechile with the knowledge of the problem, and the previous owner told me he had taken it to the ford dealership and told him it was the front drive shaft and boots. He replaced both of those items himself a few months ago, and it did not fix the problem. He has since purchased a new car and just wanted to sell this one since he could not figure out the problem.

I just changed the oil in the transfer case today as it was black, and put fresh merc atf fluid in. It did not seem to make a difference.

Does anyone have a link to a good rebuild kit for the transfer case? He did say the chain has never been changed, could that be the only part I would need? Any special tools needed to rebuild the case myself?


If anyone could post some suggestions I would really be happy. Thanks in advance for the help everyone!


-Aaron

If you accelerate very hard from a dead stop does it feel like something slammed into the floorboard right under your drivers seat?

 

[aarontx]

Thanks for the reply.

I have started 1/2 throttle from a stop and it seemed like it was not as bad as starting slow. I have not tried flooring it from a stop yet, I have not got the courage up yet but will try soon. Just did not want to destroy it for good if it is something that is fixable.

I did have a passenger in the back drivers side that did say they felt a slight thumping on the floor board when driving.


I asked the previous owner, he said he never really got on it hard, but did never notice any loud noise.

Is it possible the noise could be coming from the rear u-joints? They seem tight, but I did not check it in nuetral, just in park. Problem so far does not seem that noticable at speeds 55+mph.

Thanks for the help all,


-Aaron

 

[IZwack]

Yeah check the things already mentioned (u-joints and so on) but also check the differential's pinion flange (aka input yoke or whatever you want to call it).

And FYI -- a dying U-joint will (at some point before its death) will make a chirping sound as it oscillates.

 

[rizzjc]

Sounds more like the transfer case than the front driveshaft. When mine went, I could reproduce by putting it under load. Step on the brake, and slowly climb a hill while riding the brake.

A used transfer case swap would probably be easier than fixing that one. That's what I did, but kept the old one in case I decided to rebuild it in my spare time (what spare time?).

Try to narrow it down to the transfer case before you go through all of that though.

 

[JoeMahma]

If you accelerate very hard from a dead stop does it feel like something slammed into the floorboard right under your drivers seat?

This is what mine did and it was the transfer case.

 

[iggy1718]

Has anyone fixed this problem without putting in another Tcase?

 

[4x4man]

Anyone?? ..I got a similar problem

 

[iggy1718]

Something was wrong with the Tcase. The output shaft part of the Tcase was broken and I dont have the experience to rebuild it myself so I replaced it with one from the local yard.

 

[4x4man]

Something was wrong with the Tcase. The output shaft part of the Tcase was broken and I dont have the experience to rebuild it myself so I replaced it with one from the local yard.

Ok Iggy...tnx for the reply.

I'll do a check soon to hopefully find the problem.

Cheers
Frank

 

[IZwack]

Something was wrong with the Tcase. The output shaft part of the Tcase was broken and I dont have the experience to rebuild it myself so I replaced it with one from the local yard.

That's interesting, got any pics of the broken part?

 

[rizzjc]

I still have my old transfer case. I never took it apart to see what was wrong with it. Someday I will, 'cause I figure I'm gonna need to fix it, when the current one fails.

 

[iggy1718]

Yeah my thoughts too