Rear end howl.

[Aerostarnut]

Hi all......new guy to the list here.....I have a '97 Aerostar. Owned it from new. It has about 134kmiles on it and the diff has howled for the majority of that time. Just (three weeks ago) had it into the Ford dealership to have the howl stopped. $1300 ($700 in parts rest in labor) and three visits later the howl is still there, although now at different speeds from what it was. Now it howls from 35 - 70mph at different levels.

What causes it and how can it be STOPPED.......the dealership seems to be kinda useless with it! I'm taking it back in again tomorrow (4th time) to go 'round yet again.............HELP!!!!!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! What did they replace (bearings, seals, ring & pinion, carrier assembly, spider gears, etc)?

 

[Aerostarnut]

Welcome to this forum! What did they replace (bearings, seals, ring & pinion, carrier assembly, spider gears, etc)?

Thanks for responding!

The cost of parts was $700. I know they replaced the ring and pinion, rest of the money on bearings etc. I don't have a breakdown of parts. I'm taking it back today to have them continue their "work" and would love to hear from anyone who's "successfully" fixed this problem.

Not sure what the big deal is really. If you have the correct setup tools the procedure for doing this isn't that complicated. I thought this would be a walk in the park for these guys!!

 

[BrooklynBay]

In addition to checking the differential, have them check the rear brakes. The noise is most likely coming from the differential, but it's a good idea to check everything since there is still a problem. Did you check the tires for a problem called "belt shift".

 

[Jack Flash]

possibly they haven't got the backlash set correctly in the ring & pinion. it's very easy to set it up wrong. mechanics are not infallible, I'm just sayin'. the one's at your local stealership are human beings, too.

 

[Aerostarnut]

In addition to checking the differential, have them check the rear brakes. The noise is most likely coming from the differential, but it's a good idea to check everything since there is still a problem. Did you check the tires for a problem called "belt shift".

Well, this diff noise has been going on for years, probably 10 or more. It's just that within the last year I've grown tired of it and figured I'd spend the $$ and get it fixed. So there could be some noise in the tires but they've been changed at least twice over this time, but the noise, of course, always stays!

 

[Aerostarnut]

possibly they haven't got the backlash set correctly in the ring & pinion. it's very easy to set it up wrong. mechanics are not infallible, I'm just sayin'. the one's at your local stealership are human beings, too.

That's what I'm thinking! Thing is, this isn't rocket science, I mean, this kind of gear train has been around for about a million yeas or so. I figured any professional mechanic worth his/her salt would know how to set this up, and if they don't, well there's always the manual!

In looking on the web, this problem is quite well known across ford trucks, including the Aerostar of course. So I thought the fix would have been equally well known and documented by now, at least by the professional Ford mechanics. apparently this isn't the case.

Anyway, I'm with you, the backlash or crownwheel and pinion ass'y mesh just has to be out of whack!

 

[Mavey]

Rear End Howl

I have a 97 ext. It to had a howl that is new. I replaced the u joints that are origanal but seamed ok. That took care of most of the noise, But it still had a little noise let. I replaced the rear trans bearing. It had a little wiggle but not bad. End of my howl.

 

[Aerostarnut]

Hi all......new guy to the list here.....I have a '97 Aerostar. Owned it from new. It has about 134kmiles on it and the diff has howled for the majority of that time. Just (three weeks ago) had it into the Ford dealership to have the howl stopped. $1300 ($700 in parts rest in labor) and three visits later the howl is still there, although now at different speeds from what it was. Now it howls from 35 - 70mph at different levels.

What causes it and how can it be STOPPED.......the dealership seems to be kinda useless with it! I'm taking it back in again tomorrow (4th time) to go 'round yet again.............HELP!!!!!

Update......Van is still with the dealership and still not fixed. They're ordering another diff set and will see what that does........this is a bloody nightmare!

 

[Aerostarfan]

Howling rear end (sounds like a woman thing )

Hi all......new guy to the list here.....I have a '97 Aerostar. Owned it from new. It has about 134kmiles on it and the diff has howled for the majority of that time. Just (three weeks ago) had it into the Ford dealership to have the howl stopped. $1300 ($700 in parts rest in labor) and three visits later the howl is still there, although now at different speeds from what it was. Now it howls from 35 - 70mph at different levels.

What causes it and how can it be STOPPED.......the dealership seems to be kinda useless with it! I'm taking it back in again tomorrow (4th time) to go 'round yet again.............HELP!!!!!

I would say GO TO THE WRECKING YARD AND GET AN WHOLE USED GOOD ONE THATS GUARANTEED , and I mean the entire housing and all . You probly got an defective housing and maybe bent in the factory .
Good news is that it wont cost no 1300 bucks if you do the work .
"Pick N Pull" will have that for 200 bucks but you gotta pull it !
So there ....
Aerostarfan

 

[rv4fun]

Was this howl problem ever solved? If so, what was done to get rid of it. I just bought a dandy '97 3.0L Aerostar and it came with a howl I'd like to deal with. The junkyard quoted me $150 for a whole rear end drum to drum. I'd rather just change the 3rd member but if that's not likely to fix the problem, I'll need to bite the bullet and swap out the whole thing.

 

[Aerostarfan]

Was this howl problem ever solved? If so, what was done to get rid of it. I just bought a dandy '97 3.0L Aerostar and it came with a howl I'd like to deal with. The junkyard quoted me $150 for a whole rear end drum to drum. I'd rather just change the 3rd member but if that's not likely to fix the problem, I'll need to bite the bullet and swap out the whole thing.

Mr Howl ,
Someone ran it w/out oil and you cant fix burnt scored gears so swap it out !
Most of those are very toughe and just check in the junk yard by rocking the input shaft and go for the tightest one w / less slack .

 

[BrooklynBay]

Make sure that the junkyard gives you one with the same gear ratio.

 

[Aerostarfan]

Make sure that the junkyard gives you one with the same gear ratio.

The rear ends are all the same but it doesnt hurt to ask so I agree ...

 

[BrooklynBay]

They make several gear ratios: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2063651&postcount=6

The Aerostar has a 28 tooth axle while other RWD Fords have a 31 tooth axle (from what I've read somewhere else on this site).

 

[BrooklynBay]

I have updated information. The 7.5" rear has 28 splined teeth on the axle. This axle is used on the Aerostar, Ranger, and Bronco II. Here's the link: http://www.drivetrain.com/parts_cat..._shafts_cars_and_pickup_trucks.html#FORDTRUCK

 

[Aerostarfan]

Brooklyn Bay ,
Good one ! I see it says here that the spline count on the aerostars are all 28 count of splines . Does that mean they are all the same gear ratio ( I know you said no ) but Im trying to understand ( I'm slow ) if maybe I messed up when I changed my factory Aerostar from an automatic to an factory 5 spd trans .

 

[BrooklynBay]

The spline tooth count refers to the number of splines on the inside end of the axle where it meshes with the internal gears. The gear ratio refers to the ring & pinion gear set. Take a look at the link again. You will see various ratios such as 3.45, 4.11, etc. Your axle code is on the tag near the driver's door as well as on the diffferential.

 

[Aerostarfan]

Brooklyn Bay ,
Okay I will look at that , thank s !
Is it safe to assume Ford made about for different gear ratios ? ( I wonder why ? I mean they mostly had the short vans and then later came w/ the longer ones with the same 3.0 and AT transmission )

 

[BrooklynBay]

Some are better for towing while others are better for speed. Gas mileage will vary slightly as well. I know that on the older versions there was an option for larger rear brakes.