Some noises and problems I could use help tracking down

[MyExplorer03v8Lim]

Hi Folks.

I've got a 2003 AWD Limited Explorer with the 4.6L v8. It has 155k miles, I got it at 151k and put an engine with 75k into almost immediately. Well I paid someone to put the engine into it. The point is I don't really know the vehicle's history or when things were replaced. But at 150k I can imagine that I'm hitting a milestone for parts failure.

To start, my goal with this vehicle is to keep it forever, and probably restore it to original or better condition. I saw a cop pull out with his lights on the other day in a new explorer police car, and I thought "THAT'S how I want my explorer to handle!"

Anyway, I almost don't know where to begin with this one because I have a lot of little things going on that I am trying to track down, but overall the vehicle drives very well. I guess the best thing to do is lay down a timeline of things that I know were replaced and when:

150k - Lower ball joints (right before I bought it)
151k - used engine swap, water pump, oil pump, tune up
151k - front passenger CV axle replaced
151k - rear driver stabilizer bar/ kit
154k - passenger side rear tie rod
154k - 4 new tires
155k - front calipers, rotors, pads. rear rotors and pads. parking brake shoes and hardware. brake fluid flushed.
155k - new tail pipe

I brought the new-to-me explorer to some guys shortly after purchase when the engine seized without notice on a hot day driving down the highway. They swapped my seized 150k miles engine out for salvaged engine with 75k miles on it from LKQ.

In order to get the access they needed to lower the transmission, there's a cement-filled cross member/ weight/ balancer thing that had to come out. It's a round bar. Anyway, they couldn't or didn't want to unbolt it, maybe they thought they'd have to damage the frame to get it out. Anyway they just sawzalled the damn thing out of there and left it out. I have two stumps. They classified it as unnecessary equipment but I'm not so sure I trust their judgement.

After the engine job was done, they told me that there is a problem with my torque converter. They said that it's noisy and it would get noisier. Well the engine is loud anyway, and I can't specifically identify a particular part of the noise as coming from the torque converter. He told me to listen for a sound like a pencil rolling across a desk. He said it would go away at highway speeds. None of my noises behave in that manner, but the engine is certainly loud.

I did the brake job myself recently, and it was a hell of a job in the driveway. First they gave me the wrong rear pads, then they gave me one new and one reman front caliper. Then once I got the correct calipers for the front I put them on reversed (put them on opposite wheels) so that the bleeder was at the bottom. I couldn't figure out why the air was not leaving the lines.

So needless to say I was paranoid about my work on the brakes, especially having reversed the calipers. I was worried that might have caused permanent damage.

Ok, so now on to the problems that I am experiencing.

-- Noise 1: wub-wub-wub or wah-wah-wah or click-click-click

This is a noise that gets faster as the vehicle speed increases. It does not sound like tire slap noise. Also, I'm not convinced that it's a wheel bearing either, although it resembles one. I cannot make the sound go away by hard turning. It seems to always be there. At first I thought it was coming from the front wheels, now it sounds like it's coming from between the rear wheels. But if you held a gun to my head, I couldn't tell you where the noise is originating from with 100% certainty.

-- Noise 2: clunk-clunk-clunk

This noise could be related to noise one, but it only happens when I am slowing down to a stop. It seems that noise one changes, as the vehicle slows down, and turns into this harder clunk noise as the vehicle is stopping. This noise, as with noise 1, also exactly matches the rotation of the wheels.

-- Noise 3: grinding in front drivers wheel

I just noticed this one today, and dammit I can't remember if I was turning hard to the right or left. But I was travelling at about 35mph during a hard turn, and I heard this grinding from my front drivers side wheel. Normally I don't drive hard like that, but I was trying to see if I could get the wub wub noise to stop. Instead I made a new noise.

-- Engine races/ dips at idle

I have been noticing it more lately, when the vehicle is sitting in park, or at a red light, occasionally the engine will dip or race. It just feels like it's struggling a little, like a sensor is on it's way out. Also I believe that this is related. Today, in my efforts to make things happen and take note of them, I stepped hard on the accelerator and brought it up to 55mph at full acceleration. While accellerating it felt like it was slipping or missing in some way. I am not very car-savvy so my description is probably off. But it felt like I was driving a set of gears with one tooth missing. There is no check engine light.

I think those are all of my vehicle-related problems. I would love to hear any opinions on what's going on. And I'll try to be as useful as possible by answering any followup questions.

Thanks guys!

 

[Tylers02]

First of all find a new mechanic. If they sawazalled out your trans crossmember than that is where I would start the troubleshooting. If your trans isn't mounted to t x member there is a could chance your entire driveline is trashed. To me it sounds like wheel bearings, cvs or u joints. Are you true and or push button automatic 4wd. My output shafts on t case likes to squeak I can only imagine what it would be doing without being mounted properly. You have too many symptoms to diagnose over the internet I highly suggest you find a good mechanic. As far as vacuum surge and engine noise you can use abs mechanics stethoscope to try and pinpoint the problem. The exhaust manifolds are known to leak a cause a diesel like sound. Torque converter is usually more of a marbles in a can sound. Do you have acces to a diagnostic reader. As long as you don't live in CA any autozone, oreilys, advanced auto parts should be able to scan for codes. If in California you have to go to a shop that performs work like pep boys.

 

[MyExplorer03v8Lim]

First of all find a new mechanic. If they sawazalled out your trans crossmember than that is where I would start the troubleshooting. If your trans isn't mounted to t x member there is a could chance your entire driveline is trashed. To me it sounds like wheel bearings, cvs or u joints. Are you true and or push button automatic 4wd. My output shafts on t case likes to squeak I can only imagine what it would be doing without being mounted properly. You have too many symptoms to diagnose over the internet I highly suggest you find a good mechanic. As far as vacuum surge and engine noise you can use abs mechanics stethoscope to try and pinpoint the problem. The exhaust manifolds are known to leak a cause a diesel like sound. Torque converter is usually more of a marbles in a can sound. Do you have acces to a diagnostic reader. As long as you don't live in CA any autozone, oreilys, advanced auto parts should be able to scan for codes. If in California you have to go to a shop that performs work like pep boys.

I misspoke, crossmember is not the correct word. It's not actually structural according to everything I have read and been told. The transmission is not bolted to it. I believe it's there to catch vibrations in the frame. There's a thread on here about it actually, but there's not a ton of information about what the part actually is. I don't even know what it's called. It's a round tube meant to dampen vibrations at highway speeds. Does sound about right for what's going on, but again, everyone says that the part is "for show". I cannot find anyone who knows exactly what it's called, or how much it costs to buy a brand new one.

In terms of the AWD question, I have a three buttons on the dash labeled "4X4 AUTO", "4X4 HIGH", "4X4 LOW". This is AWD, correct?

The vehicle sound actually is diesel like. It sounds like a big effin truck. So maybe I have a leak at the exhaust manifold? I have plans to update the exhaust after the winter, or during, depending on what type of winter it is and how beat up the pipes get. Is this something you'd address ASAP, or can it wait until the spring? And more importantly, how do I test for an exhaust manifold leak? Is it something an expert should hear?

I don't have a check engine light, would there still be codes visible at AutoZone?

I'll listen more closely for the sound of marbles in a can and get back to you on that one.

Thanks a lot for your response. I'll try to find someone reliable who'll look at it for me.

 

[Tylers02]

Ok I know what your talking about but I highly doubt it's for show. There is a reason and purpose for this and it has no hinderence on removing the engine or tranny to my knowledge. It points up almost against the floor pan and I'd assume it's somewhat of structural importance. Ford doesn't spend money on stuff that is of no importance.

You have auto 4wd where 5% of power goes to front wheels automatically and you have the ability to select different ranges. I have an awd explorer so 30% goes to front and depending on slippage it will send more power to front wheels if it feels it's necessary. I've had both and prefer the auto 4wd.

Mines has a bit of a diesel sound or tic tic tic sound and can mostly be heard at say a drive through window or up against a wall. Using a piece of tubing against my ear I could definitely hear it at exhaust manifold but could hear it elsewhere as well. This may have no relevance to your problem it I just pulled a throttle body w/tips sensor, intake plenum and egr out of an 04 mountaineer because it was in such good condition and my gas mileage went from9mpg to 13mpg but this is according to message center not actual real life calculations.


As far as codes there is a system in obd2 called mode $06. It monitors vehicle specific sensors and if not within range can fail mode $06 but not throw a code if it's not within the parameters ford has set to the a CEL. Plus you can monitor 02 sensors graph multiple sensors all sort of pretty cool stuff. The only problem with mode $06 and certain diagnostic tools is it's sometimes hard to decipher as it's tabulated in hexadecimal code. I use torque and it can decipher some of mode $06 but not all of it. I also have a cheap eBay diagnostic scanner and can't use forscan.

 

[Tylers02]

Never mind now I know what support your talking about. The tubular support that ties passenger and driver side lower control arms together at the rear monuting point of front lower a arms. In my personally opinion and short time in the off-road suspension industry I would say this may not be your problem but it should definitely of not have been removed permanently. You can have a shop fab something up or grab one from a junkyard. My $.02 anyway

 

[Royy]

For the clicking sound you mentioned under noise 1, pull out your ignition coils and make sure all the spark plugs are still tight in the holes.

The pre-2004 engines have a common issue where they will just randomly blow out spark plugs, resulting in stripped threads in the head. A soft continuous clicking sound often is the first indication that this is about to happen. The sound is caused by the spark plug moving around in the hole due to the worn thread. When this happened to my car I initially also thought the sound was coming from the front wheels, but that turned out to be wrong.

 

[drdoom]

Maybe the diesel engine sound is coming from the timing components in the front cover? Just a wild guess...

 

[Tylers02]

I'm afraid that might be my problem. I tried to pinpoint the noise with a sethoscope but you can hear it in pretty much every upper engine component. It did get a little louder near exhaust manifold studs but ticking was most pronounced at valve covers and intake manifold but slightly less loud than at exhaust manifolds. Guess I'm going to be taking off the valve covers and hope it's nothing major. Also seem to be burning a little blue/white smoke but it's also getting cold. It's only does it on startup and looks like every other car in the morning however the other day I was low on gas and when I went to start it it wouldn't start at first. Then it started and a small poof of smoke came out of exhaust and it was a warm day.