squeaking noise in 1995 ford explorer

[ryaninmontgomery]

This is my first post here, but i've lurked for a little while, and i'm at a point where i need some advice... So i've got a 1995 ford explorer, kept in as good of condition as i can afford(so, not extremely great)...on my way home from work tonight, i noticed a weird sort of "squeaking" noise...i say sqeaking, because it almost sounds like the noise you get when you clean glass. it sounds like it's coming from the rear, but i know that's doesn't say very much...it seems mostly like it's random--it happens mostly when i'm going over 40mph, although not every time; it stops when i take my foot off the accelerator, though it may take a few seconds; similarly, braking seems to stop it. in the past, i've heard sustained squealing noises that ended up being brake problems; this may be a problem. I'd say that suspension may be a problem, but i don't seem to remember it making noises while going over rough terrain (neccesarily--this doesn't mean that it didn't do it at all, just that it didn't seem to have any kind of connection to the driving conditions.). I really don't know what to do here, because i'm not a "car" person, and i don't have the money for expensive repairs...if this is something small, i want to get it figured out before it becomes something big.
thanks...

 

[my pos mounty]

A real good place to start would be the u-joints on the rear driveshaft. Check them for grease fittings. If they have them, pack them full of grease. If there are not any grease fittings, you might want to replace them.

 

[robertoa1a]

Based on the info you provided I would like to ask if the squeak is really coming from the rear of the truck or if it just sounds like it from the drivers seat.

There could be a bad bearing in the trans allowing unnecessary vibration to travel and resonate within the drive shaft.

It is highly not normal for a Ford differential to squeak ever (unless catastrophic failure, which would be obvious). This is not to say the situation isn't real, but at what point does the noise happen?

Can you provide information that is more specific to your issue, like When at a stop, or at certain speeds or rpms'?

 

[ryaninmontgomery]

Most likely this is just something that sounds like it's coming from the rear from the driver's seat--as for stopping--it doesn't do it when the car's not moving, and the speed is kinda variable--it's only happened a few times(i just noticed it this evening on the way home from work), but it's always over 40mph, and once over 50mph...i didn't think to look at RPMs, but the engine is pretty much always within two or three thousand RPMs.