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[Resolved] Strange Noise

golthem

New Member
Joined
September 28, 2019
Messages
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Location
Massachusetts
City, State
West Stockbridge, MA
Year, Model & Trim Level
2006 Ford Explorer EB v6
Hey folks! I have been dealing with an issue over the past couple of months and hope maybe someone here will be able to help me out. I like being able to work on the car myself, but I am new to it and do not have the experience many of you do, so I am hoping you might be able to help me out.

I have a 2006 Eddie Bauer edition that is just about to hit 130,000. I have been having a strange grating noise that seems to come from the driver's side of the vehicle and more toward the center front. It starts as a low grating as I begin to accelerate but then quickly turns into a fast high pitched grating noise. Once I get below 20 MPH it stops. The vehicle can be difficult to get up to speed, it just drags a little bit more than normal, and my gas mileage has gone down quite a bit.

A mechanic friend initially recommended replacing the u-joint to the front driveshaft which helped boost my gas mileage from 11 MPG to 12 MPG, but I still have the noise.

Any thoughts or things you might recommend checking?
 



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Front differential. Check the fluid first. Does it make any noise at startup. If it does possible timing chain. But leaning towards Front differential. Other's will chime in.
 






The best way to target the source of the noise is to put the vehicle on a lift with the wheels free and run it to cause the noise to appear. This would also allow easy access to check for wheel bearing problems and easily inspect other components. Also, if you are seeing a significant MPG drop due to a drive train issue then the failing component should be hotter than it normally would run. The energy consumed by the drive train component would most like be dissipated as heat generated from added friction. Checking various drive train items with a laser thermometer could be a way to identify where a problem component might be. Checking the rear differential temperature against the front differential temperature after a drive might show if their is a problem in the front differential.
 






Hey guys, I appreciate the feedback! I logged in today and realized I had never replied to this thread, so I do apologize for that.

The issue with my Explorer did end up being the timing chain. I had a mechanic in town take a look to confirm. I got a couple quotes for replacing the chains vs. putting in a new engine and the engine consistently seemed less expensive. Bought a new engine and put it in, so hopefully this vehicle will be running for years to come!
 






The most ideal approach to focus on the wellspring of the commotion is to put the vehicle on a lift with the wheels free and run it to make the clamor show up.







 






Yep, on those 4.0, new engine seems less expensive than the timing job (if you have shop do it). Both require removal of the motor. Good choice.
 






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