Noisy Front End

Mark, I have the very same vehicle. I had to replace a front driver side hub at 110k so obviosly they don't need to be replaced in pairs. My hub did make noise, like a quiet roar, hadn't progressed beyond this though as I noticed the ABS brake light on which prompted immediate repair.

My 2 cents

Allan

It's a '99 XLT 4.0 4X4 with about 150K miles on the clock.

The noise sounds like it's running in second gear with knobby tires. It isn't.

I've done some Google searches, and have managed to eliminate the following: It isn't the fan clutch -- the noise varies a little with vehicle speed, not engine speed. The tires have about 50,000 miles on them, and are wearing evenly with no cupping. The 4X4 shifting works as good as usual -- a bit sluggish from non- use, but it does shift. The O/D works. Threre are no codes set in either 4X4 or O/D.

Now, some guesses -- my "wonderful" Haynes manual tells me that earlier models had fill/drain plugs on the front differential, but says nothing about the later models. Does my front differential have fluid fill/drain plugs? I've spotted one that MIGHT be -- it's located on the rear of the front differential, and just a hair above the axles. I'd really like to check the fluid level -- though there's no sign of leakage.

How about the hubs? Will they cause a noise like that? Is there any way to inspect/troubleshoot a hub without a complete dissasembly? If a hub is bad, can I replace just the one that's bad, or do they need to be done in pairs? It's a financial consideration that would make replacing them a month or so apart a whole lot easier to swallow.

If it's a hub, how much time do I have (guesstimate) before it leaves me sitting on the side of a road somewhere?

Any pointers? TIA, Mark

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I spent a couple of hours fiddling with the Explorer this afternoon, and found:

1. One tire (left rear) was about 10 pounds lower than the others.
2. The right front tire is wearing faster on the inside than the rest.
3. The transfer case was low on fluid.
4. With the car jacked up - one side at a time - spinning either front tire turns the differential and driveshaft back to the transfer case.

So, I fixed the tire pressure and rotated the tires. Topped off the transer case -- it took about a half quart (and it looks like the other half is on the driveway, on my shirt, and in my hair )

What bothers me is the front driveshaft turning when the wheels are turned. My gut reaction is that the hubs are locked -- and shouldn't be -- I think. I really wish I knew more about this type of 4 wheel drive.

As I said before, if I have to replace both hubs, I'll have to do just one at a time - due to financial constraints, and I'd probably replace the right one first, if only because that tire was wearing differently than the rest.

Lastly, the best price on a hub so far has been on E-bay -- new SBC hub for about $90 and $20 for shipping. Anyone have any experience with them?

Somebody want to jump in here and do some troubleshooting/ commiserating?

Thanks, Mark

Check it out, don't think the Explorer had hubs after 1994. That's how the automatic 4WD works - clutches in the transfer case engage as needed.

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-- You're right, '94 was the changeover point to non-manual hubs, BUT, the change was to automatic hubs. Actually, there was a discussion on the Explorer Forum regarding replacing the automatic hubs with manual ones.

For you folks with manual hubs, if they get stuck in the "engaged" position, do they make sort of a roaring noise??

Thanks, Mark

The early Explorers had electric hubs, they gave a lot of problems and many people replaced them with manual. My '92 had a button on the dash that engaged the hubs and 4WD.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over the last couple of weekends I've changed both front hubs. The first one (passenger side) didn't seem to make much difference. It was leaking oil, but with the new one installed, the car was still noisy.

I finished installing the driver's side hub over this past weekend. It was also leaking, but it FIXED the problem. Runs quiet now. I'll probably always wonder what if... I'd changed the driver's side first. BUT, at least now it's got two new hubs.

The hubs were a good deal through e-Bay. About $90 bucks each, plus about $20 bucks for shipping.

It's really not a difficult job -- as long as you've got a good breaker bar for the hub nut. I did the second one a bit faster than the first, and was done in under an hour.

Mark