Odd Sound and Vibration when turning

Hello all.

I have a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer with about 95,000 miles on it.

I have owned the car for a year, but about 2 months ago I noticed that
when I would turn at low speed (0-25 mph) very sharply, I would get a
very troublesome sound and vibration that seemed to come from the
tires. The sound is kind of like a series of pops, or maybe
grinding... hard to say. Honestly, it almost sounds like the pop I get
from turning too sharply in four wheel drive (which I hear is supposed
to be normal...)

I know, basically, nothing about cars. I took this into my dealer and
they said they couldn't find any actual damage, but that the tires
seemed to have some pretty bad wear on them (there seems to be plenty
of tread, so I'm assuming the wear is on the edge).

Could this cause this sound? I had the tires rotated and balanced, but
it didn't help at all, and I try to make sure my tires are inflated to
35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front (as per the sticker on the
car).

I believe the tires that were on the Explorer when I bought it a year
ago were brand new (since they had the factory colored stripe on
them), so it seems odd to me that they'd wear so quickly.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Braden

Well, my '02 Explorer developed the same noise at around 135K. I took it
to my mechanic, told him it was a wheel bearing, and asked him to
replace it. Next day he presented me with a bill for $25!! Said the
noise was caused by a bit of the plastic fender well liner that had
worked its way loose and was rubbing the tire when the wheel was turned
sharply.

Bill
----------------

brazzle wrote:
> Hello all.
>
> I have a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer with about 95,000 miles on it.
>
> I have owned the car for a year, but about 2 months ago I noticed that
> when I would turn at low speed (0-25 mph) very sharply, I would get a
> very troublesome sound and vibration that seemed to come from the
> tires. The sound is kind of like a series of pops, or maybe
> grinding... hard to say. Honestly, it almost sounds like the pop I get
> from turning too sharply in four wheel drive (which I hear is supposed
> to be normal...)
>
> I know, basically, nothing about cars. I took this into my dealer and
> they said they couldn't find any actual damage, but that the tires
> seemed to have some pretty bad wear on them (there seems to be plenty
> of tread, so I'm assuming the wear is on the edge).
>
> Could this cause this sound? I had the tires rotated and balanced, but
> it didn't help at all, and I try to make sure my tires are inflated to
> 35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front (as per the sticker on the
> car).
>
> I believe the tires that were on the Explorer when I bought it a year
> ago were brand new (since they had the factory colored stripe on
> them), so it seems odd to me that they'd wear so quickly.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Braden
>

On Nov 12, 7:56 am, Bill Jeffrey > wrote:
> Well, my '02 Explorer developed the same noise at around 135K. I took it
> to my mechanic, told him it was a wheel bearing, and asked him to
> replace it. Next day he presented me with a bill for $25!! Said the
> noise was caused by a bit of the plastic fender well liner that had
> worked its way loose and was rubbing the tire when the wheel was turned
> sharply.
>
> Bill
> ----------------
>
> brazzle wrote:
> > Hello all.
>
> > I have a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer with about 95,000 miles on it.
>
> > I have owned the car for a year, but about 2 months ago I noticed that
> > when I would turn at low speed (0-25 mph) very sharply, I would get a
> > very troublesome sound and vibration that seemed to come from the
> > tires. The sound is kind of like a series of pops, or maybe
> > grinding... hard to say. Honestly, it almost sounds like the pop I get
> > from turning too sharply in four wheel drive (which I hear is supposed
> > to be normal...)
>
> > I know, basically, nothing about cars. I took this into my dealer and
> > they said they couldn't find any actual damage, but that the tires
> > seemed to have some pretty bad wear on them (there seems to be plenty
> > of tread, so I'm assuming the wear is on the edge).
>
> > Could this cause this sound? I had the tires rotated and balanced, but
> > it didn't help at all, and I try to make sure my tires are inflated to
> > 35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front (as per the sticker on the
> > car).
>
> > I believe the tires that were on the Explorer when I bought it a year
> > ago were brand new (since they had the factory colored stripe on
> > them), so it seems odd to me that they'd wear so quickly.
>
> > Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> > Thanks,
>
> > Braden

Bill,

Thanks for replying. I'm sure I'm going to end up taking this back in
and I will make sure they look for that.

Greatly appreciated,

Braden

"brazzle" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hello all.
>
> I have a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer with about 95,000 miles on it.
>
> I have owned the car for a year, but about 2 months ago I noticed that
> when I would turn at low speed (0-25 mph) very sharply, I would get a
> very troublesome sound and vibration that seemed to come from the
> tires. The sound is kind of like a series of pops, or maybe
> grinding... hard to say. Honestly, it almost sounds like the pop I get
> from turning too sharply in four wheel drive (which I hear is supposed
> to be normal...)
>
> I know, basically, nothing about cars. I took this into my dealer and
> they said they couldn't find any actual damage, but that the tires
> seemed to have some pretty bad wear on them (there seems to be plenty
> of tread, so I'm assuming the wear is on the edge).
>
> Could this cause this sound? I had the tires rotated and balanced, but
> it didn't help at all, and I try to make sure my tires are inflated to
> 35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front (as per the sticker on the
> car).
>
> I believe the tires that were on the Explorer when I bought it a year
> ago were brand new (since they had the factory colored stripe on
> them), so it seems odd to me that they'd wear so quickly.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Braden
>

If you have Control Trac 4WD and your tires are worn the sensor may think
they are slipping and go into 4WD. I'm not sure about the '02 but on the
slightly earlier Control Trac models there have been reported problems with
a dirty sensor in the transfer case that was causing it to go into 4WD. The
solution to that problem was to clean or replace the sensor.

On Nov 13, 11:01 am, "Ulysses" /> wrote:
> "brazzle" > wrote in message
>
> ups.com...
>
>
>
> > Hello all.
>
> > I have a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer with about 95,000 miles on it.
>
> > I have owned the car for a year, but about 2 months ago I noticed that
> > when I would turn at low speed (0-25 mph) very sharply, I would get a
> > very troublesome sound and vibration that seemed to come from the
> > tires. The sound is kind of like a series of pops, or maybe
> > grinding... hard to say. Honestly, it almost sounds like the pop I get
> > from turning too sharply in four wheel drive (which I hear is supposed
> > to be normal...)
>
> > I know, basically, nothing about cars. I took this into my dealer and
> > they said they couldn't find any actual damage, but that the tires
> > seemed to have some pretty bad wear on them (there seems to be plenty
> > of tread, so I'm assuming the wear is on the edge).
>
> > Could this cause this sound? I had the tires rotated and balanced, but
> > it didn't help at all, and I try to make sure my tires are inflated to
> > 35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front (as per the sticker on the
> > car).
>
> > I believe the tires that were on the Explorer when I bought it a year
> > ago were brand new (since they had the factory colored stripe on
> > them), so it seems odd to me that they'd wear so quickly.
>
> > Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> > Thanks,
>
> > Braden
>
> If you have Control Trac 4WD and your tires are worn the sensor may think
> they are slipping and go into 4WD. I'm not sure about the '02 but on the
> slightly earlier Control Trac models there have been reported problems with
> a dirty sensor in the transfer case that was causing it to go into 4WD. The
> solution to that problem was to clean or replace the sensor.

Interesting. Is there a way for me to know if I have this feature? Is
it the same as Auto 4x4?
Mine is one of the earlier 2002 models without some of the features
that came out later in the model year.

Appreciate the help.

Thanks,

Braden

brazzle wrote:
> Hello all.
>
> I have a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer with about 95,000 miles on it.
>
> I have owned the car for a year, but about 2 months ago I noticed that
> when I would turn at low speed (0-25 mph) very sharply, I would get a
> very troublesome sound and vibration that seemed to come from the
> tires. The sound is kind of like a series of pops, or maybe
> grinding... hard to say. Honestly, it almost sounds like the pop I get
> from turning too sharply in four wheel drive (which I hear is supposed
> to be normal...)
>
> I know, basically, nothing about cars. I took this into my dealer and
> they said they couldn't find any actual damage, but that the tires
> seemed to have some pretty bad wear on them (there seems to be plenty
> of tread, so I'm assuming the wear is on the edge).
>
> Could this cause this sound? I had the tires rotated and balanced, but
> it didn't help at all, and I try to make sure my tires are inflated to
> 35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front (as per the sticker on the
> car).
>
> I believe the tires that were on the Explorer when I bought it a year
> ago were brand new (since they had the factory colored stripe on
> them), so it seems odd to me that they'd wear so quickly.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Braden
>
When I got my '99, used with 100K miles, it too had a 'slow or from
start growl or grind from the rear end. My brother in law has a '99
Mountaineer (sp) and had the same problem. We put a bottle of Ford rear
end additive and the next day the problem was gone!
As an aside, a friend had a Mercury 4 door car. He lived in Texas and
moved to Washington. Whenever he went home, up the mountain, he had a
transmission chatter. The dealer told him each time he brought it in
that there was no problem. The last time he took it to the dealer it was
out of warantee (sp). They told him the transmission needed rebuilding.
He got ****ed and went to the VW dealer to buy a Bug. When talking to
the service manager at the VW place the SM asked him if he had the
uphill chatter caused by a LACK OF ADDITIVE! He will never buy a Ford
product again!

--
Diving is life! The rest is just details.
W.W.W.I.

"brazzle" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> On Nov 13, 11:01 am, "Ulysses" /> wrote:
> > "brazzle" > wrote in message
> >
> > ups.com...
> >
> >
> >
> > > Hello all.
> >
> > > I have a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer with about 95,000 miles on it.
> >
> > > I have owned the car for a year, but about 2 months ago I noticed that
> > > when I would turn at low speed (0-25 mph) very sharply, I would get a
> > > very troublesome sound and vibration that seemed to come from the
> > > tires. The sound is kind of like a series of pops, or maybe
> > > grinding... hard to say. Honestly, it almost sounds like the pop I get
> > > from turning too sharply in four wheel drive (which I hear is supposed
> > > to be normal...)
> >
> > > I know, basically, nothing about cars. I took this into my dealer and
> > > they said they couldn't find any actual damage, but that the tires
> > > seemed to have some pretty bad wear on them (there seems to be plenty
> > > of tread, so I'm assuming the wear is on the edge).
> >
> > > Could this cause this sound? I had the tires rotated and balanced, but
> > > it didn't help at all, and I try to make sure my tires are inflated to
> > > 35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front (as per the sticker on the
> > > car).
> >
> > > I believe the tires that were on the Explorer when I bought it a year
> > > ago were brand new (since they had the factory colored stripe on
> > > them), so it seems odd to me that they'd wear so quickly.
> >
> > > Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > > Thanks,
> >
> > > Braden
> >
> > If you have Control Trac 4WD and your tires are worn the sensor may
think
> > they are slipping and go into 4WD. I'm not sure about the '02 but on
the
> > slightly earlier Control Trac models there have been reported problems
with
> > a dirty sensor in the transfer case that was causing it to go into 4WD.
The
> > solution to that problem was to clean or replace the sensor.
>
> Interesting. Is there a way for me to know if I have this feature? Is
> it the same as Auto 4x4?
> Mine is one of the earlier 2002 models without some of the features
> that came out later in the model year.
>
> Appreciate the help.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Braden
>

Unfortunately I can't say for sure if the '02 has the same type of automatic
4WD system but I imagine it still has sensors which determine the speed at
which the wheels are rotating. If they are not the same then it determines
that something is slipping somewhere and 4WD is probably a good idea about
now and engages. If your tires are enevenly worn then they will be
traveling at slightly different speeds. That could possibly account for the
noise you hear on turns. If it continues something is likely to break.
And, like I said before, the other reason it might go into 4WD when it
shouldn't is because of the bad/dirty sensor on the transfer case. I can't
say for sure if that is what your problem is but those would be the first
things I'd look into.

Dave made a good point about differential additives. If you have a limited
slip differential and don't add the additive when you change the oil it can
cause problems. I've not had this particular problem because I always add
the limited slip additive. I've also not heard about an additive for the
front differential so that is news to me.

30 psi sounds a bit low to me for the front but maybe Ford has their
reasons. I have a new Tire Inflation sticker for my '92 that was issued as
a recall. They used to recommend some rather low pressures but someone must
have told them that people were actually driving these things on paved roads
and raised it after all the blowouts and rollovers. My '91 says 30F and 35R
but I keep my front tires at about 33-35 and the rear about 35-37. If your
tires are wearing too quickly or enevenly that could mean you need an
alignment or new shocks. What kind of tires are they? Probably about 90%
of the folks here prefer the Michelin LTX M/S tires. The only ones I've had
that I possibly liked better were the recalled Firestone Wilderness tires.
They seemed to be a little better on ice and slippery mud but I have limited
experience in those conditions.

On Nov 15, 2:55 pm, "Ulysses" /> wrote:
> "brazzle" > wrote in message
>
> oups.com...
>
>
>
> > On Nov 13, 11:01 am, "Ulysses" /> wrote:
> > > "brazzle" > wrote in message
>
> > oups.com...
>
> > > > Hello all.
>
> > > > I have a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer with about 95,000 miles on it.
>
> > > > I have owned the car for a year, but about 2 months ago I noticed that
> > > > when I would turn at low speed (0-25 mph) very sharply, I would get a
> > > > very troublesome sound and vibration that seemed to come from the
> > > > tires. The sound is kind of like a series of pops, or maybe
> > > > grinding... hard to say. Honestly, it almost sounds like the pop I get
> > > > from turning too sharply in four wheel drive (which I hear is supposed
> > > > to be normal...)
>
> > > > I know, basically, nothing about cars. I took this into my dealer and
> > > > they said they couldn't find any actual damage, but that the tires
> > > > seemed to have some pretty bad wear on them (there seems to be plenty
> > > > of tread, so I'm assuming the wear is on the edge).
>
> > > > Could this cause this sound? I had the tires rotated and balanced, but
> > > > it didn't help at all, and I try to make sure my tires are inflated to
> > > > 35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front (as per the sticker on the
> > > > car).
>
> > > > I believe the tires that were on the Explorer when I bought it a year
> > > > ago were brand new (since they had the factory colored stripe on
> > > > them), so it seems odd to me that they'd wear so quickly.
>
> > > > Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> > > > Thanks,
>
> > > > Braden
>
> > > If you have Control Trac 4WD and your tires are worn the sensor may
> think
> > > they are slipping and go into 4WD. I'm not sure about the '02 but on
> the
> > > slightly earlier Control Trac models there have been reported problems
> with
> > > a dirty sensor in the transfer case that was causing it to go into 4WD.
> The
> > > solution to that problem was to clean or replace the sensor.
>
> > Interesting. Is there a way for me to know if I have this feature? Is
> > it the same as Auto 4x4?
> > Mine is one of the earlier 2002 models without some of the features
> > that came out later in the model year.
>
> > Appreciate the help.
>
> > Thanks,
>
> > Braden
>
> Unfortunately I can't say for sure if the '02 has the same type of automatic
> 4WD system but I imagine it still has sensors which determine the speed at
> which the wheels are rotating. If they are not the same then it determines
> that something is slipping somewhere and 4WD is probably a good idea about
> now and engages. If your tires are enevenly worn then they will be
> traveling at slightly different speeds. That could possibly account for the
> noise you hear on turns. If it continues something is likely to break.
> And, like I said before, the other reason it might go into 4WD when it
> shouldn't is because of the bad/dirty sensor on the transfer case. I can't
> say for sure if that is what your problem is but those would be the first
> things I'd look into.
>
> Dave made a good point about differential additives. If you have a limited
> slip differential and don't add the additive when you change the oil it can
> cause problems. I've not had this particular problem because I always add
> the limited slip additive. I've also not heard about an additive for the
> front differential so that is news to me.
>
> 30 psi sounds a bit low to me for the front but maybe Ford has their
> reasons. I have a new Tire Inflation sticker for my '92 that was issued as
> a recall. They used to recommend some rather low pressures but someone must
> have told them that people were actually driving these things on paved roads
> and raised it after all the blowouts and rollovers. My '91 says 30F and 35R
> but I keep my front tires at about 33-35 and the rear about 35-37. If your
> tires are wearing too quickly or enevenly that could mean you need an
> alignment or new shocks. What kind of tires are they? Probably about 90%
> of the folks here prefer the Michelin LTX M/S tires. The only ones I've had
> that I possibly liked better were the recalled Firestone Wilderness tires.
> They seemed to be a little better on ice and slippery mud but I have limited
> experience in those conditions.

Thank you guys for your replies.

I took my Explorer back to my dealer today and the shop manager says
that she believes it has something to do with the rear differential
and she is going to investigate it. I am going to get the oil changed
also and have them add differential additives. I'll let you know how
it goes and hopefully it solves my problems.

Thanks,

Braden

On Nov 16, 1:30 pm, brazzle > wrote:
> On Nov 15, 2:55 pm, "Ulysses" /> wrote:
>
>
>
> > "brazzle" > wrote in message
>
> roups.com...
>
> > > On Nov 13, 11:01 am, "Ulysses" /> wrote:
> > > > "brazzle" > wrote in message
>
> > > oups.com...
>
> > > > > Hello all.
>
> > > > > I have a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer with about 95,000 miles on it.
>
> > > > > I have owned the car for a year, but about 2 months ago I noticed that
> > > > > when I would turn at low speed (0-25 mph) very sharply, I would get a
> > > > > very troublesome sound and vibration that seemed to come from the
> > > > > tires. The sound is kind of like a series of pops, or maybe
> > > > > grinding... hard to say. Honestly, it almost sounds like the pop I get
> > > > > from turning too sharply in four wheel drive (which I hear is supposed
> > > > > to be normal...)
>
> > > > > I know, basically, nothing about cars. I took this into my dealer and
> > > > > they said they couldn't find any actual damage, but that the tires
> > > > > seemed to have some pretty bad wear on them (there seems to be plenty
> > > > > of tread, so I'm assuming the wear is on the edge).
>
> > > > > Could this cause this sound? I had the tires rotated and balanced, but
> > > > > it didn't help at all, and I try to make sure my tires are inflated to
> > > > > 35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front (as per the sticker on the
> > > > > car).
>
> > > > > I believe the tires that were on the Explorer when I bought it a year
> > > > > ago were brand new (since they had the factory colored stripe on
> > > > > them), so it seems odd to me that they'd wear so quickly.
>
> > > > > Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> > > > > Thanks,
>
> > > > > Braden
>
> > > > If you have Control Trac 4WD and your tires are worn the sensor may
> > think
> > > > they are slipping and go into 4WD. I'm not sure about the '02 but on
> > the
> > > > slightly earlier Control Trac models there have been reported problems
> > with
> > > > a dirty sensor in the transfer case that was causing it to go into 4WD.
> > The
> > > > solution to that problem was to clean or replace the sensor.
>
> > > Interesting. Is there a way for me to know if I have this feature? Is
> > > it the same as Auto 4x4?
> > > Mine is one of the earlier 2002 models without some of the features
> > > that came out later in the model year.
>
> > > Appreciate the help.
>
> > > Thanks,
>
> > > Braden
>
> > Unfortunately I can't say for sure if the '02 has the same type of automatic
> > 4WD system but I imagine it still has sensors which determine the speed at
> > which the wheels are rotating. If they are not the same then it determines
> > that something is slipping somewhere and 4WD is probably a good idea about
> > now and engages. If your tires are enevenly worn then they will be
> > traveling at slightly different speeds. That could possibly account for the
> > noise you hear on turns. If it continues something is likely to break.
> > And, like I said before, the other reason it might go into 4WD when it
> > shouldn't is because of the bad/dirty sensor on the transfer case. I can't
> > say for sure if that is what your problem is but those would be the first
> > things I'd look into.
>
> > Dave made a good point about differential additives. If you have a limited
> > slip differential and don't add the additive when you change the oil it can
> > cause problems. I've not had this particular problem because I always add
> > the limited slip additive. I've also not heard about an additive for the
> > front differential so that is news to me.
>
> > 30 psi sounds a bit low to me for the front but maybe Ford has their
> > reasons. I have a new Tire Inflation sticker for my '92 that was issued as
> > a recall. They used to recommend some rather low pressures but someone must
> > have told them that people were actually driving these things on paved roads
> > and raised it after all the blowouts and rollovers. My '91 says 30F and 35R
> > but I keep my front tires at about 33-35 and the rear about 35-37. If your
> > tires are wearing too quickly or enevenly that could mean you need an
> > alignment or new shocks. What kind of tires are they? Probably about 90%
> > of the folks here prefer the Michelin LTX M/S tires. The only ones I've had
> > that I possibly liked better were the recalled Firestone Wilderness tires.
> > They seemed to be a little better on ice and slippery mud but I have limited
> > experience in those conditions.
>
> Thank you guys for your replies.
>
> I took my Explorer back to my dealer today and the shop manager says
> that she believes it has something to do with the rear differential
> and she is going to investigate it. I am going to get the oil changed
> also and have them add differential additives. I'll let you know how
> it goes and hopefully it solves my problems.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Braden

Alright, update. My Ford dealership wants $1350 to rebuild the rear
differential. they say that the clutch packets are worn and need to be
replaced and they want to do some other work while they're under there
(of course). Unfortunately all the 'other' work is for things I have
known about and so I'm not sure I want to decline them. What do you
guys think? Any harm in trying some differential additives and seeing
how things go for a while?

Thanks,

Braden

"brazzle" > wrote in message
...
> On Nov 16, 1:30 pm, brazzle > wrote:
> > On Nov 15, 2:55 pm, "Ulysses" /> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > > "brazzle" > wrote in message
> >
> > roups.com...
> >
> > > > On Nov 13, 11:01 am, "Ulysses" /> wrote:
> > > > > "brazzle" > wrote in message
> >
> > > > oups.com...
> >
> > > > > > Hello all.
> >
> > > > > > I have a 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer with about 95,000 miles
on it.
> >
> > > > > > I have owned the car for a year, but about 2 months ago I
noticed that
> > > > > > when I would turn at low speed (0-25 mph) very sharply, I would
get a
> > > > > > very troublesome sound and vibration that seemed to come from
the
> > > > > > tires. The sound is kind of like a series of pops, or maybe
> > > > > > grinding... hard to say. Honestly, it almost sounds like the pop
I get
> > > > > > from turning too sharply in four wheel drive (which I hear is
supposed
> > > > > > to be normal...)
> >
> > > > > > I know, basically, nothing about cars. I took this into my
dealer and
> > > > > > they said they couldn't find any actual damage, but that the
tires
> > > > > > seemed to have some pretty bad wear on them (there seems to be
plenty
> > > > > > of tread, so I'm assuming the wear is on the edge).
> >
> > > > > > Could this cause this sound? I had the tires rotated and
balanced, but
> > > > > > it didn't help at all, and I try to make sure my tires are
inflated to
> > > > > > 35 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front (as per the sticker
on the
> > > > > > car).
> >
> > > > > > I believe the tires that were on the Explorer when I bought it a
year
> > > > > > ago were brand new (since they had the factory colored stripe on
> > > > > > them), so it seems odd to me that they'd wear so quickly.
> >
> > > > > > Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > > > > > Thanks,
> >
> > > > > > Braden
> >
> > > > > If you have Control Trac 4WD and your tires are worn the sensor
may
> > > think
> > > > > they are slipping and go into 4WD. I'm not sure about the '02 but
on
> > > the
> > > > > slightly earlier Control Trac models there have been reported
problems
> > > with
> > > > > a dirty sensor in the transfer case that was causing it to go into
4WD.
> > > The
> > > > > solution to that problem was to clean or replace the sensor.
> >
> > > > Interesting. Is there a way for me to know if I have this feature?
Is
> > > > it the same as Auto 4x4?
> > > > Mine is one of the earlier 2002 models without some of the features
> > > > that came out later in the model year.
> >
> > > > Appreciate the help.
> >
> > > > Thanks,
> >
> > > > Braden
> >
> > > Unfortunately I can't say for sure if the '02 has the same type of
automatic
> > > 4WD system but I imagine it still has sensors which determine the
speed at
> > > which the wheels are rotating. If they are not the same then it
determines
> > > that something is slipping somewhere and 4WD is probably a good idea
about
> > > now and engages. If your tires are enevenly worn then they will be
> > > traveling at slightly different speeds. That could possibly account
for the
> > > noise you hear on turns. If it continues something is likely to
break.
> > > And, like I said before, the other reason it might go into 4WD when it
> > > shouldn't is because of the bad/dirty sensor on the transfer case. I
can't
> > > say for sure if that is what your problem is but those would be the
first
> > > things I'd look into.
> >
> > > Dave made a good point about differential additives. If you have a
limited
> > > slip differential and don't add the additive when you change the oil
it can
> > > cause problems. I've not had this particular problem because I always
add
> > > the limited slip additive. I've also not heard about an additive for
the
> > > front differential so that is news to me.
> >
> > > 30 psi sounds a bit low to me for the front but maybe Ford has their
> > > reasons. I have a new Tire Inflation sticker for my '92 that was
issued as
> > > a recall. They used to recommend some rather low pressures but
someone must
> > > have told them that people were actually driving these things on paved
roads
> > > and raised it after all the blowouts and rollovers. My '91 says 30F
and 35R
> > > but I keep my front tires at about 33-35 and the rear about 35-37. If
your
> > > tires are wearing too quickly or enevenly that could mean you need an
> > > alignment or new shocks. What kind of tires are they? Probably about
90%
> > > of the folks here prefer the Michelin LTX M/S tires. The only ones
I've had
> > > that I possibly liked better were the recalled Firestone Wilderness
tires.
> > > They seemed to be a little better on ice and slippery mud but I have
limited
> > > experience in those conditions.
> >
> > Thank you guys for your replies.
> >
> > I took my Explorer back to my dealer today and the shop manager says
> > that she believes it has something to do with the rear differential
> > and she is going to investigate it. I am going to get the oil changed
> > also and have them add differential additives. I'll let you know how
> > it goes and hopefully it solves my problems.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Braden
>
> Alright, update. My Ford dealership wants $1350 to rebuild the rear
> differential. they say that the clutch packets are worn and need to be
> replaced and they want to do some other work while they're under there
> (of course). Unfortunately all the 'other' work is for things I have
> known about and so I'm not sure I want to decline them. What do you
> guys think? Any harm in trying some differential additives and seeing
> how things go for a while?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Braden

Gee whiz. I've not read any posts that I can remember about anyone having
any serious rear-end problems on any Explorers. You might want to do a
Google search and see if anything turns up. I can't seem to remember
exactly what the sympoms are of not adding the limited slip additive to the
rear differential but what you described might fit.

My experiences with my local Ford dealer have not been real great. I took
my '91 in for a brake booster recall and asked them to check the front
locking hubs. They determined that the hubs were bad and it would cost $950
to replace them. They also found about $3000 worth of other stuff to fix.
I might have believed them except they also said I needed new radiator
hoses. The hoses on there were only about 2 weeks old. This discredited
anything they told me from then on. I replaced my auto hubs with manuals
for about $165 or so.

The bottom line for me is that the Ford Service Department seems to be in
cahoots with the Sales Department. If you have a car worth, say, $5000 they
will find $7000 worth of repairs it needs so you'll just go buy a new one
instead.

If your tires are worn you need new tires anyway (probably). I just find it
hard to believe your rear end is already worn out. Personally I would
change the oil and add the additive and see how that goes. Did you check
the oil level? You just need (probably) a 3/8" drive rachet wrench and a
finger. You remove the plug, stick your finger in there and see if it's up
to the plug. Maybe it's just low. To change the oil you normally remove
the cover and use black high-temp silicone as a new gasket. This can be
difficult sometimes. The other way is to get a gear oil pump and pump it
out but you won't get all the oil out and you can't take a look inside and
inspect for wear etc.

I you get a Hayne's or Chilton's manual it *might* tell you how to remove
the transfer case sensor. They seem to be overcautious when it comes to
transmissions and related stuff and figure that no information is better
than a little. You can probably find a Ford Service Manual on CD on eBay
for around $10. That will tell you how to remove the sensor but it takes a
while to get used to finding anything on those CD manuals.

Personally I'd get a couple more opinions before having the differential
work done.