Ford - Explorer :: 2003 - Rear Wheel Awfully Close To The Front Wheel Well?
Jun 5, 2017
I'm buying a 2003 Ford Explorer, XLS Sport Utility 4D. She's got 150k miles on an automatic transmission (pretty sure this model only came in auto anyhow).I'm mostly concerned about the rear axle, as the title prompted. The rear wheel seems awfully close to the front of the wheel well. Is this normal? I google searched some images of this model and seems to be the norm in some cases, and in other cases not.
Attached is a photo of the concerning placement. Is the rear axle bent? Is this suggesting that the rear end is on it's way to crapping itself?
View 2 Replies
Advertisement
I have 1999 F350 7.3 Crew Cab 4WD. I took it on a 4 hours trip towing a trailer to haul a small tractor on it. after 3 hours of driving, I started hearing grinding and metal chewing sound coming from the front axle or close the wheel hubs. It was awful, terrible, ... you name it!!! I had to continue or I will lose the tractor I paid for already. The sound was coming for 1-2 seconds each 500 feet or so. It never stopped or changed. I pulled over to see what's going on and found the following:
1. Left shock is leaking badly
2. Right locking hub is gone (not sure if the truck had one before). I bought this truck last year, but I never had to use 4x4 and I know the 4x4 motor by the transfer case is missing and the nipple on the transfer case is set to the 2wd position so the front drive-shaft does not turn.
I took the front shock off and continued to drive without it, the noise did not go away.
I pulled over again and this time I noticed that the dust cover on each end of the front axle is missing too. I have never worked on these axles before, but I jacked one side, and sure enough, gear oil was leaking from the other side. I took the plug off the front differential and stuck my finger in it. I felt a creamy brown-greenish stuff in the differential. The consistency is like mayonnaise or thin peanut butter. I put the plug back on and went to pick up the tractor because I did not want to miss it fooling around with the truck on the highway.
The truck made it there and back (almost 5 hours total after the break down). The sound never stopped every 500 to 1000 ft.
After getting home safely, I took the other locking hub off, and took it for a test drive. I did not hear the noise, but now my right brakes are locking.
I took of the wheels and saw that the retaining snap ring (C clip) for the front axle on the right side came off by hand. I took the washers behind it off. Took the calipers and brackets off. I have never done front axle rebuild. I am not sure what has been damaged and what's still good.
Right of the bat, I know, at least, I need 2 shocks, one brake caliper and pads.
My questions are:
1. Is it possible to take the front axles off on both sides and make it 2wd for now until I have the money to rebuild the axle?
2. Could I use the same hubs? or they are most likely damaged and how to tell?
3. How to tell if the differential is damaged/needs rebuilding?
4. How to tell if the axles/spindles are damaged?
5. Is there a step by step tutorial to rebuild the axle with all seals, bearings, ...etc? How hard is the job for a hobbyist? I do most of my repairs myself, and I was lucky at 36 years old, I never had to rebuild a differential.
6. What else I might have damaged in the process of driving it that long with the noise? How do I tell if I did?
View 8 Replies
While driving whenever we turn a curve to the right the steering wheel jerks and the whole front end jerks and will either quit when we slow down or come back straight. It seems the faster we go the worse it is also starting yesterday day we have noticed that the front end is beginning to make a popping or thumping sound while turning a curve or sometime will pop or thump randomly. It's starting to get pretty scary.
Just some info, tires are fine, no wear, all correct pressure. Had to recently use 4x4 in the snow but didn't have any problems with it. Did however hit a ditch pretty hard on the driver side and quickly came back out on the road from sliding off in the snow. Has a bad leak from the power steering reservoir to the pump (the line is bad but can't change it on my own and top off reservoir daily). Truck has 227k miles on body and 157 k on newish motor that was just put on in September.
View 2 Replies
Just started noticing that whenever i turn right the passenger side front wheel vibrates. 2003 ford explorer xlt 4x4. i asked a friend and he said cv axle.
View 1 Replies
2003 Ford Explorer passenger front window will not close. The window went down and will not go up. Door locks on passenger front side work. When window button is pressed to open, light on button goes out.
No sound when button pushed. All other windows and power work. Recently, I have had to have engine on to open/close same window. I just want the window up,I can live with not opening window.
View 1 Replies
I have a 1991 toyota 4runner with 4wheel drive stick shift and it has been making a loud rrrrrrrrrrrr sound. It seemed like it was coming from the front right wheel or somewhere close to that area, so I checked the brake pads and rotor for rocks or any other object that might have gotten stuck. There was nothing stuck, however I did notice that the boots were ripped. So I changed both front axles and I also replaced the wheel bearing only from where the noise appears to be coming from. The noise is still there. It makes the noise sometimes, if i'm going slow or fast. Other than that, the car drives well.
View 2 Replies
So my Explorer has been parked for over a year following a minor front-end collision. I went to move it yesterday only to find that the rear passenger wheel was locked up. It wouldn't move fw or backwards and it felt like the brakes were locked up. I took the wheel off and it appeared that the caliper wasn't releasing properly, so I pryed the pads away from the rotor and tried again but still couldn't move the vehicle. So I jacked both rear wheels off the ground and tried. The passenger wheel remained locked while the drivers side rear wheel would spin a bit one way and then back the other way. It is possible that the brake locked up again as I had to depress the brake in order to get it in gear, but am wondering if there is something else going on. Also... Seems the truck is stuck in 4x4 even though the selector switch in in 'auto' (my 4x4 switch choices are Auto, 4-Lo and 4-Hi). Is it correct that as soon as one of the wheels is off the ground that the vehicle goes into 4x4? If so then that makes sense.
View 1 Replies
I have a 03 explorer with approx 160k, I am experiencing a thumping noise while driving. It gets worse on right turns and gets better on left turns. initially i thought LF wheel bearing so i ordered a hub assy and replaced LF. noise is still there. I guess, thumping noise caused by wheel bearings, i know its usually a grinding kind of whirring noise.
The noise doesn't seem to change with accel/decel so I don't think it is driveline related (diff, drive shaft etc.) should i bite the bullet and replace the rf as well??? I should also mention that there is also a shake in the steering wheel that seems to coincide with the thumping (i.e., my hand shakes along with the thumping, and the shake gets worse when the noise does)...
View 8 Replies
1999 explorer Eddie bauer. Front wheel bearing nut size? 33mm?
Looking for a torque spec procedure. Need to replace an abs sensor. Sensor alone was 120 bucks so just bought the whole hub assembly with sensor. Might just put the whole thing on.
Is there a good thread for a complete socket size portfolio on the explorers. Thinking sizes over and above normal socket sizes found in your typical socket set?
View 2 Replies
My wife's Explorer 4x4 has a noise in the front at around 100km/h. It is not detectable below 90km/h. Its not noticeable from a standstill until around 100, then you hear it a little. I find I can make it more noticeable if I vary my speed from 110 to 105 up and down, then its easier to hear. Once you get below 90 km/h you cant hear it at all.
I have a broken leg right now, and I normally do ALL my own work so I'm a little-limited mobility wise at the moment.
I'm suspecting a wheel bearing. I put the Explorer in the garage and my son jack up both wheels on the drivers side. I started the engine and SLOWLY accelerated up through the gears to 100. I know the hazards with this as I've done it with other vehicles, but this was the first 4x4. Then we jacked up the passenger side (after lowering the drivers side) and did the same thing. I could slightly hear/feel the rumble when the passenger side was jacked up.
I did drive the vehicle on my outdoor ramp/pit so I could use my crutches and get underneath to have a look. I grabbed the cv axles and they feel solid. The propeller shaft was replaced last year, and the cv axles look brand new. (bought the vehicle off a friend two years ago.).
So, are my suspicions correct, is it the pass. side wheel bearing? The Explorer has 294000kms. Never did test it on corners as I didn't want to swerve back and forth on the highway with the amount of traffic.
View 4 Replies
I have a 96 explorer 4x4 that i just bought and it has wheel shake. It also has a slight noise coming from pass front. So i jack it up and there is zero wheel play. I spin the wheel and it spins kinda freely until about 3/4 away around then it has some resistance to stop the wheel. Im thinking that could maybe a rotor a lil warped but not sure. Same wheel there are wires showing on the inside. Now i try the driver side and i cannot spin that wheel it has resistance all the time. So could this be hub or maybe just bad tire?
View 12 Replies
I'm working on a 02 explorer. The front end is howling so I replaced the left side and no change. The howl goes away when braking. Is it the right side then or something else? I replaced both front brakes pads so it's not that.
View 2 Replies
How do you remove the rear pass side wheel studs? I have knocked them loose but there isn't enough clearance to remove them. I have removed the parking brake shoes already. Does the hub have to be pulled to do this?
View 2 Replies
I have a 94 Explorer. I recently swapped over from auto to manual hubs. I followed a detailed write-up that I found online. During the process I repacked my outer wheel bearings. Ever since then I hear a grinding noise coming from the front wheels. Sounds like the bearings aren't seated properly. The guide that I followed instructed to torque the spindle nut that sits next the the outer wheel bearing really tight in order to seat the bearing, then loosen it back up and hand tighten it. But when I loosened the spindle nut the wheel bearing would pop back out. What is the best way to get a wheel bearing to stay seated properly?
View 2 Replies
I have a 2005 Explorer XLT with the 4.0L V6 and AdvanceTrac.
I've had a worsening growl in the front end that sounds like it's coming from the front left wheel. I can feel it in the steering wheel, and the sound goes away when I turn the wheel right of center. Center (going straight) or leftward steering, and the noise comes right back.
I changed the wheel bearing today, and there is absolutely no change in symptoms. Turning the CV shaft back and forth by hand, something feels kind of "grindy." It is the same at any point along the shaft, which has me worried that the bad bearing is in the front differential.
View 6 Replies
so i bit the bullet and got a 2001 Ford explorer sport. Not as old as i wanted and has 'way more power options than i wanted but I like her.
Weird thing: around the edges of the rear wheel humps/ bed liner, there's a fair amount of moisture build up on the metal on both sides, under the carpet (pulled the corners back), enough to make the padding damp. Used car guy said was "condensation" from the freaky weather we had had over the last several weeks (granted, it was unseasonably warm/cold changes and raging wind & rain). Had a mechanic look the car over before purchase, he said everything was great shape. But he'd never heard of this type of condensation although he said it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. The back rear windows are sealed and there's no evidence of a leak but he said might need to take it to a body shop and have them silicone around the windows and/or check the door seals.
The water doesn't seem to increase with rain, no damp tracks, and doesn't gather anywhere else that I've found but doesn't seem to dry either...no condensation on the inside of the windows when the truck is closed up.
View 4 Replies
I have a 2003 Sport Trac 4wd with 299,000 miles. There is what sounds like wheel bearing noise (grinding) that was noticed after returning from a trip where I flat towed it behind my rv. I did not notice the noise the last time I drove it - before towing it about 450 miles. I have towed this vehicle for many years and miles this way - transmission and transfer case in neutral with key in on position to unlock steering. I stated this part about the towing because the noise may have gone unnoticed for many miles. About 20,000 miles ago, I changed front wheel bearings, brake calipers, upper and lower ball joints, shocks and outer tie rod ends. Also rear brake pads.
I put the vehicle on jack stands and in drive mode couldn't hear anything in either 2wd or 4wd. I held one wheel at a time so the other side would spin. After checking for wobbling wheel bearings, I took off the wheels and did a push / pull on everything - all seems good. I changed driver's side wheel bearing anyway because I thought it to be a little rough. I removed the front drive shaft and took it out on the road. Noise was still there. This makes me think front differential but before entering unknown territory (for me) is there something else I can do to narrow down the problem? At this point, I'm not even convinced it is from the front end - maybe the sound is radiating through the truck.
View 3 Replies
So my Push Button 4 wheel drive wont engage. The light on the dash wont light up and it doesn't shift into 4x4. Where to start? I would like to check the simple stuff first. O and my heat only gets hot when im giving the vehicle gas. This is all on a 2003 Ford Explorer.
View 2 Replies
I just recently bought a 2000 Explorer, 4.0 OHV, 4x4 with about 150,000 miles.
I've had the vehicle for about a month, and ever since I bought it, it's had a grinding sound (sounded like wheel bearing) coming from the front right side. I replaced both right and left bearing/hub assemblies, and took it out for a drive. The initial sound that I thought was bearing noise is still there, and at about 65mph I started to get a little bit of steering wheel shake. I took my foot off the gas and it stopped. I accelerated up to about 70mph and it seemed ok.
I hit a VERY small bump in the road and the steering wheel started shaking like hell. So bad that I almost lost control. I slammed the brakes and the shake stopped instantly. I took it home and put it up in the air, half expecting to see something loose or broken, and everything looks perfect. I re-torqued everything that I had taken apart for the initial hub/bearing replacement, and took it out again. Same issues.
I never had ANY of these problems before I replaced the hub/bearing assemblies, so I'm completely confused. I was thinking CV joints, but I have no clicking at all when turning, in forward or reverse, everything is smooth. Outer tie rods were done about 6 weeks ago..
View 1 Replies
is it just a 337 thing? but, the rear wheel on the left is poked out farther than the wheel on the right. I didn't measure it just yet but it looks as it's almost a 5mm difference. I didn't realize it until today when an old friend was inspecting my car.
View 11 Replies
My 2005 Prius has 95k miles on it. I've been hearing a cluck-cluck-cluck noise from near the front driver side wheel. I had an independent mechanic test drive it, who said the wheel bearing needs replacement. Should I have it checked out by a Toyota dealer? They're so much more expensive, but are is it worth taking it to them?
View 15 Replies
