Stinky started humming on the driver-front. I tried different throttle, neutral, different driving surfaces, acceleration, deceleration, and different speeds. It is absolutely speed-related and it has the dreaded drone - that hum that "throbs" in a 2-second cycle at about 60-65 MPH.

I think I have a hub bearing going out. Has anybody ever found a replacement bearing? All my homework shows this is another one of those items made just for Ford, and Ford won't sell the bearing without the rest of the hub assembly.

I re-greased the hub this summer, but I will take it off and trade with the passenger-side hub tomorrow to see if the noise switches sides.

 

Check with sammie0126 over in the excursion forum. I think she has a writeup on replacing the wheel bearings somewhere...

Also, guzzles site on needle bearing maintenance mentions some part numbers as well

EDIT: Nevermind, I guess sammie has aftermarket hubs, I'll keep digging for ya

 

Its a whole assembly thing.
No layman is getting one apart, fixing it and putting it back together in their garage.
I wont even attempt it in the fully tooled machine shop where i work.

The hub assembly keeps the wheel from falling off the truck.
Do you really trust yourself with that kind of risk Rich?

 

You probably won't have to switch sides. If it has ANY lateral movement up/down side to side it's toast. Don't even call the dealer - they're outrageous! $500 + This time I used an after market from NAPA. You may want to get the studs from the dealer - no one sells them either (OEM). I tried heat and could only get one without damage. Good Luck.

 

OK... I've made it no secret I don't claim to be a mechanic. My nomenclature is off a bit. Locking hubs. Can my locking hubs be making this noise? If the humming is coming from behind the rotor, my mere mortal tools and skills are no match - I would take it in to the shop.

 

Mine was actually the rear wheel bearings.

 

Full pull on 2000 posts? Very helpful or very popular posts. As an old bald guy, I had to work on it a while longer.

Thank you for dropping by and providing feedback... it is appreciated.

 

Welcome. My "for dummies" series of write ups.

 

Are your locking hubs factory Rich? If so, mine starting malfunctioning at around 130-140,000 miles IiRC, hen I bought Warn Premiums. They sucked terribly. Too much plastic and weak as crap springs. So I kept having problems with them not engaging and during Snowzilla 2009/10 I was in no mood to have any more issues. My mechanic highly suggested I replace the Warns with Superwinch, and I was up against an oncoming storm. I actually bought the used ones off his shop truck that he used as more of an advertisement vehicle than a driver, and I haven't had an issue with the hubs not locking since. Superwinch have no plastic parts, and no spring, it is a wedge design, so no guessing on whether they have engaged or not.

The part number for our trucks is 400439. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Superwinch-400439-4x4-Front-Hub-/310636368313?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item48535ed1b9&vxp=mtr

 

I value my ESOF way too much to give up on that feature. The environment here has me switching back and forth without warning (we have microclimates and elevation changes), I don't like a spinning front drive when unneeded, and the idea of frequent hops out of the truck doesn't appeal to me.

I'd rather find that bearing... if that's the noise. If I can't get the bearing alone, I've got a Buck$Zooka and I'm not afraid to use it... as many already know.

Does anybody have locking hubs they pulled (and kept somewhere) because they got tired of fighting the ESOF?

 

If you do need to swap wheel bearing assemblies, i recommend Timken. Good price, very high quality item, comes with all new wheel studs, the 4 lug studs that hold the bearing on and a new ABS sensor/harness. Plus they are made in USA and are what came on these trucks. Its easy to change as well, just get a big 3 jaw puller and you can get it done in 1-2 hours tops

 

Sounding like the sealed front bearings. Have you tried weaving back and forth on a smooth road? Should hear the noise change. When mine started making noise I replaced both sides, figured if one went the other isn't far behind. That was at 195k miles. I did NAPA, I think around 250 or so each.
Like has been said, the hub bearings are not serviceable. I replaced the studs with new, wasn't worth the effort to swap out.

 

Yes... it changes with cornering. I forgot about that part. Thanks.

I don't see a decimal in that number... you're killin' me. Infinity just got pushed back again.

I just had the front axle bearings replaced not long ago, I take it this is completely separate and wouldn't have been touched when they did the axle bearings.

 

Timken is $190 on amazon

 

At 150K I had to eventually replace both front wheel bearing Assy.'s and went with the Timken from Autozone for about $175 or so ea. Nice units and didn't need a puller. NAPA was almost 2x the cost. Maybe you can get by with Guzzle's needle bearing repalcement if that's the issue.

My ESOF hubs are bad and when they don't fully disengage will grind and cause noise.