Hi,

I have an 03 Explorer with 115K miles. When I turn either left or right, I feel a vibration in the wheels/steering wheel. It's getting progressively worse, I'd say, over the last 5000 miles to the point where even my wife is noticing it. I have new tires, had an alighnemt done, and when I was getting new tires and the car was up on the lift, I moved the tires to see if the ball joints were bad and it didn't feel like there was any play that would lead me to replacing them.

Any ideas? It's more noticeable from a standing start than at higher speeds, and it's when i turn the wheel when I move my hand from about 12 o'clock to 2 o'clock as I turn.

thanks.

 

If you've got the Tow Package, it might be the clutch packs in the LS rear end.

Steve

 

Any other thoughts guys? Could it be something obvious, like tie rod ends or something?

Thanks.

 

make sure your power streering is full

 

Typical rack and pinion malady.

 

Steve,

I'm afraid you may be right. The Power Steering fluid is at the right level, and there is no vibration in the PS pump when I start to turn. If I watch the tires from the front as my wife does a slow turn, I can see the tire kind of wobble "out" if that makes sense. I think it must be a gear going bad. If it was a tie rod or ball joint, it would have shown up when I had it up on a rack to have it aligned, right? I'm thinkin' I might have to take it in....

Matt

 

Matt -

2-wheel or 4-wheel drive? Did you check to see if you have the Tow Package?

Steve

 

Steve,

4 wheel drive. It came with a hitch, but I'm not sure if that qualifies as an official tow package. You will have to help me with the clutch packs.....that is beyond my expertise. I did have a problem with my 4WD at the beginning of winter last year that turned out to be the motor on the rear diff that engages the back wheels. I took that apart and cleaned it up, etc, and it solved my problem. I am also regular in changing fluids, and I just changed the diffs and tranny fluid at 100k....

Matt

 

Matt -

If the hitch opening measures 1.25" and has a flat 4-pin trailer electrical connector, then you don't have the Tow Package. If the hitch measures 2" and has a round 7-pin connector then you've got it. I'm not sure if the front differential is limited-slip like the rear with the Tow Package; hopefully someone with 4X experience can chime in with the answer. The front tires don't stay vertical as they turn right or left, if that's what you mean by "wobble".

Steve

 

So yes, I have tow package.

What I mean by wobble is not about the tires being vertical. There is a noticeable movement outwards by the tire, almost like a bearing is bad or something, where the outside front of the tire seems to push to the outside. I can't do a great job describing it here...but it's like if you put your hand out to shake somebodies hand, and then you bend all your fingers at once at your knuckles closest to your wrist keeping your fingers straight. If you did that over and over, that is the movement that you sorta see out of the front tires. I don't think it has anything to do with the rear diff...but the front? maybe. Or maybe the front gearing on the rack and pinion. Or maybe bad seals in the pump and the pump is pulsing fluid and not delivering it at a steady rate, so it pushes the tire out in that pulsating fashion???

thanks for your help!

Matt