Hi guys. I just bought myself a 98 explorer xlt 5.0 V8. Got 230K on the clock, but seems pretty stout, motor seems ok, body and interior are good, and I picked her up at a good price. Got a couple small issues that I can live with, passenger side door lock, no lights on the cd player, etc, my only real gripe with it right now is this whining sound. Would seem to sound like diff whine to me, which I hear is a common problem on explorers, but im no expert. Here's the symptoms.

When I am on the gas at above 30 mph, it will start to whine, I'm pretty sure it's coming from the rear, but I could also be from the front too, not a 100%, but I plan on jacking her up and listening tomorrow. If I let off the gas, it will go away. If I'm on the highway, at lets say 70 and I let off, sometimes it will go away, sometimes it will wind down as I decelerate. It might be whining as the car downshifts to match the speed, not sure.

From the reading I've done, some people say a heavier gear oil will cure/calm down the problem, others say it doesn't work. Some say a rebuild with only bearings will fix it, others say you also have to get a new ring and pinion. Just trying to get a better understanding of what I'll have to do.

If I decide on swapping the diff, which one is the most reliable? Which ones work? If it's a common problem, I would like to avoid getting another bad one. Another question I have is , if disconnected the rear drive Shaft, could I use it as a FWD? ( I know nothing about explorers or AWD, I've been a Honda guy for a long time) I know you can make it rwd, so was wondering if it could go the other way.

I also have one other issue. It seems as though if I don't drive it for a couple hours, the transmission will slip a little bit when taking off from a dead stop. After a few minutes of driving, it's ok. Was wondering if this is a little quirk with the car or if I should be worried. What would you advise me to do or check for this? Would you consider this serious? The previous owner said he replaced the trans not to long ago, and as I said, after a few minutes, it's ok. Anyhow, sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance, Ramsey.

 

One more question, are all 5.0 explorer xlt AWD?

 

For the whine noise, it sounds like the pinion bearings in the rear are bad. The problem with the ring and pinion was only in 02 and newer explorers with IRS.

I would not remove a driveshaft from an AWD car and drive it, you risk damaging the clutch in the transfercase

Have you checked the trans fluid level and condition? That is where I would start for that.

I don't believe all 5.0 explorers were AWD but I could be wrong.

 

Thanks for your reply. Good to hear that it may just need the bearings replaced. I'm gonna get under the truck and check a few things out today. Hopefully it just needs more or fresh trans fluid.

 

AWD was an option on the 97-02 V8 Explorers. Plenty of 2wd V8s running around out there.
Removing either driveshaft for more than a quick diagnosis is not advised. The front driveshaft aids in the park function of your transmission. If you remove the front shaft, your truck is likely to roll even when PARK is selected.
As for the whine. It is very likely that fordmerc's advice is accurate. The 2nd gen Explorers did have issues with the 8.8 rear end and some whine. A good fluid flush of ALL driveline components would be a good idea (front and rear diff as well as transmission and transfer case)