Wheel Wobble
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Wheel Wobble
Hey people wanted to see if anyone could help me on this. I have a 98 explorer and noticed a slight wobble/vibration sound comming from the left front tire. I got all tires rotated and balanced and the problem got worse. The tires are a little feather on the inside tread, thinking its a result of lack of rotation ( Bought this truck from a neighbor recently). Took it to Ford dealer and they felt it was a combo cupped tire and bad bearing. They replaced the bearing but the problem is still the same. They insist I need to put new tires on the truck to totally fix the issue. Did I get screwed or what? Has anyone else had this isssue? The vibration is at all speeds except really low speed. The faster I go the loader it seems to get. I don't get much vibration in the steering wheel although it is present. This sound is more like a wobble noise and its pretty bad.. Thanks for any suggestions
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From: Kelseyville, CA
Wheel Wobble
My '97 started cupping the outside edges of my front tires several months ago acompanied by a bad vibration at any speed over 20 MPH. I first noticed it when I rotated my tires. Within a couple thousand miles of my rotation, I noticed my front tires cupping. I don't know why it wasn't there before the rotation though. Maybe since it had been so long since I had done a rotation that the tires were used to wearing that way. Since I put basically smooth tires from the rear to the front, it caused them to wear noticeably. Anyway, I replaced my lower ball joints (didn't help), had my front end aligned (helped with the cupping) and bought new tires (helped with the vibration). I was hoping that with my front end aligned and the new ball joints that the tires would start wearing correctly again. I only had 50K on them and had more than enough tread to go another 10K-15K miles. After several attempts at balancing, I broke down and put new tires on. It has driven smoothly now for the last 5K miles.
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From: Kelseyville, CA
Wheel Wobble
I went from Michelin LTX ATs to BF Goodrich TA KOs. My Michelins rode great for the first 40K. The next 10K were full of wobbles no matter how often I had them balanced. I doubt if it were the tires fault though. Probably due to my alignment being off causing the cupping. Any tire would have probably rode that bad with the cupping.
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Wheel Wobble
Update: So I got new tire and got the truck aligned. The truck ran smooth, finally. However now I have this chirping noise that sounds like a bunch of seagulls are hanging out on my left fron tire. Could this be the bearing? Its not he brakes, I had that issue on my old honda alot and know that sound very well. This is a rythmic seagull noise that gets worse when I turn. it starts around 5mph. Any ideas?
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Eastern WA
Wheel Wobble
Ideas:
1) Loose wheel bearing. Jack it up and grab the top/bottom of tire and try to make it wobble.
2) Not as likely, but maybe a mounting pin that holds the caliper in position has slipped and is contacting the wheel. Pull the wheel and look for abrasion. I'm not sure how Ford secures the caliper on a 95 Explorer; I had this prob on a GM of mine many years ago. It was designed so that if the pin came loose the wheel would trap it and keep it from falling out.
3) I know you said it's not the brakes, but verify that the wear sensor is not touching the rotor if this hasn't been done already.
Hope this helps.
1) Loose wheel bearing. Jack it up and grab the top/bottom of tire and try to make it wobble.
2) Not as likely, but maybe a mounting pin that holds the caliper in position has slipped and is contacting the wheel. Pull the wheel and look for abrasion. I'm not sure how Ford secures the caliper on a 95 Explorer; I had this prob on a GM of mine many years ago. It was designed so that if the pin came loose the wheel would trap it and keep it from falling out.
3) I know you said it's not the brakes, but verify that the wear sensor is not touching the rotor if this hasn't been done already.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by CowboyBilly9Mile; Jun 5, 2003 at 01:36 PM.
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Wheel Wobble
Thanks for the help. I will check it out today, sounds like great advise. Thanks again.
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Wheel Wobble
Update: Well Ford seems to think the noise is a "front axle dust seal" They say it will cost a few hundred to fix. Has anyone heard of this this? They also say it has nothing to do with the work they did even though these two parts touch eachother. Any thoughts?
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Post Fiend
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From: Eastern WA
Wheel Wobble
Originally posted by memphis
Update: Well Ford seems to think the noise is a "front axle dust seal" They say it will cost a few hundred to fix. Has anyone heard of this this? They also say it has nothing to do with the work they did even though these two parts touch eachother. Any thoughts?
Update: Well Ford seems to think the noise is a "front axle dust seal" They say it will cost a few hundred to fix. Has anyone heard of this this? They also say it has nothing to do with the work they did even though these two parts touch eachother. Any thoughts?
I've never heard of this myself, but the keyword from the dealer is "think". If it's the oil/dust seal(s) which are inserted in the rotor, then the price for the part(s) is around $7 - $12 or so each. When I do a brake job, I like to put a small amount of 30 WT oil on them prior to reassembly so they are not running dry.
Maybe try spinning the wheel with the front end off the ground to see if the sound surfaces. This may, on the other hand, be hard to do and to also get it up to speed. Also, there will be no weight on it, which could alter things. I'd try the simple stuff first before I popped the rotor off and replaced seals. But on the other hand the dealer could maybe be right; hard to make a judgement/desision when I can't hear it. If you did the work yourself, plan on a couple of hours; this accounts for the "learning curve".
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From: Kelseyville, CA
Wheel Wobble
Ford has had a problem with the dust seals ever since '95. Their fix while it is under warranty is to lubricate the dust seals. I find it ironic that since you are out of warranty they want to charge you a couple hundred dollars to replace them. I would try lubricating them first. If the noise goes away temporarily, then at least you know what is causing the noise. It won't cause a problem if you don't do anything about it. If the noise doesn't go away, then you can be reasonably certain that it isn't your dust seals. Try spraying WD-40 around the seal being careful not to get any on your rotors!
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