RF Vibration - 96 EB
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RF Vibration - 96 EB
`My 96 EB explorer with 59,000 miles, has a vibration in RF.
Need help.
Contrary to what Chilton Manuals show, truck has permanent wheel bearing, not tapered roller bearings. Locking hubs are inside differential.
Vibration starts around 40 mph, gets worse with speed. Present in 2WD or 4WD on road.
I jacked up all 4 wheels, from as far out on suspension as possible to keep at normal ride height. Rotated front wheels, and tried to wiggle them. Bearings seem tight - no play, and seem smooth, tho hard to tell because everything to diff turns.
Put in 4wd, blocked lf tire - vibration. changed block to RF - all smooth. Therefore problem definitely in RF.
Removed tire, rotor & caliper - still vibrates.
Tried to check CV's - boots intact, seem ok. tried to check diff bearing - unable to tell.
Question - how do I diagnose, how does all this stuff come apart?
Chilton - even latest one is wrong - shows locking hubs in axle, tapered bearings.
Do later explorers still use the sealed wheel bearing and have locking inside differential?
(I have 40 years experience with 2wd vehicles - this is my first 4wd) Thank you for your responses, George
Need help.
Contrary to what Chilton Manuals show, truck has permanent wheel bearing, not tapered roller bearings. Locking hubs are inside differential.
Vibration starts around 40 mph, gets worse with speed. Present in 2WD or 4WD on road.
I jacked up all 4 wheels, from as far out on suspension as possible to keep at normal ride height. Rotated front wheels, and tried to wiggle them. Bearings seem tight - no play, and seem smooth, tho hard to tell because everything to diff turns.
Put in 4wd, blocked lf tire - vibration. changed block to RF - all smooth. Therefore problem definitely in RF.
Removed tire, rotor & caliper - still vibrates.
Tried to check CV's - boots intact, seem ok. tried to check diff bearing - unable to tell.
Question - how do I diagnose, how does all this stuff come apart?
Chilton - even latest one is wrong - shows locking hubs in axle, tapered bearings.
Do later explorers still use the sealed wheel bearing and have locking inside differential?
(I have 40 years experience with 2wd vehicles - this is my first 4wd) Thank you for your responses, George
New User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 4
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Sounds very similar to my 96 EB AWD.
I have had the same type of vibration (a roaring noise, really).
On disassembly, I noted play in both of the half-axles and replaced them. That changed the noise, but it was still there.
It got much worse and also started making noise in the left side.
I tore it down again and found that the left wheel bearing seems to be grinding. It is a hub assembly replacement, $200 at O'Reilly's.
I have dropped the front differential and it is now sitting on my bench. It is not bad to do, most of the work is in removing the half-axles.
I have not yet found another problem. The outer bearing on the right stub is where the vibration was coming from, but I see no problem with it.
Now, I have not been able to disassemble the differential. Does anyone know how this thing comes apart? Haynes manual is no help. There are two bearing caps, one on each end, but removing them does not allow me to pull the ring gear assembly out.
Also, does the right stub come out of the carrier, or is it all one piece?
How do you adjust the gear clearance? Especially since I cannot reach the pinion gear.
I have in mind taking it apart and replacing all of the seals and bearings, except for the pinion shaft which seems to be no problem.
I have had the same type of vibration (a roaring noise, really).
On disassembly, I noted play in both of the half-axles and replaced them. That changed the noise, but it was still there.
It got much worse and also started making noise in the left side.
I tore it down again and found that the left wheel bearing seems to be grinding. It is a hub assembly replacement, $200 at O'Reilly's.
I have dropped the front differential and it is now sitting on my bench. It is not bad to do, most of the work is in removing the half-axles.
I have not yet found another problem. The outer bearing on the right stub is where the vibration was coming from, but I see no problem with it.
Now, I have not been able to disassemble the differential. Does anyone know how this thing comes apart? Haynes manual is no help. There are two bearing caps, one on each end, but removing them does not allow me to pull the ring gear assembly out.
Also, does the right stub come out of the carrier, or is it all one piece?
How do you adjust the gear clearance? Especially since I cannot reach the pinion gear.
I have in mind taking it apart and replacing all of the seals and bearings, except for the pinion shaft which seems to be no problem.
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,263
Likes: 92
From: BC Canada
this might sound silly but have you tried to shine a strobe on the offending axle/wheel
last time I had a vibration I used my old timing light and with the engine running and gear rotating watched the type of vibration with the timing light, result, lower ball joint, which tested OK by hand......
last time I had a vibration I used my old timing light and with the engine running and gear rotating watched the type of vibration with the timing light, result, lower ball joint, which tested OK by hand......
New User
Joined: Aug 2004
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Nope, have not tried a strobe. Good idea though, but I don't have one. I have used them in the past for industrial applications and it works great.
Since the last post, I dropped the differential and rebuilt it. Much more of a job than I expected. R&I was not too bad, but the disassembly is a real pain since every bearing in it was very difficult to remove. The local drive train shop (where I had to go to get the differential bearing kit) was very helpful. They also said that they would have done the rebuild for $250. That is a bargain and a highly recommended alternative. Not having done it before, it took me several tries to get the pinion depth and backlash correct. It cost about half of that just for parts.
Also, I highly recommend the purchase of a slide-hammer puller and a bearing splitter before starting the job; both can be hard to find. You will also need a good set of pry bars and chisels.
I counted 16 !!! trips to various parts stores to get everything. Seems like I spent more time on the road that under the car. I would also recommend getting all of the bearing and seals in-hand before beginning. Once you're in there, it makes no sense to leave any old parts. I tried to do that, but some were wrong and some were hard to find.
I found no "red X", but replaced both carrier bearings and both pinion bearings (available with the seals as the aforementioned kit), and both axle bearings. Also, while pulling the half-axles, I noted that the left wheel hub had a little friction so I replaced it as well ($210).
But, it is all OK now. Hard to id the culprit, but my chief suspect was the pinion bearing even though it seemed that the main vibration came from the RHS axle bearing.
The local Ford dealer says that this is not a DIY project, and I would tend to agree. I highly recommend pulling the diff and taking it to a local shop for rebuild. Even if you can do it, it takes a lot of work and more patience than you would think.
Since the last post, I dropped the differential and rebuilt it. Much more of a job than I expected. R&I was not too bad, but the disassembly is a real pain since every bearing in it was very difficult to remove. The local drive train shop (where I had to go to get the differential bearing kit) was very helpful. They also said that they would have done the rebuild for $250. That is a bargain and a highly recommended alternative. Not having done it before, it took me several tries to get the pinion depth and backlash correct. It cost about half of that just for parts.
Also, I highly recommend the purchase of a slide-hammer puller and a bearing splitter before starting the job; both can be hard to find. You will also need a good set of pry bars and chisels.
I counted 16 !!! trips to various parts stores to get everything. Seems like I spent more time on the road that under the car. I would also recommend getting all of the bearing and seals in-hand before beginning. Once you're in there, it makes no sense to leave any old parts. I tried to do that, but some were wrong and some were hard to find.
I found no "red X", but replaced both carrier bearings and both pinion bearings (available with the seals as the aforementioned kit), and both axle bearings. Also, while pulling the half-axles, I noted that the left wheel hub had a little friction so I replaced it as well ($210).
But, it is all OK now. Hard to id the culprit, but my chief suspect was the pinion bearing even though it seemed that the main vibration came from the RHS axle bearing.
The local Ford dealer says that this is not a DIY project, and I would tend to agree. I highly recommend pulling the diff and taking it to a local shop for rebuild. Even if you can do it, it takes a lot of work and more patience than you would think.
