Hi. I'm new here as well as a new Ford owner. This is my first post so bear with me. My husband and I just recently bought 2 used Ford trucks. He bought a 2014 F-150 4-door Crew Cab a few months ago. Three weeks ago I bought a 2006 Ford Expedition. The F-150 is doing great, but I am nervous about the Expedition. I have a 30 day warranty with 8 days left, and today my husband drove it and all hell broke loose. He called someone he knows that works on cars who suggested it might be something to do with the rear differentials. I'm going to explain what happened to the best of my ability.

My husband said was parked for just a few minutes with the engine running, and when he put it into drive it started making a very loud noise that sounded like it was coming from the back end, and the sound lasted until he got home, about 5 miles away. When he got home he looked under the back end of the truck and first noticed that one of the "rings" was jammed and then it fell off. Then he also noticed a bunch of grease around the back wheels. Obviously we know nothing about cars and we don't know the names of the parts, so I am attaching pictures for you to see.

I only have about a week to return the car. Besides the question of what the hell is wrong with this thing, I also want to know if this is a car I should not be buying. I really LOVE this car. It only has 133K miles on it and it's super clean. Clean Carfax and in superb condition for a 2006. Any help would be SOOOO appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

Hi it looks like the CV boot is leaking. the CV joint may be bad due to the noise.
take it back.

 

It's not a bad truck, but as with all makes and models, it has its weak spots. If you're lucky, the noise was caused by the clip that goes around the boot and the joint is fine, but since you still have warranty I'd say you should push for a replacement of the joint. It's impossible to say if the differensial is bad without looking at it in person, but the pictures are showing a CV joint and not a differensial. The differensial is located in the middle of the truck, in the opposite end of that axle you see going into the rubber boot.

 

That would be a failed CV joint on the rear axle, you might try to negotiate with the car dealer for some help with the repair vs taking it back as it is a reasonably easy part to replace and even if they won't help it might also be worth getting a quote for replacing the axle shaft before giving up on it at the same time.

 

The pictures appear to be from both the left and right sides. Is that correct, the grease has leaked on both sides? And the silver retaining ring has come off on the right side? I don't see a build-up of old grease, nor do I see signs that a bunch of old grease was recently cleaned up. This leads me to believe the grease leak is a new problem and likely the result of something the used car dealer did. The CV boots don't look new, so I don't think they goofed replacing the boots. The boots also don't appear cracked in the pictures. The boots are not meant to be serviceable for grease to be added as needed. In my opinion, I think the dealer tried to add grease to cover another issue. I'd take it to a certified mechanic (or Ford dealer) for a full written inspection that you can use to demand the truck be fixed under the warranty, or decide to just get your money back.

 

Thanks to all of you SO very much for taking the time to share your input.

To broncoholic, yes, the pictures are from both sides and both sides are showing something leaking. You are also correct that the silver retaining ring came off on the right. I probably didn't explain it right in my original post. When my husband got home the retaining ring on the right was jammed somehow and then it fell off. Could that be what caused the loud noise because I drove it today and it was fine.

Here's my new dilemma...we called the dealer and we are supposed to be dropping the truck off with him at 3PM (CST) for his mechanic to look at it. I wanted to take it to a mechanic on my own but I haven't been able to. Does anyone have any advice as to what I should say to them when I drop it off? I still owe him $400, or I get my money back by March 9th. If what broncoholic says is right and the dealer did something to this truck or is covering something up, obviously I can't trust him or his mechanic. Should I take it somewhere else after he gives his report, or should I tell him I already had it looked at by a mechanic and act like I know what needs to be fixed? It sucks when you start having to think like a crook just to deal with one.

 

One more thing (before I have to head to the dealer)...

If there is a "failed CV joint" or if the CV joint needs to be replaced, how is it repaired? Does the axle shaft need to be replaced?

(I know it probably feels like you are talking to a toddler but you basically are when it comes to this subject. I appreciate your patience. I hope one day I'll be on the other end answering some other toddlers questions!)

 

I wouldn't bluff like you've gone to another mechanic and know what is wrong. Tell them what you told us...there was noise, the ring came off, now there's no noise. I would also ask them 'why is there grease everywhere?' See what they have to say about everything and what they think they need to do to fix it.

 

The dealer just called me to say my truck is ready. I dropped it off at 3:00 PM CST yesterday. I asked him if any work was performed on it and he said yes, replaced both CV joints in the rear. Can that kind of work get done this quickly? How can we tell that it was really done? What should we look for when we go pick it up?

 

That work can definitely be done in a day. Look for new parts! The boots should look new and I think the axle shafts will look new. Someone chime in if I'm wrong. Be sure to ask how long the parts and labor is warranted for. And I'd ask about an extension on the original 30 day warranty.