vibration/droning noise?
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vibration/droning noise?
My 2001 escape xlt v6 4x4 is going to be the death of me...love the vehicle,but this problem continues.At highway speed,more pronounced at about 55-60 mph,I have a VERY slight vibration,and a extremely irritating "droning" noise...that's the only way I can explain it.I wouldn't say it "howls",it's more of a low pitched,deep tone,drone noise.I have replaced/ checked everything I can think of to correct this.ie:ALL bearings,tires,etc...nothing has corrected this.I did have a similar problem back in 98 on my dodge ram diesel,and it was an out of balance driveshaft,which was covered under warranty(very expensive fix)just wondering if anybody has had any similar problems, or if anyone has any ideas on what to do next...thanks.Brent
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It's your tires... do you have Conti-Junk?
Escapes eat up the tires like nothing else if you don't rotate them every oil change. Even though there may be plenty of tread left and they might balance out, if you look closely you'll find the tread blocks are very choppy, especially on the inside edges. This is the cause of the noise and vibration. Also the continentals they put on at the factory just do not hold up.. they are too agressive for a lightweight suv.
Get something with a more conservative tread design and you'll notice an immediate improvement.
Good luck.
Escapes eat up the tires like nothing else if you don't rotate them every oil change. Even though there may be plenty of tread left and they might balance out, if you look closely you'll find the tread blocks are very choppy, especially on the inside edges. This is the cause of the noise and vibration. Also the continentals they put on at the factory just do not hold up.. they are too agressive for a lightweight suv.
Get something with a more conservative tread design and you'll notice an immediate improvement.
Good luck.
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Oops, how many miles on the tires? Also, the drive shaft is an interesting possibility. Has the driveshaft ever been disconnected? I had one on a '88 Mustang that caused a problem similar to what you are describing. It turned out that the drive shaft had been dropped during a u-joint replacement and had lost a balancing weight. I don't know anything about the shaft in an Escape (mine is FWD) so I can't add any expertise.
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bought vehicle used,has 70,000 miles,but of course no idea on tire mileage. as far as driveshaft ever being removed,again,i'm not sure...I know I haven't taken it off myself....I've owned it for only maybe 6 -7,000 miles.I had a look at the driveshaft very closely and it doesn't look like anything has come off as far as weights...I can't see any spots where there could have weights and now there isn't...I don't know,i'm really stumped on this one!
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You said replaced all the bearings, did you specifically replace the wheel bearings? Also rotate the tires in the cross pattern and listen for differences in the droning noise.
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Not sure what you mean when you say"did you SPECIFICALLY replace the wheel bearings",but I replaced ALL 4 bearings...I even replaced(very expensive)the rear trailing arms,because I was worried that maybe the bearings were spinning inside the arm(my mechanic buddy said it looked like maybe the bearings had spun" inside the trailing arm)I didn't think so,but he was just as stumped as me as to the problem...so ALL bearings are "ford" brand and new with trailing arms...also,I have rotated the tires with no improvement.I checked exhaust/hangers and everything looks fine.I was thinking maybe something to do with the driveshaft recall that ford put out...my understanding is it pertains to a 'leak 'at the rear diff. where the driveshaft slips into the differental and causes an oil leak at that spot( also something about the "rotary blade coupling" needing some attention...i'm not sure of the specifics as I got this info second hand...anybody know anything about his???thanks for the responses,but I'm still stumped...I think I've tried everything I can think of...more ideas would sure be appreciated...Brent
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Wheel bearings ...installed ~$400 apiece, + Rear trailing arms.... $????(very expensive), + all the effort and frustration. The drive shaft is next and will be but a fraction of the cost you have in this so far. After that you have the transmission tailshaft bearings and pinion and ring bearings. Does your 2001 have a midline driveshaft carrier bearing? If so it could be a simple alignment there.
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Yes it does have a center bearing on the driveshaft...that has been something I have considerd as a potential problem,i'm just not sure exactly at what to look for...I have physically looked at and grabbed/shaked the driveshaft at the center bearing location and everything looks/feels fine(as much as I know about it anyway.there is play there,but there is some play normally...)It looks fine as far as it doesn't look like it was ever damaged(by hitting something)same as the driveshaft,it looks fine as well,no evidence of physical damage,so why /what would cause me to have a problem threre now?...Brent M
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From: Warsaw, IN.
Hi Brent M. I have a 2006 that has the same droning since new, I had the tires balanced and the dealer, oops "stealer" even had two new tires replaced and still has the vibration, the dealer will have to talk to their engineers more about this problem, they even test drove new off the lot and those have it also, so as to the fix??? No word from the dealer.
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Thanks for the info...it sure is funny how these problems are "sporadic"...i've talked to many escape owners personally,some have newer models than mine,some the same year,and they don't have any of theses problems!...it's definately bizarre...Brent