Hi, I purchased my 2002 (2x2) sport trac from my brother in law approx. 6 months ago. It only has 38,000 or so miles on it. The rotors and bearings were replaced right after I bought it. I took it back due to wheel noise and had the bearing repacked (the automotive guy said a bearing was loose). I am hearing this woo woo woo sound from the front...not sure if it's on the right/left of both sides of the front end. It almost sounds like something is warped. There are no driving/steering problems with the car...nor braking problems. No leaks. I have never owned a Ford before, so I am not sure if this sound is normal or not. I feel silly taking it back again after the shop ensured me that things were ok, but I am worried that my wheels are going to fall off or something. Another thing...not sure if this is related or not, but there seems to be excessive brake dust on the front rims. I've been noticing that lots of Fords have "dirty front wheels". Is excessive break dust normal for a Ford??? I was told it's due to the pads that were used.

I would appreciate ANY thoughts or suggestions. My husband is not a mechanic and he's tired of hearing me complain. But honestly, we can't keep taking this thing to the shop over and over again. I do like the truck, but I am really tired of worrying.

 

lj,

The "woo-woo-woo" is not normal. There is a history of wheel bearing problems with these Sport-Tracs. This may be what you're hearing. Might want to jack up the front end and place it on 2 jack stands. Then free-wheel each wheel and listen for some noise. That may help you see if it's in both or one wheel.

As far as the dreaded front wheel dusting, yep, normal for the factory cheap brake pads that Ford uses. When it's time to replace them, use a good name brand ceramic replacement and that dust will almost disappear.

Good luck with the noise. Keep us posted here as to what you find.

CMOS

 

Thank you for responding CMOS! I had a feeling that the noise wasn't normal. I'll try what you've suggested and go from there. THANKS for confirming my suspicions.

This is wonderful site. I am so glad I found it.
LJ

 

Also, if it looks like you have more dust on one side that the other, you could have a brake pad dragging slightly which could account for the sound you are hearing. I completely agree with going with ceramic brake pads.

 

Tires themselves can also be the cause of noises like that if they are worn unevenly or have belts separating. May want to rotate the tires front to back and see if the noise persist. Just my 2 cents worth - I have had noisy tires that sounded like that.

EE

 

That you for the response. I took the truck back into the shop today and asked them to recheck the bearings. Low and behold they came out and told me I needed 4 new tires because these tires were cupped on the inside. I was SHOCKED because these tires only have 37,000 or so miles on them. I did ask them to show me...and they did. Still skeptical, I took the truck to the place I normally buy tires for their opinion. They, too, told me that all 4 were bad....cupping on the inside. The tires are original to the truck - Goodyear - and apparently Goodyear tires aren't so good. I was told to drive it 5000 more miles if I could stand it just to get all the life out of the tires, then get new ones....and get an alignment. To look at the tires from the outside, you'd never know they were junk. AMAZING and what a learning experience this was. WHO knew tires could cause so much NOISE??

Thank you again for your response.

 

lj,

There is nothing inherently "wrong" with Goodyear tires. There are millions of people who get 50-70K miles from a Goodyear tire. The is most likely with your truck. You could very well have one or more of the following: bad shocks, warped frame, bad wheel bearings, bad alignment, etc.

Here's the most puzzling part - why are your REAR tires bad? Unless you need a serious 4-wheel alignment (axle is offset and tilted) - OR - all of your tires were grossly under-inflated, you have some issue with the truck.

I'd sure hate for you to put on new tires (I'll highly recommend the Michelin LTX-MS) and have them see the same fate. Do some homework before you replace the tires. There's most likely some issues with your truck that need attention before the new tires go on.

Keep us posted.

CMOS

 

You Are Lucky That You Got 37k + Out Of The Tires. The Tires Will Do That If They Were Never Rotated On A Regular Basis Or There Is A Problem With The Suspension. If It Was Me I Would Not Wait And Just Go And Replace The Tires As Soon As Possible. That Noise Would Drive Me Crazy. The Alignment Is Also A Must When You Replace The Tires. As Long As The Alignment And Suspension Are Good And You Make Sure The Tires Are Rotated On A Regular Basis The New Tires Should Last You A Long Time.