I have a 2004 Explorer V8 Auto 4WD and it is making a whining sound, rough shifts and feeling a kind of pop in the drive train. This happens when I am off-road in 4HI in 1st gear and in 4LOW. This is not a quiet whining. I am not at high revs either. I have had this Explorer for over a year and I have had it in 4HI & LOW a lot. Never before have I heard this noise until last weekend. I camped at this same sight on 07/03/05 and there was no noise. I also went to a different campsite in Colorado and no noise. There is no visible damage. Mileage 30,500 all maintenance done on time. The Dealer told that Ford has responded by saying this is a normal winding sound and the rough shifts and popping are normal. They also said that since I have BF Goodrich All-Terrains that the tires are not allowing the drive train to slip causing the popping and rough shifts. I am having a hard time buying this since I have had the tires on it since October of last year. Any ideas?

 

YEA , ok [:@]-- look at the top of this Forum page an you will see a sub section pull down menu , called FORD TSB's , click on it , Click on your your Year , An then Model , You will see that FORD has had a problem with these rearends. I would print it out an go back an talk with them again -- Oh , by the way GOOD LUCK ------------

 

YAY Ford rear ends...they just keep on makin em real good eh?

 

I love it when they , Tell the poor folks some [sm=lame.gif], [sm=bs.gif] story , hoping that they will go away ,,, An then the customer comes back with the info , an then they act suprized oh my look at that I wasnt informed ---------------

 

of course, if they have to work on it for free, they do anything to not have to do it. Aholes. That's when you never give them your business again, and come on great forums like this one and tell others what kind of shotty business they are

 

Well, from what I can remember, for every customer you **** off, 10 more won't come back...I'm not sure that really works out because God knows that I've been a few places that I'll never go back to, heard other people complain about, and they still stay open...ah well, find the good ones and keep 'em

 

I want to add that I went to 2 Ford dealers that day. The first one said there were no problems at all. The second one really did try to work with me. The second one had me come down after they could not duplicate my problems. I did within the first 5 minutes of the test drive. The next day they told me everything was normal. Both are owned by Phil Long Ford. After I pulled the TSB report I faxed and called the dealer. They asked me to come back down and to a test with the Service Manager. I met the Service Manager and no test drive he explained the problem. I have to admit that he was very knowledgeable. He gave me the 3 choices. 1. Remove plates on either side to allow for slip. The downside, loss of traction. Hell no! 2. Do nothing. Hell no! 3. Add an anti-friction additive. I went with #3. Went in on Saturday and spent 2 hrs watching football in a lobby. [:@][:@][:@]I lost about 6 1/2 hrs of work time over the last 4 days. I will say that the second dealer Phil Long Ford Chapel Hills customer service was excellent compared to Phil Long Ford in Motor City. Both are in Colorado Springs. Lessons learned are: Use these forums. Don't like what a dealer says. Pull your vehicle and take it to another one. Do some research if you don't like your answer. Also meet the Service Manager. Thanks for the replies and help.

 

No problem, that's what we are all here for

 

Stay in Colorado!

Just kidding! Any abnormal noise is cause for alarm! Check the fluid level in the that transfer case! If ok, drain it in a clean pan and filter it to check for any metal particles. If clean, reservice to proper level with proper fluid.