2003 Ford Explorer Grinding when accelerating

Asked by johnnygriff32 Dec 01, 2016 at 11:28 AM about the 2003 Ford Explorer XLT V8 AWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Hi all. My 2003 Ford Explorer is experiencing some weird stuff lately.
Recently, I took a trip out of town on a road with high speeds and many hills  
on the way; on one of the hills, traveling at about 45 mph and at about
3000 rpm I noticed a weird grinding sound coming from my engine when it
slipped into a lower gear to make it up the hill. I would let off the gas and it
would be fine, but once I tried to accelerate again it would do the same
thing.
It shifts fine and does not do this at higher gears and speeds, just only
when I accelerate and really try and make the Explorer really go. I noticed
too after this happened, on the same trip, that once I started from a dead
stop on flat roads it did the same thing when trying to accelerate but then
stopped again once reaching the higher speeds. I also discovered that
when I have it idling in park or neutral and press on the gas, the same
noise still can occur at around 3000 rpm. But when i turn the car off and
just drive it again the next day, this does not occur. So it seems pretty
random to me.

Anyone have an idea? The previous owner took very good care of it, didn't
drive it too hard so I know it's been well maintained, but he mentioned his
mechanic said the torque converter might become an issue. Could that be
it? I figured it probably isn't the transmission because it shifts fine and
doesn't hesitate like what I've experienced with a previous transmission
problems.

Any help/ideas are greatly appreciated!!

1 Answer

I would check all the wheel bearings for starters. It can't hurt to have the transmission fluid and filter changed. When they do they can look for debris in the filter.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    OJ
    Reputation
    31,070
  • #2
    TransAm77
    Reputation
    7,890
  • #3
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    7,340
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Ford F-150
321 Great Deals out of 15,103 listings starting at $1,712
Used Ford Expedition
22 Great Deals out of 821 listings starting at $7,888
Used Chevrolet Tahoe
20 Great Deals out of 904 listings starting at $11,900
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
122 Great Deals out of 3,221 listings starting at $4,995
Used Dodge Durango
41 Great Deals out of 2,265 listings starting at $5,500
Used Toyota Highlander
32 Great Deals out of 737 listings starting at $2,495
Used Honda Pilot
45 Great Deals out of 1,256 listings starting at $4,495
Used Toyota 4Runner
12 Great Deals out of 309 listings starting at $9,700
Used GMC Yukon
19 Great Deals out of 915 listings starting at $1,225
Used Chevrolet Silverado 1500
195 Great Deals out of 5,967 listings starting at $2,975
Used Nissan Pathfinder
39 Great Deals out of 1,370 listings starting at $3,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.