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
    31,060
  • #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
296 Great Deals out of 15,534 listings starting at $1,712
Used Ford Expedition
29 Great Deals out of 811 listings starting at $7,888
Used Chevrolet Tahoe
18 Great Deals out of 717 listings starting at $5,995
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
109 Great Deals out of 3,274 listings starting at $4,995
Used Toyota Highlander
24 Great Deals out of 719 listings starting at $6,495
Used Dodge Durango
45 Great Deals out of 2,288 listings starting at $5,500
Used Honda Pilot
44 Great Deals out of 1,202 listings starting at $2,133
Used Toyota 4Runner
15 Great Deals out of 341 listings starting at $9,900
Used Chevrolet Silverado 1500
212 Great Deals out of 5,925 listings starting at $3,995
Used Ford Escape
155 Great Deals out of 4,531 listings starting at $2,995
Used GMC Yukon
18 Great Deals out of 736 listings starting at $5,998

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.