Noise
Asked by Juliesman Aug 15, 2017 at 07:53 PM about the 1998 Ford Ranger XLT Extended Cab 4WD SB
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I have a noise coming from the front of my truck,
sounds just like front wheel bearings, I replaced
them both and the noise hasn't changed, someone
told me it was my front driveshaft, any one heard
of this or know any fixes?
13 Answers
Was the wheel bearings pressed in? Was the axle nut torqued correctly? It will cause premature failure. Yes I had a cv axle that made lots of noise even when going straight. Had a lot of play. If you are talking U joints this is true also. Not hard to replace. Watch YouTube video. Out of balance? Can cause noise and horrible wobble.
Sure it is not sway bar links? They make noise when worn out. Strut mount? You think it is under you or in front of you as you drive?
Ball joints? Just throwing my experiences out there...
The sound is exactly like a wheel bearing, I was a tech for 10 years so I replaced them noth myself, they were bolt in, swaybar links are new also, I see nothing loose or "bad" in the front end. Thinking of pulling front drive axle and driving to see if noise goes away.
Meant front drive shaft ,not axle, also Truck has no wooble,shake or anything, can take my hands off the wheel with no pull at all.
BritishTech77 answered 7 years ago
So your hearing a loud sound like a wheel bearing but not. Guru9fsv8 could be right or is the brake shield rubbing or do you have a carrier bearing which holds your front drive shaft because that can sound like a wheel bearing. Or did you jack up vehicle and run it? It may be transmission?
BritishTech77 answered 7 years ago
Check anything with a bearing. E.g. alternator, power steering pump, compressor, sound travels! Harder to distinguish untill driving
BritishTech77 answered 7 years ago
Oh sorry! This is a 4WD. Yes in that case check the power divider
Any updates? Mine is doing the same thing!!!
Juliesman....did you ever figure out what was causing the wobble sound in your front end. I have an 04 4WD Ranger doing the same. No vibration, pull or wobble in the steering wheel, just the wobble sound.
All I can say, is one day it got really loud and I removed the front drive shift, the noise went away.. so that being said, could be the front diff, maybe the u joints, but they looked good.. or something else.