I'm not a mechanic..

[Charla422]

Okay, So I may have made a fools mistake. I went to the auto auction this weekend and picked up a beautiful 97 Ford Expedition XLT (Yes, she is a 4x4). Clean interior and exterior but to be honest, I did not expect to get the first vehicle I bidded on. I thought I'd use her for practice (I only bidded once); thankfully, she was one of four I was interested in.

You can't test drive the vehicle (unless you're a dealer) and of course it was purchased "as is".

Needless to say driving it off the lot I felt a little more than just buyers remorse. She makes a grinding (aka clunking) noice when she turns to the left, sounds & feels like its the front drivers side. The engine feels like she shakes when driving and she feels rough, but it's not the engine, the engine sounds great, she only has 150k.

We lifted her off the ground and the wheel doesn't shake. And at times she seems fine but doesn't like to accelerate. We also noticed that the tread on the front tires is about 3/8th of an inch higher on the driver side than the passenger side. (I've seen something about the tread messing with the drive differential).

I think it is most likely, the hubs or maybe the CV axle but a friend of a friend says that there might be something wrong in the transfer case.

I did spend less at the auction than I had in hand, which is the way I wanted it, so I'd have money for some repairs if needed. And looking at the cost of transfer cases online I know I don't have the money to throw at fixes just taking a guess.

HELP!

 

[Mediamonkey11]

Re the CV axle boots torn? Sounds like a bad CV axle for the grinding... Try pulling the ABS fuse to make sure it's not grabbing instead.

As far as the shaking goes, it's common on these if it hasn't had a tune-up in a long time or you have a coil going bad. Do you have the check engine light coming on? If it were me, being an unknown vehicle, I'd replace spark plugs and coil boots first and see if that takes care of the shaking. If not and you have a bad coil, no biggie, you at least know you've done some good maintenance.

 

[Lightnig]

Are the CV axle boots torn? Sounds like a bad CV axle for the grinding... Try pulling the ABS fuse to make sure it's not grabbing instead

...

That was my first thought as well

 

[nonwoven29]

X2^

 

[Yudaman]

As far as the shaking goes, it's common on these if it hasn't had a tune-up in a long time or you have a coil going bad. Do you have the check engine light coming on? If it were me, being an unknown vehicle, I'd replace spark plugs and coil boots first and see if that takes care of the shaking. If not and you have a bad coil, no biggie, you at least know you've done some good maintenance.

Very good advice here!
At 150k it is very possible that it still has the factory plugs. If so, they are way past replacement time!

 

[FordandPolaris]

Also, I began losing wheel hubs and CV joints around 150k. They are not difficult. Wheel hubs are 3 bolts and they slide right off (after taking off brakes, etc.) and CV axles are just a bunch of twelve point bolts and one small one on the wheel hub end and off they come. Do not be surprised though if you do the wheel hubs and can't get the rotors to separate from the hub. They tend to rust solid to the hubs and will need to be replaced as well. Since it only makes the grinding noise turning one direction, I would doubt it would be the transfer case.

Those are doable by just about anyone. Plugs are a different story. If you have the 5.4L they are a real pain. If you are not confident in what you are doing it might be worth paying someone 600 to do it. I did them on my own with a helper and it took me a full weekend to complete.

 

[gkelly]

New axles and a tune up should fix your problem

 

[tonydiv]

It could also be an issue with the center axle disconnect system. It's pretty easy to diagnose and fix.

 

[Charla422]

Progress

So good news, it was the transfer motor, it was horribly corroded, she was locked in 4 wheel drive. She needed new brakes and rotors on three of the four tires but of course we did all 4. Other than that she's running 500 percent better. Oh wait she is getting a new starter and seloniod today. She might need her spark plugs changed, oil change, air filter, oil filter, and fuel filter the easy stuff from here. Everything should be ready to pick up from advanced today. Thank you for all your advice.

 

[1997SCEBFEX]

i would also run some fuel cleaner/stabilizer etc. through your first few tanks of gas in concert with your tune up.

welcome aboard & post some pics when you get a chance.

PanHandler.

 

[Pedition2000]

May I ask what you paid at auction?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk