Manager Forum

I've got this 2008 Mercury Mountaineer, 4.6L engine, automatic transmission and 4wd, vin #4M2EU48868UJ06768 that has a moan/whine at about 15-20 mph that is there momentarily and disappears. It seems to be coming from the front end and if I can keep the speed at 15-20 mph, it will do it for a while, driving straight or into a turn. So, I removed the driveshaft and the noise was gone. Put the driveshaft back on and the noise is there. So, after going over the front driveline and suspension, and thinking the noise may be coming from the front differential, I replaced the front differential. However, the noise is still there. The noise can be felt in the steering wheel and in the floorboard at my feet. Where do I go?

Anybody with ideas? I'm out of them.

I copy and pasted this from Identifix. Hopefully that is OK.

The front differential was replaced due to a loud whining/moaning noise under certain load conditions, that goes away with the front driveshaft removed. After replacing the front differential, the noise is still present.

Check to make sure that all four tires are the same tire size. If they are the same tire size, measure the outside rolling circumference of each tire with a seamstress ruler. If there is more than a 1/2" variance in rolling circumference between tires, replace all 4 tires with a brand new set and recheck for proper operation.

We have ran into problems with tires more than once on an AWD even though they are the correct size.

Rotate the tires.