noise in front/driver's side, 97 mountainner

horseyjen · 10-29-2007, 09:52 PM

Hi, I am hoping you all might be able to help with this. My 97 mountaineer recently began making a noise in the front, more toward the driver's side. It is kind of a rattley clicking noise. It does not do it when it is idling. It begins to do it when I accellerate and continues to do it while coasting. It is less noticable at higher speeds, although I think I can still here it slightly. When I slow down, I can here it as I begin to break and it continues to do it until I stop completely. However, it does not get worse when turning. The car runs fine. Any suggestions about what this might be? Is it ok to drive the vehicle longish distances (90 miles each way)?

Thanks for your help!

shorod · 10-29-2007, 10:29 PM

Hmmm, if you slowly increase the engine speed with the car stationary in park, can you duplicate the noise? Does it start to make the rattle around 2000 rpms? If so, i suspect you have an exhaust heat shield with a broken weld.

If you find that to be the case, don't just rip off the heat shield. Instead, stop by an auto parts store and get the HUGE hose clamps that are often used for exactly this purpose and clampt the heat shield tight again.

-Rod

horseyjen · 10-31-2007, 08:26 AM

I tried your suggestion to increase the rpm's while in park but it did not do it. It only seems to make the noise while driving down the road. I also think I feel a slight vibration under my feet on the driver's side but I'm not sure if this is related to the noise, which also seems to be coming from the driver's side, underneath.

TeamExploder · 12-08-2007, 07:36 PM

Since it's a mounty I'm guessing more than likely its AWD right? if so it's more likely the wheel bearings are going out in which case you need to replace it as soon as you can, because bad wheel bearings can cause a wheel to lock up or could cause the wheel to come off...I forget how this front end is set up I think in this case your front wheel would be more likely to come off. Or if this is an AWD your hubs in the front could be going bad. will the front wheel spin if you jump on the accelerator while in Drive or Reverse? (only if this is AWD or 4WD)

wynnstuff · 03-19-2008, 12:09 AM

Hi, this post looks to be the same problem I am working on. I have left a reply on this thread 'noise in front driveline' to see if there is any new ideas about this. I did change the wheel bearings first thing ($250 a side) but no change. SW

TeamExploder · 03-19-2008, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wynnstuff

Hi, this post looks to be the same problem I am working on. I have left a reply on this thread 'noise in front driveline' to see if there is any new ideas about this. I did change the wheel bearings first thing ($250 a side) but no change. SW

Ok, I'm going to assume that you'r truck is AWD since most but not all mountaineers are 5.0 AWD. If not still do this, have your universal joints checked.

wynnstuff · 03-19-2008, 11:17 PM

Wow, once a newbie I hope not always a NB. Yes my MNTR is '97 AWD, 5.0L. This noise started about 3 years ago at highway speeds and now is at 35MPH and up. We love the truck plus I use it to haul 350Gal (X3) of water each weekend to fill our cistern. I will list all that we have done for this over the years. 1) Lower ball joints, shocks, tires, alignment, 2)changed front shaft Ujoints, 3)change RT then Left front wheel bearings, 4) front and rear driveshaft R/R to get balanced, 5) new front rotors and pads, 6) installed low miles front DIF. Had tranny rebuilt as it started leaking/slipping. None of this changed the root noise/growl. I will be changing the half shafts soon, just have to choose a brand. I really don't know what else to try. Thanks for reading, SW

TeamExploder · 03-20-2008, 06:10 AM

Does the noise seem to change to a different tone or anything if you turn right or left or going around a corner where weight would be shifted to one side?

wynnstuff · 03-24-2008, 11:17 PM

No change to sound when cornering at city speeds or at highway speeds. The sound is very soft at slower than 30 MPH so don't hear it for just a turn through an intersection. My wife calls the sound a 'rumble' at 45-75MPH.

wynnstuff · 04-22-2008, 11:22 PM

New info: I have found out there is a double U-joint 'Joint' at the TXFR case and the front driveline. This joint has another 'bearing' inside the joint housing that could be the reason for the noise. Refered to as the 'pancake joint' or 'flanged joint' by a few mechanics I have asked.
Anyone have more info on this? My description is poor as I have not found it listed anywhere. A new front driveline is $250 so would like to get any opinions on this first.

oldsdad · 05-26-2014, 05:01 PM

Maybe this will help from Rockauto this is the problem I encountered with ,u 98 5.0 AWD and that the cv boot was gone and the joint was knocking rebuilt and now no noise.

1998 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER 5.0L V8 : Drivetrain : CV Joint

Price

DORMAN Part # 932201 {#1L2Z4A376AA, XL2Z4A376AA} Prop Shaft High Speed CV Joint
Front; 4WD; AWD; Propeller Shaft
Part Image
$84.79

rvincentl · 07-11-2015, 04:31 PM

i have 98 mountaineer,just bought used to haul camper,right front drivers side noise,replaced sway bushings,upper ball joint,know it needs alignment but still having rattle noise over bumps,i noticed that if i apply break sightly while still have foot on gas pedel the noise goes away when i go over same bumps,the guy i got this from had replaced break pads and rotors some how i cant help but think that the noise is from the front drivers side break.i guess i can look more on internet but anyone else out there have this type of noise that was'nt bearing or shaft ?or pancake ,whatever that is idk,

shorod · 07-12-2015, 10:41 AM

From your description it sounds like the noise is probably due to brake pads that are not securely mounted in the mounting brackets. Maybe when the previous owner installed the pads he didn't replace the anti-rattle clips correctly, they were worn out, or he forgot to install them.

If the pads work well and don't need to be replaced you should be able to find a brake hardware kit that would include new anti-rattle clips. You could also try some Disc Brake Quiet spray or pasted on the backing plates of the pads to help dampen noises, but that's generally better at reducing brake squeal than brake rattle. If the pads are loose, it will likely be due to worn or missing hardware.

-Rod

rvincentl · 07-12-2015, 12:42 PM

got the break hardware kit this morning,this vehicle was missing bottom bolt on drivers side for the arm that holds pads in place ,took me 15 minutes to replace,passenger side bottom bolt was snapped off.omg been spraying with pb blaster and heating and pounding for an hour now,wish i would have taken to shop but really glad that its just the breaks,thank you

shorod · 07-12-2015, 10:30 PM

It's been awhile since I've had the brakes on my former 2000 Mountaineer off. You might be able to remove the caliper mounting bracket from the steering knuckle so that you can move the caliper and pads away from the brake rotor, then remove the pads and slide the caliper off of the broken bolt. At that point you might have more space to grip the broken bolt and work it out.

Good luck!

-Rod

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