We?re at our wits? end over this problem we?re having with our 2000 Mercury Mountaineer. It has 130,000 miles on it and was a one-owner vehicle before we purchased it three years ago from a friend (had 124M on it then). Our friend had every service record known to mankind saved, and it only went to the dealership for repairs and routine maintenance. In fact, I have a service charge for installation of new wiper blades! As you can see, our friend was meticulous about service and care, so I feel confident that this truck is worth saving. It is an 5.0L V8 cylinder AWD and has almost every feature except a moon roof and seat heaters. Everything works perfectly except for the problem I?ll spell out below.
About two months ago, I could hear a grinding type of noise that was acceleration-related on the front passenger side. My husband must be deaf because he couldn?t hear it. Every time we drove the vehicle, I noticed it once again and I finally dropped it off at our small local repair shop, owned by a guy I think very highly of, along with his trusted employee. Repair guy A drove the truck, and immediately called me to say it was a faulty wheel bearing. After removing both to check them (he wasn?t sure which one it was), he found that the passenger front bearing was bad. It was replaced that day. (FYI, the driver wheel bearing was replaced at 113M). When I drove it home (one mile), I felt a shudder/tugging sensation when I turned a corner into the driveway and then again turning the opposite way into the garage. I didn?t think much of it, and didn?t call Repair guy A to question it. Over the weekend, we decided to take it out and we drove exactly eight miles, during which I noted that same shudder when we turned corners. It was getting worse. While driving straight, suddenly the truck started violently shuddering and the steering wheel literally was bouncing out of my husband?s hands. We nearly drove right into oncoming traffic until we allowed the truck to slow down on its own and we pulled over into a parking lot. We had it towed back to the repair shop. Repair guy A called me Sunday when he stopped by the shop and saw my truck. Horrified, he ordered a brand new wheel bearing and removed the previous brand new bearing. He also told me he?d felt the same shudder when testing it afterwards, but it was so slight he thought he?d imagined it. After the second bearing was installed, there was no change. The shudder was there, and it could be induced easily while turning–less so while driving straight. Repair guy A kept the truck for three days, driving it nearly 100 miles. He called a friend who owns an alignment shop to pick his brain. That guy said he?d had issues with some Ford vehicles? rack and pinion steering taking on air when having their wheels turned hard in different directions (which definitely was done while the bearing repair was being completed). He suggested that it could cause symptoms similar to this until the air eventually bled out. After 120 miles, it didn?t show any signs of a shudder, so Repair guy A told me to drive it and let him know if it occurred again. Unfortunately, this noise may have masked a second noise all along.
This second problem is stumping everyone. Since the bearing was repaired (twice) and that noise is now gone, there is a new, much more annoying grinding thump-thump-thump noise coming from the passenger front side. While trying to diagnose the shudder, Repair guy A had rotated the tires to replicate the problem on a different side or axle. The front axle was replaced with a new one, with no change, so it was removed and the old one put back on. As a sidenote, while having other parts removed from the truck, Repair guy A noticed that the ball joints were badly worn. They told us this was unrelated to the problems we were having, but it was causing significant wear on our almost-new tires so we had them replaced. (FYI, the ball joints were last replaced at 97M.) The thumping noise is acceleration-related and increases in both volume and repetition while driving. There is no thump while idling. Repair guy A is willing to try swapping the front rotors (FYI, these were replaced at 96M) to see if the thump switches sides. He only suggested this because it won?t require any parts to be special ordered, only to have to send them back. He is not convinced this is the issue, but said a rotor could possibly be warped, which could cause this type of noise. For what it?s worth, the truck has no bounce in the steering wheel, and if I let go of the wheel on a straight smooth road, it does not veer in any direction and keeps going perfectly straight. It starts and runs beautifully and everything works.
The noise is quite annoying and our confidence in the truck has been greatly diminished. They are out of ideas. Both of them are willing to try anything or listen to an outside opinion. They are honest and forthright, and really want to fix this problem. Unfortunately, they?ve racked up many hours of diagnostic and drive time, for which they have not charged me. I would love to help them figure this out, but I?m just a woman! All I have to rely on are my ears and eyes (since my hubby seems to be deaf!). These may be trivial details, but maybe there?s some sort of clue here. Can you please help?
Can you try breaking this up into much smaller paragraphs?
I’m sorry, but my old eyes cannot stay on task with paragraphs of over 20 lines, and I suspect that I am not the only one with this problem. If we cannot stand to read the entire post, we cannot provide help.
Sorry VDCdriver…does this help a bit?
We?re at our wits? end over this problem we?re having with our 2000 Mercury Mountaineer. It has 130,000 miles on it and was a one-owner vehicle before we purchased it three years ago from a friend (had 124M on it then). Our friend had every service record known to mankind saved, and it only went to the dealership for repairs and routine maintenance. In fact, I have a service charge for installation of new wiper blades!
As you can see, our friend was meticulous about service and care, so I feel confident that this truck is worth saving. It is an 5.0L V8 cylinder AWD and has almost every feature except a moon roof and seat heaters. Everything works perfectly except for the problem I?ll spell out below.
About two months ago, I could hear a grinding type of noise that was acceleration-related on the front passenger side. My husband must be deaf because he couldn?t hear it. Every time we drove the vehicle, I noticed it once again and I finally dropped it off at our small local repair shop, owned by a guy I think very highly of, along with his trusted employee.
Repair guy A drove the truck, and immediately called me to say it was a faulty wheel bearing. After removing both to check them (he wasn?t sure which one it was), he found that the passenger front bearing was bad. It was replaced that day. (FYI, the driver wheel bearing was replaced at 113M). When I drove it home (one mile), I felt a shudder/tugging sensation when I turned a corner into the driveway and then again turning the opposite way into the garage. I didn?t think much of it, and didn?t call Repair guy A to question it.
Over the weekend, we decided to take it out and we drove exactly eight miles, during which I noted that same shudder when we turned corners. It was getting worse. While driving straight, suddenly the truck started violently shuddering and the steering wheel literally was bouncing out of my husband?s hands. We nearly drove right into oncoming traffic until we allowed the truck to slow down on its own and we pulled over into a parking lot.
We had it towed back to the repair shop. Repair guy A called me Sunday when he stopped by the shop and saw my truck. Horrified, he ordered a brand new wheel bearing and removed the previous brand new bearing. He also told me he?d felt the same shudder when testing it afterwards, but it was so slight he thought he?d imagined it. After the second bearing was installed, there was no change. The shudder was there, and it could be induced easily while turning–less so while driving straight.
Repair guy A kept the truck for three days, driving it nearly 100 miles. He called a friend who owns an alignment shop to pick his brain. That guy said he?d had issues with some Ford vehicles? rack and pinion steering taking on air when having their wheels turned hard in different directions (which definitely was done while the bearing repair was being completed). He suggested that it could cause symptoms similar to this until the air eventually bled out. After 120 miles, it didn?t show any signs of a shudder, so Repair guy A told me to drive it and let him know if it occurred again. Unfortunately, this noise may have masked a second noise all along.
This second problem is stumping everyone. Since the bearing was repaired (twice) and that noise is now gone, there is a new, much more annoying grinding thump-thump-thump noise coming from the passenger front side. While trying to diagnose the shudder, Repair guy A had rotated the tires to replicate the problem on a different side or axle. The front axle was replaced with a new one, with no change, so it was removed and the old one put back on.
As a sidenote, while having other parts removed from the truck, Repair guy A noticed that the ball joints were badly worn. They told us this was unrelated to the problems we were having, but it was causing significant wear on our almost-new tires so we had them replaced. (FYI, the ball joints were last replaced at 97M.)
The thumping noise is acceleration-related and increases in both volume and repetition while driving. There is no thump while idling. Repair guy A is willing to try swapping the front rotors (FYI, these were replaced at 96M) to see if the thump switches sides. He only suggested this because it won?t require any parts to be special ordered, only to have to send them back. He is not convinced this is the issue, but said a rotor could possibly be warped, which could cause this type of noise.
For what it?s worth, the truck has no bounce in the steering wheel, and if I let go of the wheel on a straight smooth road, it does not veer in any direction and keeps going perfectly straight. It starts and runs beautifully and everything works.
The noise is quite annoying and our confidence in the truck has been greatly diminished. They are out of ideas. Both of them are willing to try anything or listen to an outside opinion. They are honest and forthright, and really want to fix this problem. Unfortunately, they?ve racked up many hours of diagnostic and drive time, for which they have not charged me.
I would love to help them figure this out, but I?m just a woman! All I have to rely on are my ears and eyes (since my hubby seems to be deaf!). These may be trivial details, but maybe there?s some sort of clue here. Can you please help?
Have the mechanics ruled out the CV joints?
Those would be my prime suspects, based on the symptoms.
My bet is on a problem in the front transfer-differential and associated parts. No offense to your mechanic but I think someone well versed in awd for this vehicle could help you better.
That is also a good possibility. Either way, I think that the OP’s mechanic has reached the limits of his expertise.
On AWD (All Wheel Drive) vehicles, all four (4) tires must be, almost, exactly the same diameter. A worn tire, or two, does NOT count as being of the same diameter.
Mismatches of a fraction of an inch can cause problems with the differentials, etc.
Well, at least you provided details which is generally not the case with most problems posted here.
Since the post is so lengthy, the problems many, etc. I’m not sure how to respond to all of this and really have no idea without having vehicle in hand.
The practice of swapping parts around (and especially wheel bearings?) makes me a bit suspect of the mechanic’s abilities. Some things can be iffy but brake rotors, wheel bearings, etc. are not some of them.
Has anyone checked the brake rotor shield? This thin metal plate can sometimes become bent or distorted and will rub against the brake rotor on the back side. This causes no harm at all but is very annoying and should be very easy to inspect. If bent, pry it out.
In some cases a bent shield may be located near the rotor but not touching it. After some braking the radiated heat from the rotor can distort the shield and the shield may then change its form and start rubbing against the rotor. When cool it may return to its original shape and not touch again.
Odd as that sounds, I’ve seen it several times and it even occurred several times on an old Mercury I owned.
Just a wild guess anyway and hope it helps.
Nobody mentioned engine mounts yet.
I thank everyone for their input. I’m writing down all of these suggestions and will drop my truck off at the shop after driving the truck for a week or so. I did forget to mention that the CV joints were checked and they appear fine. And regarding the comment about the wheel bearing being replaced twice, the mechanic incorrectly assumed the first one had been defective, so he obtained a replacement. When removed, it appeared fine. I actually had both bearings in my own hands, and the original bearing was definitely grinding, but the first new bearing was a smooth as silk. In any case, it was returned. And for what it’s worth, these two guys are well known in this area as troubleshooting gurus. They have fixed oddities on my vehicles, as well as other people’s vehicles that totally stumped the dealerships. My Protege was actually returned to me from my dealer with a statement saying they had no idea what the problem was or how to fix it! Repair guy A was the one who honed in on the issue, but it took a week’s worth of driving it. I honestly respect their talent and attention to detail. The only services they do not specialize in are alignments and tires. Anyway, if anyone else has any other comments or suggestions, no matter how trivial, I’m totally okay with submitting a more thorough list after my test drive is over. Thank you all VERY much for your input and opinions!
This is a full time 4WD, right? With a center diff? It sounds to me like it is engaged when it shouldn’t be. What she describes is what you get when the front axle is engaged on dry pavement.
Is the OP selecting the correct mode between 2 or 4WD? I’m not certain how you do it in this vehicle, but it sure seems like the 4WD is engaged.
Agree with waterboy.
This vehicle is an AWD. There are no selections to choose from. It’s always in AWD, unlike our previous '93 Explorer, which had a button inside on the dash to push to use either high or low 4WD. Am I mis-reading your reply? If so, can you dumb it down a bit? Thanks!
Sorry, I should’ve said AWD. AWD acts pretty much like full time 4WD, when 4WD is selected, so it’s mainly semantics, I guess. They both automatically determine when the power goes to the wheel with the most traction. My point is, you seem to be getting power to the front wheel(s) when unnecessary and in fact harmful to the drive train. It isn’t supposed to do this in normal every day driving. I would take it to a reputable transmission shop.
Hello all,
I too have a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer AWD. The problem I have is similar to the one discussed, but different too. It started in the last few months. It also recently went over 130,000 miles.
When I drive under 55 MPH the truck drives fine. But, when I go over 55 MPH the truck begins to shimmy and vibrate. The faster I go the more the shimmy and vibration. It gets so bad that it scares me to continue at those speeds, so I slow down to under 55. This is very frustrating and dangerous when driving on the interstate or freeway.
I recently took it to a repair shop and had the tires balanced and rotated. After that, the truck shook more violently at high speeds than before the balance and rotation. They also said that the ball joints need replacing. I did not get them replaced yet.
After I left the repair shop I had some of my friends look at it. My friends are Army Certified and ASC Certified Vehicle Mechanics with years and loads of experience. They said that the ball joints don’t need replacing yet, and that they shouldn’t be the cause of the shimmy and vibration.
What do you think is the problem? Somebody please help.
Thanks.
PROBLEM SOLVED. Well, folks, we finally have a diagnosis on our 2000 Mountaineer…and it’s related to the ball joints we had replaced last week. THREE OF THE FOUR TIRES ARE RUINED!! The ball joint problem did them in, and after trying everything else, Repair guy A decided to try rotating the tires once again until every mathematical combination had been tried. Bingo…our lovely near-new tires are ruined and we need an alignment (thanks, Minnesota potholes). Oh, and I should mention my shop didn’t invoice me a dime (except for the ball joint repair). The owner said pizzas and sodas would be welcome for his small crew, and that he was glad we stuck with him since we’re long-time clients. I’m happy I went with my gut and trusted him to finally figure it out–even though it was right under everyone’s nose.
Note to dfunkin…these ball joints were replaced only 37M ago. If they haven’t been replaced on your truck, I’d get them checked out by another tech if possible. Replacement tires and an alignment will run us over $1000 now. The ball joints were less than $500. I’m sort of bummed, needless to say!
If those were the same ball joints which were replaced, I have to wonder about the country they were made in. If they were made in China, their poor quality steels were the cause of the early failure. It’s almost impossible to tell when the packages only say, “Distributed by So And So Company in USA”; but, not where the thing is actually manufactured.
I don’t know what country they were made in. The previous owner had them replaced at a Ford dealer (I have the paperwork). The new ones are OEM, not aftermarket.