Ford - Explorer :: Left Front Tire Locking Up Then Releasing While In Drive But Not In Reverse
Aug 17, 2014
I have a 2004 Ford Explorer V8 4 wheel drive. Yesterday I was on the way home from a 2 hour drive and was on the expressway at a complete stop on a downhill grade. When I hit the gas, the car started lurching - it would shoot forward, then slow down, then shoot forward, then slow down.
I got the car to the side of the road and called a tow truck. Just to test - while I was waiting for the truck I put the car in neutral and even though I was on a steep downhill grade, it wouldn't roll at all. When I put it in drive - it wouldn't go initially until I had to put a decent amount of pressure on the gas pedal. I reminded me a being at a speed bump that you couldn't idle over and have to give the car some gas to power it up over the bump.
When the tow truck got there - I watched the driver drive the Explorer up onto the bed of the tow truck. What I noticed was this:
The left front tire was completely locked when he was hitting the gas. But when he gave it enough gas, the right tire that was working would push the car forward while the left tire remained locked creating friction on the pavement but the car was still moving forward from the other wheel.
Then after 3 or 4 feet - the left tire would unlock/release and start to rotate - causing the car to suddenly lurch forward. But then after another few few it would lock again. Then release again.
The thing I found odd was that when the driver later reversed the car down off the truck - the left front wheel worked just fine. So the car works perfectly in reverse, but in drive the left wheel locks then releases then locks then releases.
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I just got myself a 1993 ford explorer and the damn thing won't drive forward but it will drive in reverse. What could be the problem?? I've already drained the Transmission Fluid out & refilled it. My friend told me it is most likely the Neutral Safety Switch but I have no clue where it is located. I will be honest I have absolutely no clue about vehicles.
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I have 2001 ford explorer sport.. it idles very low in drive and reverse and then shuts off.. What has been replaced:
1. Torque converter
2. All new plugs n wires
3. Map or mass sensor
4. Iac valve
5. O2 sensors
6. Fuel filter
7. Air filter
8. Throttle valve/sensor
It does not run bad only when u come to a red or stop light.. Had the vacuum tested and no vacuum leaks.. also no check engine light has come on and no codes have popped up when tested..
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I noticed that the front wheel bearings are sold individually while the rear wheel bearings are sold as hub assemblies. Is there a certain way that the front wheel bearings have to be removed and pressed on? I'm trying to see if this is a DIY repair.
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Today I was plowing and it looks like I'm getting nothing, or next to nothing to the front wheels. There is some shudder if the rear tires begin to spin, but the front never spin, or lock up. I can feel/hear the transfer case shift when I change modes between auto/4hi/4lo as I usually do, but the front wheels just are not doing their job. All three modes are not driving the front wheels.
The transmission was rebuilt a few years ago, and it's shifting fine. I'm suspecting the transfer case. Only my OD light is flashing, but it only does that once in a blue moon. I plugged my code reader in and it could not read those codes. I was able to clear the light though.
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Earlier this week ... he'd driven it for about two weeks with no issues ... the left front brake caliper locked up on it, to the point where it heated up enormously, the pads and rotors got so hot they were discolored and some transmission fluid got blown out by the strain.
He took it to our regular mechanic, great guy who we've used for years and has worked magic with our cars, he got into it and he diagnosed the problem as ... I hope I'm explaining it right ... a little pin or piston or something in the caliper was upside down. He put it back in the right way, and everything seemed to be OK, although he said my son would probably end up needing a brake job sooner than later because of the way the pad got ground down.
FYI, master cylinder is full of fluid, our mechanic couldn't see any leaks anywhere. Although when we took the car to the mechanic, my son tried to back it up to get a better angle at getting into the service bay, and the pedal went to the floor.
Fast forward two days, and danged if the same thing didn't happen with the right front caliper, seized up although he didn't get it as hot as the other time, parked it a lot quicker. And of course it happens on Friday going into the weekend, when our mechanic isn't working, he won't be able to do anything until Monday, which leaves us scrambling trying to get everyone to work, etc., down one car.
Doing a little online homework ... which we probably should've done before my son made this purchase ... I'm seeing a lot of brake issues with '91 Explorers. I asked my mechanic if he thought there was some ABS-related problem here and he said he didn't think so.
I will say that the car apparently sat undriven for a long time, which I know can unleash a lot of issues. What might be going on here? Do we just need to go ahead and replace the calipers, any hoses, etc., as preventive maintenance?
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I just replaced the transmission with a known good one from my XLT but the reverse doesn't work now and there is a loud banging coming from the front when I turn left or right.
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I've had a worsening growl in the front end that sounds like it's coming from the front left wheel. I can feel it in the steering wheel, and the sound goes away when I turn the wheel right of center. Center (going straight) or leftward steering, and the noise comes right back.
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