[Mokidad]

I very recently bought a 2015 XLT MR 15 pass wagon with about 20,000 miles on it. I've put less than 200 miles on it. The dealer claimed they paid extra to have it "Ford Certified" so nothing should be wrong. However, it had quite a few problems (found by the service department at a different dealership) I would have expected a Ford certification to have found (rear sliding door handle wouldn't open or close from inside, alternator needed replacement because of bearings)

All that aside, my real question is this:
There was a distinct whistle/whine when driving at high speeds - 65-75mph. I finally made the mechanic ride with me so he could hear it. He decided it was coming from the rear differential.

He took the differential apart - found some "gear with extra nibs on it" - and ordered the parts. Yesterday, he said it was unsafe to drive, but today, he says he will file down the nibs on the gears and put it back together so that it is safe to drive until the parts come in. The parts are "on national backorder".

Does this mean that it's a common problem? Has anyone else here had differential problems or an excessive whistle noise coming from the differential?

I drove my used 12 passenger Econoline for 6 years and never once had even a small problem with it. So to have these major problems in an almost-new Transit is surprising and troublesome.

 

[alarmist]

Folks, DO NOT look up "nibs" at urbanthesaur.us Save yourselves, it's too late for me.

 

[jbgriggs]

LOL some things are better NOT to google.

 

[cara3321]

Makes a person wonder what abuse that van may or may not have had before you? Alternator bearings is odd at the low mileage. Was it wet at one time? Diff problems? I don't think that's a common problem. Do you have a Carfax on that van? Maybe it was in a flood? Idk. Good luck with it though..

 

[airmengarrettm]

Mokidad,


If you purchased a rental van that would be a possible explanation for your premature differential problems. Just because it is a rental does not necessarily guarantee it will have problems, but the vast majority of people treat rental cars like they either stole it or it is a race car. Both options result in very premature problems and undue harsh treatment. Again, this may not be the case with yours, but if a vehicle history report says rental, fleet vehicle...I hope this is the worst and only problems you have to face! Good luck!

 

[LDH®]

My T350 since new has made an audible low pitched humming noise that I think is coming from the differential when I turn left or right. I am just over 5200 miles now, but I first noticed it right after I took delivery when I was basically coasting down my driveway and turning onto the street away without having to press on the throttle as the engine noise on the gas makes it difficult to hear or feel the differential noise. I made a U-Turn the other day and it made the same sound, but more blatantly and a longer duration of course which has lead me to post this up here and I mentioned it to the Ford Dealer so they can take a look at it when they do the recall work on the induction/water seal stuff when the nationally backordered parts arrive...

 

[LDH®]

Yup I definitely got a phucked up rear differential. Under inspection they found the oil contaminated with metal debris so they ordered all new parts, clutches etc. Hopefully will have it fixed by next week....

 

[CrewVanMan]

Do you by chance have the limited slip differential? There can be damage to the locking discs if the wrong rear axle lube is added to the rear end. If it was taken to a place like Walmart or Jiffy Lube, I have heard that they check the rear axle oil level and sometimes just put in the standard rear axle lube instead of the special locking differential lube. The correct lube has a friction modifier in it or in some cases, you add the modifier first before you add the lubricant.

Here is a chart that shows ALL the FORD axle lubricant applications. www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/main/quickref/axlelube.pdf

Note on the chart what it tells you about the Friction Modifier. If you do your own checking on your rear axle and you have the Limited Slip R/A, might be wise to purchase some of the Friction Modifier and keep it on hand if you need it.

 

[hammerhome]

;304809]Yup I definitely got a phucked up rear differential. Under inspection they found the oil contaminated with metal debris so they ordered all new parts, clutches etc. Hopefully will have it fixed by next week....

LDH,

It will be important that they completely clean out all the metal shavings from the axle. They can contaminate your new parts and you'll end up back in the shop needing another diff.

HH

 

[LDH®]

The van has 5400 miles on it and I have the full Ford service and warranty package for 150,000 miles. I can only assume the Ford technicians know what they are doing and will act accordingly. As I understand it, due to this problem being recorded and fixed this early in the life of the vehicle it may also entitle me to additional warranty work beyond 150,000 miles if the same or even related components fail again.

I'm honestly not really upset about it as I am in a perfect position where I do not need the van for a couple of weeks so the timing is right to get it fixed. I can also say that outside of this incident the van as a whole has been flawless and way exceeded my expectations as a work vehicle.

 

[LDH®]

Well they fixed the low frequency shudder I was getting when turning left or right, but they messed something else up and I was getting a very audible howl at 57-63mph and a couple other things were amiss. My mileage on a 500 mile trip was down a little bit, the normal rate acceleration was off slightly and my shift points were slightly higher than normal so something back there was causing some parasitic drag and slowing things down. For the record I am a motorcycle test rider and I am very astute when it comes to noticing little nuances and changes in the manner a vehicle responds to modifications so that probably does not work in favor of the technicians at this point. It's a new van with less than 6000 very easy miles on it and I expect it to work as such.

Currently it's back in the shop for round two.

 

[Budsky]

Do you by chance have the limited slip differential? There can be damage to the locking discs if the wrong rear axle lube is added to the rear end. If it was taken to a place like Walmart or Jiffy Lube, I have heard that they check the rear axle oil level and sometimes just put in the standard rear axle lube instead of the special locking differential lube. The correct lube has a friction modifier in it or in some cases, you add the modifier first before you add the lubricant.

Here is a chart that shows ALL the FORD axle lubricant applications. www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/main/quickref/axlelube.pdf

Note on the chart what it tells you about the Friction Modifier. If you do your own checking on your rear axle and you have the Limited Slip R/A, might be wise to purchase some of the Friction Modifier and keep it on hand if you need it.

Interesting thing about the friction modifier- I've found that every lube I've tried with it in it already does not work well in my 96 F350 with 215,000 miles. One that comes to mind is Mobil 1.
But add in the Ford stuff and instantly the binding is gone....
I've tried other brands of additive and no go, doesn't work.
The Ford stuff is actually very reasonably priced unlike many other lubes they sell.

 

[LDH®]

Got it back after the 2nd round of repair work and they basically replaced every moving part inside the differential and the clutches. The technician took his time, soaked everything properly and I truly believe put it back together with the same care he would have used with his own vehicle. As far as I am concerned it is better than new. The shudder when turning is gone, the acceleration and shift points are back to normal and there is no audible tell-tale signs that anything was ever wrong with the rear end. In addition the whole van feels tighter when getting off/on the throttle. Originally when new there was a little more slack being built up at low speeds where you get a little bit of snap-thunk as you get back on the gas after coasting a tiny bit which seemed normal and acceptable at the time. Well that is gone too and I am back to enjoying my Transit for the work horse that I purchased it for.

 

[airmengarrettm]

That's awesome that you received such excellent service and care.... Jealous, but happy for you and your van!!

 

[Mokidad]

Thanks for all the replies! Two months later and all the "national back order" parts are finally in, so in a few days I should have a rebuilt differential.

Hopefully the whine will be gone.

 

[cara3321]

Yep, I have a 2016 t 250 with ecoboost and the 3.31 LS axle and I have a whine or howl. I will let the items stack up and take it in to be checked. I have 8000 miles.
Tom

 

[Ahoelk]

I have 2016 Ecoboost with 3.31 and it also whines, among other problems....

 

[Mokidad]

He took the differential apart - found some "gear with extra nibs on it" - and ordered the parts. Yesterday, he said it was unsafe to drive, but today, he says he will file down the nibs on the gears and put it back together so that it is safe to drive until the parts come in. The parts are "on national backorder".

The parts came in and I finally have a nibless differential. The only whine in the back now comes from the kids.

 

[bicyclist]

I took a test drive in a new Transit with a 4.10 LS the other day. The thing had about 300 miles on it and was brought from another dealer for a potential customer. I observed a fair bit of whine coming from somewhere back there. Hope the guy drives it before he pays for it.

 

[mtbmitch2]

LDH

How is the rear drive holding up?. My T250 with about 31k is starting to make noise when turning at low speeds with no throttle makes a kind of howling noise. Is this a symptom of the rear drive issue you had?
thanks
Mitch