OK, I am not sure if this is the right forum to be posting this in or not...if it isn't, just let me know. I'm new here. Anyway, I drive a 2000 Ford Ranger, 4 cyl. 5 speed manual. I bought it used last year with 23K miles on it and it has about 49K on it now. She is my 4th ranger, all of them standards (They' all been good to me). Anyway, I've had a few issues with her of late. Round 1 was a bad universal joint and crush sleeve (No clue what the crush sleeve is, but it involved the dealership tearing apart the rear axel. The next was a week later when there was smoke coming out of my steering column. Seems the control unit for the turning signals, wipers, ect. was bad. Well, here it is a month later, and I have yet another problem. I am hoping to get an idea of what it is before taking her back into the shop AGAIN (Glad I opted for the Ford Extended Service Plan!).

Anyway, I noticed the other day that there is a low pitched, rhythmic whining noise when I drive (I can't pin point WHERE it is coming from). At first I thought it might be the road I was on, but now I am pretty sure something's wrong. It occurs whether I am accelerating or decelerating, and seems to get worse (louder/more pronounced) when I hit 45mph. Yeah, I know I'll probably have to go BACK to the dealership to have it looked at, but, well, any thoughts? THANKS in advance for any help!

 

Is the noise dependent on engine RPMs or MPH?

 

Wild guess- It sounds like the rear axle is whining. 40~45 MPH is the typical speed for this and it is most noticeable during light accel and decel. Hopefully, they set up the crush sleeve and ring gear properly and refilled the lubricant when they had it apart.

 

pacodiablo - I would have to say that it is more speed dependend than RPM dependent, but truth be told, i am not 100% positive.

rwenzing - I was afraid to hear something like that. Once I read it the service manager at the dealership did also tell me they replaced the pinion nut...and, oddly enough, this is the exact reason that I got rid of my old Ranger (she was also 10 years old and had 150K miles on her). The noise is very similiar to what my old one was making, though it is a lower pitch. Anyway, it pretty much fits exactly how you described it. It starts around 40-45 mhp, and is there during low accel and decel.

Thanks for your help, I really dig the site. Looks like I have a call to the dealership coming up. What fun!