Escape 2000 to 2008 ABS Tone Ring Failure

[projectnitemare]

Common problem with these vehicles. I did one on the old lady's a few weeks back and plenty of them during my time as a wrench. You can get those rings for $10 all day long at most auto part stores. That lower ball joint can be a beotch at times though if you have to take it out.

Matt

 

[shane96ranger]

That lower ball joint can be a beotch at times though if you have to take it out.

Matt

To get out of the control arm, or steering knuckle? Mine came out if the steering knuckle pretty easy. I think the hardest thing I ran into is getting the CV axle to go into the trans all the way. The c-clip on the aftermarket units is horrible.

Sent while I should be doing something else

 

[ZMan]

To get out of the control arm, or steering knuckle? Mine came out if the steering knuckle pretty easy. I think the hardest thing I ran into is getting the CV axle to go into the trans all the way. The c-clip on the aftermarket units is horrible.

Sent while I should be doing something else

I had to do this on my moms escape too, although I just replaced the whole axle because it was in need of one. I didn't really have any problems with the balljoint. The passenger axle isn't so bad to get the lock ring in, it has an axle extension that actually goes into the transmission, when I replaced the drivers axle THAT was a bitch to get to stay in, I ended up taking the snap ring off the original axle and putting it on the aftermarket one, then it worked perfect.

 

[shane96ranger]

My brother called me tonight and it looks like his Escape needs a drivers side bearing now. So I will have another one to do shortly. His is a V6, but I suppose it won't be any different than mine.

Sent while I should be doing something else

 

[ZMan]

My brother called me tonight and it looks like his Escape needs a drivers side bearing now. So I will have another one to do shortly. His is a V6, but I suppose it won't be any different than mine.

Sent while I should be doing something else

Sounds like you're going through what i went through a year ago on my moms, pressed in bearings suck btw.

 

[shane96ranger]

Sounds like you're going through what i went through a year ago on my moms, pressed in bearings suck btw.

Yeah, they are cheaper but a bigger PITA. I've pulled mine twice (busted the first bearing), and my brothers once now (all drivers side). It's not a hard job at all. I had my brothers out in 20 minutes.

 

[shane96ranger]

We did the bearing in my Brother's a couple weeks ago. I took the knuckle out and took it to the dealer to have them press the new bearing in. After getting it all back together, the noise worsened. So my Brother was convinced that the problem is the CV axle and he bought a new one. I put that it in this morning, and it's still the same - maybe a tiny bit quieter. What it boils down to it is the bearing is still the issue, and I get to tear it back out again. No biggie, but I'd really like to pop the butthole in the head that thought pressing a bearing into the knuckle was a good idea.

The dealer broke the new bearing (Timken) putting it in, just as I did on my own Escape. It takes entirely too much pressure to press that bastard in there. I knew for a damn fact I had busted mine because of the LOUD pop it made. This mechanic over there had to have heard it pop putting it in. I wish he would have told me. Now it's neither here nor there..... I'll be doing another one pretty soon.

This time it took me about 50 minutes. One thing that was different between mine (4 cylinder/CD4E/2wd) and my Brothers (6 cylinder/CD4E/AWD) is mine barely lost any fluid - maybe 1 cup - when I did my CV axle. My brothers lost 1.5 quarts. Kind of odd.

 

[adsm08]

I think pressed bearings are ridiculous. They are like leaf-spring front ends, in this day there is no reason to be using them anymore.

 

[shane96ranger]

I think pressed bearings are ridiculous. They are like leaf-spring front ends, in this day there is no reason to be using them anymore.

Amen.


EDIT: I would like to add one more thing for anyone wondering about the CV Axles, and what brand to use. I used a Duralast Gold unit in my Escape, and my brother got a Cardone Select unit. They were both brand new pieces rather than re-manufactured. The Cardone piece is a lot higher quality over the Duralast unit. The boots are much more flexible and actually feel like rubber. The Duralast boots feel like a soft plastic, if that makes sense.

Going through Rock Auto made the Cardone unit cheaper than the Autozone garbage as well.

 

[ZMan]

That happened to me too, i paid the local parts store to put new bearings in the knuckles, the car still made noise. My mom took it to a shop without telling me, and she paid them to do the bearings again, along with the front brakes which were contributing to the noise. i had replaced the axles as well thinking they were part if it, its relieving to know im not the only one who has been through this hell.

 

[shane96ranger]

Luckily it's not that hard of a job. It's just not the vehicle I'd like to be working on. The crappiest part is waiting to have it pressed in.

Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem

 

[adsm08]

I'm starting to see a pattern of problem with these things.

Add to this an 05 that first came to our shop about 2 years ago for the first PA state inspection (the owner just moved in to the state) and it failed for a bad wheel bearing in the front. Had too much play, and he was complaining about the noise it was making (noise does not fail). I put a new one in and the next year the same bearing had play again.

 

[davegx]

Is there a trick to getting the axle back in the hole? Ive replaced the tone ring but now I cant get the axle back in for the life of me.

 

[shane96ranger]

The factory axle is harder to get back in. The easiest way I've found is to put it in the spline and then make the axle as straight as possible. Then you have about a 2 inch shove to get it in there. It hasn't failed me yet.

Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem

 

[davegx]

The factory axle is harder to get back in. The easiest way I've found is to put it in the spline and then make the axle as straight as possible. Then you have about a 2 inch shove to get it in there. It hasn't failed me yet.

Sent from a Commodore 64 using a 300 baud modem

Thanks. I managed to get it back in but it took me forever. Had to be perfectly lined up and straight I suppose.

I pounded out the axle after removing the spindle nut, probably shouldve rented a gear puller to avoid any damage.
Getting the new tone ring on wasnt too too hard but wasnt easy. Work like this would be so much easier if we all could lift are vehicles up high like the shops can.
So far, the new tone ring is working and I hope it stays that way. I saved myself a few hundred bucks easy. Thanks for this very informative post.