For several years now our 08 Expedition makes a scraping noise when in midst of turn. Happens especially when load in car but not always. Source is underneath and to the rear.Trusted mechanic took it out, didn't hear anything. Car also sometimes bottoms out when loaded.

Any advice appreciated.

Check the wheel wells. It’s only plastic with small screws holding them in place.

First thing that comes to mind would be a wheel bearing, but I would expect the mechanic to have found that.

It's Max Cady.

When my car did it, it was a coil spring at the rear touching the exhaust when the body shifted under load in a turn. I found it by sticking a rear wheel up on the curb so the body shifted over a touch.

Replaced an exhaust mount and the noise vanished.

I thought it was an explorer, you still driving that thing?

Look for a heat shield near the drive shaft. That's what was making the noise you describe on our vehicle. It only made contact when turning and made a rubbing shush shush shush sound. Bent it away by a couple of inches and no more noise.

Hey Jesse-

Traded Explorer when we bought Exp in 08

Wild ass guess since it happened to me: could it be worn shocks and as you turn, the tires are scraping the wheel well?

I had a noise like that on a Subaru Forester and it was a gravel stuck in the brake. A hammer and screwdriver facilitated the repair.

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
Look for a heat shield near the drive shaft. That's what was making the noise you describe on our vehicle. It only made contact when turning and made a rubbing shush shush shush sound. Bent it away by a couple of inches and no more noise.

What darthfuster said without doubt.

When I had a scraping sound it turned out that it was a tree branch that I had run over while backing out of the garage. In my defense I was driving a 1986 Olds Cutlass Supreme so no back up camera to alert me to something lying out of sight.

If your Expedition has a limited slip rear axle, chances are high that the limited slip clutch packs and lubricant have degraded over time. In a turn, the clutch pack (plates coated with a high friction paper interleaved with plates of plain steel) rotate, and the friction plates rotate at a different speed than the steel plates. IF the plates and lubricant are degraded, you can create various forms of noise, as they slide against each other.

There were many many many Explorers and Expeditions with limited slip noise complaints. The noise is only created in turns. The plates slide against each other only in turns.

A potential fix, but not a guaranteed fix, is to add friction modifier M2C118A into the axle through its fill hole. Another potential fix is a lubricant replacement, again with M2C118A.

Another vote for a heat shield that has come loose. I just had this happen on my work truck after 235,000 miles. Over top of the driveshaft, middle of the vehicle. Made the same type of sound you described.

Usually they make noise all the time but a bent brake dust shield dragging on the rotor can make a noise similar to what you describe.