4 Wheel Drive/SUVs: growling noise, front wheel bearings, power steering pump

Question
i have a 1997 ford explorer and lately i noticed a growling noise comming from the front i think.It does it as soon as i start of and the further i accelerate it starts to go away.Any suggestions?

Answer
Don,
Several possibilities.
Front wheel bearings, front axles, front differential low on oil/bad bearings, front driveline u-joints.
These are just a few common components that can cause this problem.

The first thing I would do, is to have someone walk alongside of the Explorer while driving it slowly and see if you can isolate where the noise is coming from.

It is possible that you could have a motor noise, such as a water pump or power steering pump going bad.  Low oil in the power steering will cause this also..

Good luck

Carl