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Hard to describe noise....

2K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  ehopp88ss 
#1 ·
Ever since I put in new ball joints and front axle joints I have heard and felt this noise....it's a slight vibration almost sounds like a tire rubbing on a mudflap. It only happens once in a while and only in a really slow speed turn.....any ideas? I don't want to throw parts at it either. No play in the hub bearings....maybe a brake shoe in the back? Could it be one of the new u-joints are bad (I bought Spicers). PS pump or steering box? Hubs and rotors are a couple years old...
I was doing a little testing last night with different scenarios. It only happens under 10mph.......more so when the wheels are turned to the left and it does it no matter if I am driving forward or reverse. It does it randomly when turning right but it's random on both directions. I keep going back to the hub bearings and axles/ axle joints. I remember yelling at my buddy for whacking the back of the rotor with a 2x4 and hammer to remove the hub.....I am wondering if he f'd up the hub with that? He was working on the left side while I was pulling the right side when we were changing the ball joints. I also noticed with the left side jacked up and no load on the wheel I can hear what sounds like a U-joint clicking but it's coming from the diff. I am wondering if the bearing is transferring sounds through the axle shaft? I'm going to pull the front diff cover and check for debris to make sure the pinion bearings and gear set is okay but I am leaning towards that hub being hosed now from him beating on the rotor.

So I came home and jacked up each side individually and isolate things. I checked for play and there wasn't any. I pulled the caliper off so I didn't have any noise from the brakes dragging and I spun the hub. I held a screw driver to the inner flange to try and hear anything internal. I can hear a faint kinda scrubbing noise...not a click but a deep tick I would say. Very faint. I get nothing on the passenger side. It's clean. I jacked both sides up locked it in 4x4 and everything spins like it should and there is no noise in the pinion. It started to hail so I am going to hold off until maybe tomorrow to drain the oil in the front diff. I talked to an Amsoil Tech and was asking about the slip lock additive. I put one bottle (4 ounces) in when I changed the rear diff oil last week to see if that was it....he said to add another and drive it and see if it goes away so I did that tonight and I'll do some figure 8's tonight or tomorrow and see if that fixes me up. I'll be really happy if it does but I am not counting on it...My gut says I am going to be replacing the left hub assembly.

I did some figure 8's in the lot this morning when I got to work to get that LS additive worked through the clutches and it was doing it a little this morning when doing that but it didn't do it at all on the way to work. I'm gonna change the oil in the front tonight to see if there is anything out of the ordinary and then give it a couple days and see if the LS additive cures it before I buy any parts. I have had a couple guys say it's the U-joint....I would prefer that over the hub assembly. Whats the best way for me to check those joints. Also someone mentioned the trunnion on the front drive shaft.....but it isn't spinning unless the truck is in 4x4....
 
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#3 ·
Last night pulled the front cover and drained out the oil. No metal at all....nice and clean. The Amsoil did it's job. I did snap a pic. Is there anything that looks out of whack?





I measured that axle shaft and it's .020"+ away from that pin on the spider gear....is that normal? The CAD locks in like it should. I so want to spend the coin on the EMS hub conversion....but back to my problem at hand. I had very little to no noise on the way home....and none at all on my test drive after the gear oil change.....I am keeping my fingers crossed that it was the LS chattering the whole time.
 
#4 ·
The LS chirp transmits through the seat and the door, depending on the oil - 85W-140 has a different pitch than 90 wt.

The steering col is hung to stop a lot of vibrations, but it transmits the linkage pretty well.
 
#5 ·
It was the LS clutches chattering. Been a week now since I added the extra bottle of slip lock and all is good....glad that was a simple fix.
 
#7 ·
:whs
 
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