strange noise from the left rear

[Howski]

I'm having a strange squeaking/grinding noise coming from the left rear of my truck. It gets faster with speed and finally goes away around 35 (maybe i just cant hear it then). I recently greased up all the u-joints and changed the diff fluid front and rear (it looked good). This has been going on for 2 days now and has gotten slightly worse. Here's a link to some videos so you can hear the noise.
http://s458.photobucket.com/albums/qq307/Howski29/?action=view&current=trucknoise009.mp4
http://s458.photobucket.com/albums/qq307/Howski29/?action=view&current=trucknoise010.mp4
Any help on what this might be in appreciated!

 

[brushogger]

Jack up that corner and pull the wheel. Check the brakes to make sure everything is kosher there. Then try grabbing the flange and wiggling the axle to see if there is any play in the bearing. There should be no up/down or side to side play at all.

 

[AxeAngel]

Push down on the suspension on the rear left, do you hear a squeak?

 

[Mr. Leary]

The noise you hear is your Discovery crying... tell it its pretty and that you love its accent.



On a serious note, brushogger has some good advice. Wiggle in the wheel will indicate that a bearing is going out, which can easily explain the noise. Checking the brakes will determine whether there is a malfunction or if there is just a pebble stuck in there...

Good luck!

 

[Howski]

I've checked out the brakes and they look fine. There hasn't been any burning smells or anything so it's not anything stuck in there. I pushed down on the left rear, no sounds coming from the axle area. A little squeak coming from both left and right rear from the springs. I have to go to class soon, but I'll pull the wheel and check for play later today. If there's any play would that indicate the bearing is bad?

 

[roverowner]

I had a similar noise coming from the back end of my truck and it ended up being <gulp> the rear diff. completely destroyed it (I had to limp home in high lock). Might want to drop the oil in the rear pumpkin and check for metal shavings.

I passed all the test above too.....I hope you do not end up with the same results.

 

[AxeAngel]

If he changed the rear diff and it looked good, i would be leery to think that the diff is going. Usually you see some metallic mud or worse before it goes.

Drive the rig and touch each of the rear wheels, if one is hotter than the other it could signal, brake/bearing/hub issues. Sounding like a hub issue based on what you have said

-Sam

 

[David Harris]

I've checked out the brakes and they look fine. There hasn't been any burning smells or anything so it's not anything stuck in there. I pushed down on the left rear, no sounds coming from the axle area. A little squeak coming from both left and right rear from the springs. I have to go to class soon, but I'll pull the wheel and check for play later today. If there's any play would that indicate the bearing is bad?

It could also just mean that the bearing needs to be repacked and tightened. If you let it go too long, it could need replacing though and the race can actually become welded to the hub if it really gets bad. I think it's a good idea to periodically pull all the hubs and check/grease the bearings. They are known to work loose over time and just need tightening.

 

[SeaRubi]

^^ sealed unit bearings on the DII. suckage.

how did you rule out the brakes? you're sure you don't just have a warped rotor?

 

[Howski]

well, i solved the issue. 3 loose lug nuts on the left rear and 2 very tight ones. got them all tightened back down and noise is gone. guess i forgot to tighten that wheel up after i pained my wheels a week or so ago. i really should double check things more often. thanks again for all the responses

 

[SeaRubi]

as a precaution, have someone follow you from 20~60mph to see if it picked up a wobble ... i had an alloy warp itself all to hell because of loose lug nuts. i hadn't checked them after buying the truck. :snorkel:

 

[Dave Legacy]

Feels good when it turns out to be a simple fix.

 

[Howski]

as a precaution, have someone follow you from 20~60mph to see if it picked up a wobble ... i had an alloy warp itself all to hell because of loose lug nuts. i hadn't checked them after buying the truck. :snorkel:

i'll do that soon. i can always put my matching spare on and just keep this wheel as my spare if it did warp.

 

[David Harris]

well, i solved the issue. 3 loose lug nuts on the left rear and 2 very tight ones. got them all tightened back down and noise is gone. guess i forgot to tighten that wheel up after i pained my wheels a week or so ago. i really should double check things more often. thanks again for all the responses

Use a torque wrench to tighten the nuts to spec. Very often they get torqued to hell by yahoos with high powered air tools at your local shop. The specs for a D1/RRC are 95 ft lbs. I'm not sure if this is the same for your D2.

 

[roverowner]

If he changed the rear diff and it looked good.....

Missed that one....