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Front end grind

15K views 16 replies 3 participants last post by  ssb31 
#1 ·
I have a 2003 Durango 4x4 that has developed a SERIOUS grinding in the front end somewhere. I THOUGHT it was the wheel bearings & changed them both, then took it for a test drive & not even a 100 feet down the road it started grinding again. There's nothing rubbing on the wheels at all. Lately the grinding starts after the car hits a bump. Before it was doing it all the time.....turning one way or another or going straight didn't make any difference, as speed didn't either. It SOUNDS like axles shredding there splines, but I'm not sure with the front ends on these vehicles how they are set up. I don't have a lift to get under it & see so I'm at a loss. My mechanic took a ride in it & wasn't sure what to make of it . It actually took us agoing over a really rough road to get it to grind again, but once it started, it never stopped until the car came to a complete stop. Ultimately it will be in the garage getting fixed, but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas they might be able to throw my way.
 
#2 ·
Check the CV joint on the front drive shaft at the transfer case. They are NOTORIOUS for going bad and making strange noises under strange conditions.

If you can, jack the truck up so the front wheels are off the ground. Crawl under it at about the driver side door and look for the drive shaft. Try giving it a twist. If there is any play you have found your problem.

A word of advice, the replacement units that Advance Auto sells are crap, but they have a lifetime warranty. I expect it to last 30k miles or so. If you have the dough, get someone to build you a custom shaft with a real double cardan joint or something instead of that crappy CV joint.
 
#3 ·
Does it sound like a can full of rocks rolling under your truck by any chance? If so, there's a good chance it's your front driveshaft like iangoround said. I just had mine go out. The rubber cuff on the back of my shaft got ripped up somehow, and that was the problem.

In opposition to iangoround's idea though, my drive shaft didn't have any play when I checked though. The only problem was that the rubber cuff as torn up, I could see the bearings in there, shit was dirty, and there was no grease in it. Made a loud ass sound that sounded like a can of rocks rolling under my truck every time I drove it.

If that turns out to be the issue, put your truck in 4HI and take out your front drive shaft. You can roll around like that forever with no more issues, you'll just have a 2wd truck.

I just ordered myself a brand new drive shaft, beefed up with 2 U-joints instead of that shitty pod with the rubber cuff that connects to the T-case.

If that's your issue do the work yourself instead of bringing it to a shop. It's an easy job and you'll save money.
 
#4 ·
If that turns out to be the issue, put your truck in 4HI and take out your front drive shaft. You can roll around like that forever with no more issues, you'll just have a 2wd truck.
Only the NP244 (all wheel drive) case needs to be put in to 4HI when removing the front driveshaft. The NP233 case will work just fine without changing anything.
 
#6 ·
My T-case has just 4 hi only, so I don't know what one that one is.....unless there is another way to put it in 4 lo that we don't know about.....it's just a switch on the dash.....I miss the good ol' days of locking hubs & shifters on the floor!!
 
#8 · (Edited)
Do you have AWD with 4x4 or do you have 2wd w/ 4x4?
If you have an AWD truck, you'll need to put it in 4hi if you take your shaft out. If you have a 2wd w/ 4x4 just leave it in 2wd.

Kandetta.....how much was the shaft & where did ya get it from?
I got my new shaft from a dealer on Ebay. http://stores.ebay.com/supersport70meano

I bought the new one ($224) not the reman one ($189+$28s/h), as shipping is free on the new ones and it was only $6 more than a reman one including shipping for the reman.
 
#14 ·
Yea, 4 bolts up front and 6 on the back where it connects to the T-case. You'll need to jack up the front end so you can spin your left front tire to get at all the bolts on the back end, at least I did. Shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. The hardest part about the job is breaking the bolts loose when removing the old shaft.
 
#15 ·
very cool......keep me posted within the next copule weeks as to what you find out about it with performance .... we won't be "wheeling" our Durango, but I really don't wanna deal with a CV every 30g or so...... glad you go your up & running again!!
 
#16 ·
NEW PROBLEM!!!

my wife said that the car wasn't grinding anymore like it had been, but after hitting bumps it started vibrating pretty bad underneath. I figured that the front drive shaft was worse off than I thought, and I just barely took it out & took the car for a test drive. I hit a bump & the vibration is STILL there!!

any Ideas?
 
#17 ·
New Problem!!!!

so it's NOT the drive shaft...... I just took mine out because now instead of a grind there was a wicked vibration that came on once you hit a couple bumps......I thought maybe that CV had finally crapped out. So when I took it for a test drive after, the vibration is STILL there!! if you come to a complete stop it goes away until you hit another bump. Also, when stopping after the vibration occurs, it makes a chatter sound for a quick second or two when almost fully stopped. I checked the rear shart & that seems perfect.....even jacked the car up & ran it but couldn't get any vibrations out of it.

I'm really stumped at this point!!
 
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