[bigpav7]

hey guys,
wondering if I can get some insight into a "squeaky wheel situation". SO I noticed a squeak coming from the drivers side of the car while driving the other day. It speeds up as I accelerate and turns into almost a whistle on the highway. Also, it seems to disappear when turning the wheel to the right. The brakes were done about 4 months ago. Can it be the wheel bearings? I heard that the wheel is suposed to grind when the bearings go out, not sure how true that is. Someone mentioned that something may be rubbing inside the wheel (I'm praying that's what it is ). Anyway, please share your thoughts. Thanks

 

[bwdakrt]

Jack it up and give it a spin. It could be something as simple as a bent backing plate. You'll never know until you try.

 

[bigpav7]

now, I have a PArt time transfer case (4Hi only). Will the front wheels just spin easily if the truck is up in the air? another stupid question, where do you jack these trucks up at? anywhere under the frame or should I put the jack under the lower control arm? Thanks

 

[bwdakrt]

now, I have a PArt time transfer case (4Hi only). Will the front wheels just spin easily if the truck is up in the air? another stupid question, where do you jack these trucks up at? anywhere under the frame or should I put the jack under the lower control arm? Thanks

It should. I always jack mine up on the frame behind the front wheel.

 

[98Dak408]

Can it be the wheel bearings?

I had a bad wheel bearing that did that.

 

[bigpav7]

I had a bad wheel bearing that did that.

How do you diagnose a bad wheel bearing? Man, I hope this is not it...

 

[98Dak408]

Try to rule other stuff out first. Unfortunately just spinning the wheel with the car in the air may not tell you whether the bearing is bad or not. It may take the greater load of the vehicle on the ground and in motion to produce the noise you are experiencing. Try to wiggle the wheels with the vehicle in the air and see if you can determine anything. But as with a bad ball joint, you may need a crow bar to pry against it to see movement. You just may not have the physical strength to see any difference doing it that way. I would certainly try though.

 

[6shooter]

or should I put the jack under the lower control arm? Thanks

if you jack up on the lower control arm, you wont be able to properly move your suspension around to find the squeak because there is a load on your suspension parts still. jack it by the frame, either in the center on the frame beneath the engine or on the frame behind the wheel. if its something simple like bwdakrt said, a backing plate, you'll get the squeak just by spinning the wheel while its in the air. as for a wheel bearing, sometimes those can be bad and you'll never know it just be wiggling the wheel. if theres 100k miles on the bearings now, then id say theres a pretty good chance that its the bearings.

 

[caulk04]

if you jack up on the lower control arm, you wont be able to properly move your suspension around to find the squeak because there is a load on your suspension parts still...

This is wrong.

Always support the lower control arm to test for worn/loose suspension parts. The spring load comes from the LCA, if you let it hang (jack on frame) the spring pressure loads the front suspension against the bump stop and will pull any slack out of the ball joints.

If you're just checking wheel bearings, doesn't matter.

You'll be able to spin just one front wheel since you have part time 4wd. If it was full time 4wd (AWD), you'd have to jack both front wheels up.

 

[6shooter]

Always support the lower control arm to test for worn/loose suspension parts. The spring load comes from the LCA, if you let it hang (jack on frame) the spring pressure loads the front suspension against the bump stop and will pull any slack out of the ball joints.

im talkin about when you check control arm bushings. you cant accurately test for loose/worn bushings in the control arm with a load on it. to check out ball joints, your right. and the wheel bearings, it doesnt matter how you do it, as long as the wheel is off the ground.

 

[6shooter]

and caulk, what hood is that on your truck? looks nice! is it functional?

 

[caulk04]

im talkin about when you check control arm bushings. you cant accurately test for loose/worn bushings in the control arm with a load on it. to check out ball joints, your right. and the wheel bearings, it doesnt matter how you do it, as long as the wheel is off the ground.

If you visualize it for a second, you'll see that the t-bar is still loading the bushings if you don't support the control arm. The best way to get a feel for it is to support the same member that the spring is forcing. The closer the better.

Hood is from Moore Performance. www.fiberglass-hoods.com Functional.

 

[bigpav7]

just to give you guys an update. So I didnt have the time to mess with the truck myself and took it to local mechanic. 2 of the guys drove the truck and both said that it's most likely a brake issue. THe main guy then put the truck on the lift and took off the front drivers side wheel. He checked the brake and said everything looked fine. THe pads are fairly new and looked like they had another 15-20K miles in them. POtentially, he said, it could be rust accumulating on the rotor, the rotor being warped (the pads are semi-metallic I think) or something rubbing inside. He said he could open it up and clean everything up if I cant stand the noise. I'm thinking of just letting it be. One thing that still bothers me is that the noise completely goes away when I turn the wheel to the right, even a little bit. so yeah, that's the story.

 

[6shooter]

One thing that still bothers me is that the noise completely goes away when I turn the wheel to the right, even a little bit.

if its a brake problem, say your backing plate is bent and rubbing the slightly warped rotor (explaining a squeak-squeak-squeak instead of constant rub), it shouldnt be going away when you turn. The rotor and backing plate move together when the wheel is turned and therefore are ALWAYS the same distance apart from eachother. the only way it would be those parts but go away when you turn is if your bearings are sloppy, allowing clearances between normally equally-distanced parts to change dependent on which way the wheel is turned.

id still put my money on the bearing assembly.

 

[bigpav7]

id still put my money on the bearing assembly.

I think you are probably right. I had the mechanic take apart the brake today and cut the rotor - lubricate everything. The squeak is still there. I told him it could be the bearings but he said he heard nothing coming from the wheel that would indicate a bad bearing - he drove the car for over 40. I'm thinking of just making him put in new bearings for me and not wait until this gets worse. The squeak still goes away when the wheel it turned to the right, even a little bit. Even he agreed that this is usually an indication of a bad bearing.

 

[bigpav7]

so yeah, you were dead on dude. Drove to my boys shop an hour away and put the car on the lift. Right away we saw that the wheel wobbled a bit. Took it apart and the bearing was shot. replaced it and now no squeaks!!!!

 

[6shooter]

well good deal. make sure you get a bearing with a lifetime warranty, because it will probably go again in a few years. i dont think the kotas are as bad as chevys, but its a lot better to replace a bearing again for free rather than another hundred-somethin dollars.

 

[98Dak408]

Good news! Nothing like a new bearing when you need it. :mullet:

 

[kkeyes66]

Thanks for this thread. I have the same issue. Just picked up a hub that has the abs sensor on it from 1aauto.com for $70. Hope it's not crap bc this is the 2nd one I've had to put on that spot.