Chewbaca is hiding in my ranger..

Derek The Great · Jul 7, 2008

Hey fellas,
So about two weeks ago i noticed some noise coming from the front end when ever i went above 15 mph..(already ruled out the tires) It kinda sounded like chewbaca, a low growling/moaning. No vibrations of any sort, just noise, in gear, out of gear, engine off - noise.. So to try and fix the issue i tore into the front end and replaced the wheel bearings and rotors, as i figured the noise was from the wheel bearings. The area on the spindles where the outside roller bearing sits looked like black chrome, and I could feel a slight taper when i ran my finger across it. To save time and money I figured i could just reuse the spindles and did just that. I did a good job of packing the bearings and loading both the rotor and spindle up with grease after cleaning. Well after i put it back together chewbaca was still there, I didn't even make it out of the drive way.. Just like before i can hear the same noise driving down any road surface above 15mph.. What gives? :dntknw:

This vehicle is starting to drive me nuts - if it can break chances are i've replaced it already...

Thanks for the input!

ILLEGALCONCEPTS · Jul 8, 2008

Is it always there and always connected to speed?

Check to see if anything is rubbing? Maybe the dust sheild for the rotors have gotten bent/rotted and are hitting something. I would have checked the bearing too, so you're not alone on that idea.

James

Derek The Great · Jul 8, 2008

Yah i checked the sheilds, they're fine. It makes the noise no matter whats goin on, or what you're driving over. i was goin down the road and killed the engine, noise was still there.. i dunno what it is, is the spindles? you know go figure, the one thing i didn't replace is gonna be the achille's heal..

ILLEGALCONCEPTS · Jul 9, 2008

IDK then. My spindles didn't look to great the first time I changed my bearings. My buddy that helped me said it was good I didn't wait any longer. Did you tyr slipping the bearings on before putting the rotor back on? I've heard of people "polishing" the spindle whe they look a little crappy. Just some wetsanding to "clean" it up. I guess the best bet right now if you don't see anything rubbing is to pull the rotors off again and check to make sure the spindle is nice and smooth.

James

Derek The Great · Jul 9, 2008

Hmm. The bearings that came outa it were timken, the bearings i put in it were timken and all i did was compare size and whatnot and when i put the nut & washer on i checked for slop and there wasn't any. The areas on the spindle that the bearings came in contact with had wear marks, smooth and all but blackish compared to the rest of the spindle. the left (driver) side looked worse than the passenger side but at least everything was smooth. Even so, i would expect the thing to go at least 10 miles before makin some noise. In my case it didnt make it outa the drive way- same exact noise... I tried turning harder to load the bearings up and listen for change, and got nothing. Would anything in the rear axle make this kinda noise?

Derek The Great · Jul 9, 2008

oh so far ive put about 250 miles on it after the bearing swap, and its still going...

ILLEGALCONCEPTS · Jul 10, 2008

Dude, you have to know where the sound is coming from. Get someone to ride with you, or have them drive for you to listen, or if it happens at lower speeds do it on your street and have someone drive the truck(that you trust not to play games) while you listen from the side of the road.

Yes, there are bearings in the rear but they hardly go bad. Something could be going on the diff though. Have you changed the fluids in the the diff or the tranny? It's a good idea to do from time to time.

James

Derek The Great · Jul 10, 2008

Im pretty sure its the front, i mean before it seemed as if it was the passenger side specifically. I had the rear end oil changed, and i changed the trans fluid myself with valvaline mercon/dex III. I really dont want to tear into it again bc i dont have the money for all new rotors, bearings AND spindles... ive dumped close to 3k into this POS for repairs :temper:

ILLEGALCONCEPTS · Jul 12, 2008

Do you know anyoone that works in a garage that you trust? You could take it to them, tell them you just need to know what it is, and go from there.

It has to be a moving part. It's not engine related. What happens when you spin the wheel while the truck is up on jackstands? Do you hear anything then? IS there any slop in the wheel? With the truck up on jack stands try moving the tire/rim with a 2x4 or prybar. You shouldn't have any movement. If you do, pull it apart again.

I check my wheel bearing for play twice a year now. I pull off the dust cap so I don't have to rely on my sense of motion. I can see if there is any slop in the bearings better this way.

James

Derek The Great · Jul 14, 2008

Well, today me and my buddy took it for a ride (he drove, i listened) and after a while it seems as if the noise could be comin from the rear... So we got back to his shop and i put it up on jackstands and took all the wheels off. Umm before takin the front wheels off i noticed there was more resistance than before (when the old bearings were good), thats gonna be worked on tomorrow. What i ended up doin today is pullin the cover off the rear, disconnecting the driveshaft and then pullin the drums off the rear. the drivers side was a B and had to be heated with a torch.. Anyway my buddie noticed slop in the spider gears, and when i rotated the passenger side axle you could hear a clack type noise as the teeth meshed together, but when I rotated the drivers side i heard nothing. This is a 7.5 with 3.73's if that means anything.. Is there supposed to be that much slop in there? What about the fixed bearing on the driveshaft that bolts to the frame? Could that thing make a bunch a noise and produce vibrations?? Oh, the U joints are good BTW.. Tomorrow afternoon ill be tearin into the front end again, i think the bearings are trashed again. My dumb ass probably overtightened the nut on the spindle.
Fix Or Repair Daily

Combs Customs · Jul 15, 2008

Make sure the races in the rotors are smooth. If they have any pits or grooves, you need new races.

Is it 2wd/4wd? What year? Guessing Ext. Cab with the fixed bearing.

I would jack up each corner and spin each front wheel.
Then jack up the back and with it on stands, start up the truck and get it to 15mph. That would clear up if its front or rear.

ILLEGALCONCEPTS · Jul 15, 2008

There are specs on the rear end gears, I don't know them though. Might want to ask in the axle forum.

I would assume an extended cab as well. Yes, that bearing/bushing can go bad and cause problems.

Make sure you check/clean the bearings/races very well. If there is any doubt, get new ones again. Do you have a book for doing repairs? I follow mine when doing stuff like this as a gide line. I go a little tighter on my bearings, but just enough so there is no slop.

James

Derek The Great · Jul 15, 2008

Truck is a 94, ext. cab 2wd 4 banger stickshift... Well, i checked the bearings and they're all good and removed the brake shoes and stuff, but other than that i didnt get much else done today Im goin to Seattle tomorrow and will take the rear end out when i get back. If after that it still makes noise, ill check that center shaft bearing. Thanks for the posts fellas, keep em comin

Derek The Great · Aug 12, 2008

Its time for a bump/update.. I pulled the rear end weeks ago and now the shop has finally turned it around. Initially i pulled the cover off the rear end to check things out. The spider gears made clacking noises and there was some slop inbetween them so my buddy had me remove it so he could take it to this shop he knows... This weekend im gonna throw it back together and rebuild the rear brakes. (might as well) I had a helluva time gettin the old drums off due to the rust, so since I work for a pretreat company I pretreated the new ones. Then I powdercoated them with Akzo Nobel's PN137Q which is a mid gloss black. They look pretty sweet for drums.. When I get the truck back on the road Ill let you all know if chewbaca has been eradicated
Derek

Derek The Great · Aug 14, 2008

Can anyone tell me what the torque spec should be for the U bolts on the rear end, and the driveshaft? Thanks

Chewbaca is hiding in my ranger..

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