Growling

[Eric Kropp]

OK gents, I have an 83 long bed 4x4, with a manual and 2.8. About a year ago it started to growl, when accelerating from low gear and turning right. Now it does it turning right or left and louder now. Here is the deal; it will go away if you put the clutch in. Now it does it any time you turn and you are in gear whether decelerating and turning or accelerating and turning, but push in the clutch and it goes away. The drive shaft is not turning that goes to the front axle...that was my first thought. It is getting louder and louder. The U-joints aren't but a year old and it does sound like it is right under the driver's seat.....

Eric

 

[Big Jim M]

I am always a fan of checking the U-joints before thinking they are fine...no matter how long they have been installed.
Big Jim

 

[Eric Kropp]

That's pretty much the direction I was heading. I was hoping someone had such a thing happen to them.

Eric

 

[dangerranger83]

My dads only makes a growling sound when he goes in reverse and turns the wheel left. But the cause of this is his right front tire rubbing the fender.

Now it also makes another low sounding growl when he takes it out of gear and releases the clutch, with the engine on. We think that his throw-out bearing is going out, he didnt replace it when we did the engine swap and it looked like the original one that came from the factory.

 

[enginepaul]

Possibly the rear end. Check the oil level and see if it has that burnt smell.

 

[Eric Kropp]

I hadn't really thought much about the rear end....might have to look into that....

Eric

 

[Eric Kropp]

So I pulled the slide yoke out of the drive shaft, the one up at the transfer case. The U-joint was stiff and you could feel "grungies" in it when it was removed and you rotated the cups. So I replaced it and the noise almost went away. After a few miles it is starting to growl again. Not as bad mind you, but growling. My thought is this. The front U-joint has always been a stinker on this truck. No amount of tapping, pressing could make the installation a free floating u-joint. It was always stiff. I wonder if I have caused some pre-mature wear on the extension splines in the drive shaft. I noticed there seems to be a lot of back and forth play, like when you grasp the shaft and the yoke and turn them in opposite directions. Or is that normal?

Eric<><