Chirping from wheel wells

So the Orange Crush just tapped 15k on the odometer and for the last 8k miles I have been dealing with a particularly annoying issue. I thought I would see if anyone else has experienced any similar issues with their truck or has an extra opinion what could be causing it.


So the truck is a 2017 Ram 1500 Sport with a 6" Pro Comp lift and leveling kit. Since around 7k miles I have had a chirping noise the happens while driving that started coming from the front passenger side wheel well. The noise only happened while in motion but was not related to speed, braking, forward/reverse, neutral/in-gear. So it is a rotational issue. During heavy rains where the road is wet or after a good car power wash the noise would temporarily stop until the truck had dried out. (I suppose the issue is something that water is able to reach and lubricate enough to fix).

Also, the issue is not a quiet on. It is quite loud and consistent. bumpy areas or parking louds do make it worse.

I took the truck to the dealership, they looked it over for a day and said the only thing they could come up with is that they felt it had to be coming from 2 pieces above the coil springs and that I needed to take it to a shop that specializes in aftermarket truck parts. (the 2 pieces they were referring to were the preload spacers that belong there)

I said ok and set up an appointment with 4wheel parts in Raleigh, NC. They took a look and ended up taking things apart and said that the struts were installed backwards and needed to be rotated because they were rubbing. So they rotated them and said the issue should be fixed. As I pull out of the parking lot I hear that the problem is not gone at all but is still there so I call them back and they tell me to drive the truck over the weekend and the issue should go away that it may just need to settle after they made their changes. Interestingly enough though, I don't know why but whatever they did to the truck caused the issue to move from the front passenger side to the front driver side now.

When I called back and told them the chirping is still very much there they said that it has to be a CV joint because its a rotational noise and they took everything apart including the brakes and don't see any other rubbing.


Has anyone else had these chirping noises or had a cv joint go bad on their truck with 15k miles?

If it was that it doesnt make sense to me that the issue would have changed sides of the truck. I wonder if it is the strut itself and maybe they switched the struts from one side to the other, (or are they only made for one side?). Any thoughts are appreciated.

EDIT: So i called 4 wheel parts back and as it turns out, they did not switch the sides the struts were on. they simply rotated them 180 degrees in place.

I wonder if only the passenger side strut was in backwards.

maybe. when you look at the coil on the driver side now you can see where the orange powder coat has been rubbed off where it was touching though...

When I wrenched, or even to this day whenever I end up hearing about how someone can't track things down I offer this really simple approach to identifying the noise...

*Go get yourself a spray bottle with some water and a few drops of liquid soap.*

Separately spray down different parts of the suspension or even the chassis to body mounts.
**NOTE! Only spray one contacting pair of surfaces at a time. Let what you sprayed dry before moving onto the next spot.**

When the chirp/squeak/rub noise stops you've identified the source. Do what ya gotta from there.

Take your time, it could be just dust, or could be something needs to be torqued down again. Hopefully it's not a premature wear thing. ***Check your upper ball joints to verify they're still fully seated. That's a quick and easy big thing w lifted rides.***

If this works I accept root beer instead of booze.

My '17 1500 Sport "Orange Julius" 4x4 has almost 21k and stock suspension. It doesn't make any noise like that you described.

What stood out in your posting is the fact they swapped "struts" side to side and the noise moved.

To me the "strut" is the culprit.
Check for rubbing with the left side "strut".
It might be bent causing it to rub.

I put your word "strut" in quotes because I didn't think these trucks had "struts". Thought they had regular shocks. Now I'll have to look at mine.

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I had to add an edit. I spoke with the mechanic. they did not switch the struts from one side to the other but just rotated them 180 degrees so that rules out the strut itself potentially. The fact that the sound changed sides is what is baffling me. I have an appointment to go back to a RAM dealer and have them but the chassis doctor thingy, stethascope for mechanics, on it and see if they can figure it out....

Is it a 4wd? Check where the cv driveshaft goes through the spindle because sometimes a little dirt and rust in there cause the noise.

Same deal if you have a set of worn or loose brake pads and the wear indicator is just barely catching the rotor.

Racer_X said:

My '17 1500 Sport "Orange Julius" 4x4 has almost 21k and stock suspension. It doesn't make any noise like that you described.

What stood out in your posting is the fact they swapped "struts" side to side and the noise moved.

To me the "strut" is the culprit.
Check for rubbing with the left side "strut".
It might be bent causing it to rub.

I put your word "strut" in quotes because I didn't think these trucks had "struts". Thought they had regular shocks. Now I'll have to look at mine.

Sent from my hammer and chisel using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

They don't in the rear.

They have coil springs and shocks.

O.R.T. said:

Is it a 4wd? Check where the cv driveshaft goes through the spindle because sometimes a little dirt and rust in there cause the noise.

Same deal if you have a set of worn or loose brake pads and the wear indicator is just barely catching the rotor.

Click to expand...

The mechanic did mention they took the breaks apart to check for any rubbing and re-assembled them. That could account for why the noise shifted sides. I’ll get them to check that. Thanks for brain storming

This sounds like what MADDOG said. If they rotated the struts(turned them 180) and it switched then it really sounds like originally pass side strut was backwards and driver was good and with the rotation now pass side is good and driver backwards. I mean i dont know but thats the only thing that makes sense since thats the only thing they changed, and it switched sides

I didn’t think it was possible to rotate the struts 180deg. I was under the impression that the bolt pattern on the strut would only allow it to be installed one way. Bolt pattern is not semetrical. I have the same problem on my truck but it’s not rotational. Mine is directly related to bump s in the road. I also believe it’s the struts. Dealerships is working on it now.

I will have to update if we ever figure out what it is. I have an appointment with the dealer to take it in....

I bought a 2016 Ram 1500 Lone Star with a Tuscany Motor Co. Badlander edition in October of 2018. When it started to get warmer that when it started to happen. That's when the chirping started and yes when it rain it would stop for awhile. Took it to the dealer for a recall and told them about it. They couldn't find it, couple months later the muffler got a hole in it so I took it back to the dealer. Got that fix and they said that the chirping was from the muffler, the metal was rubbing. As soon as I got to the road I heard it. So I took it home grab my rubber mallet and was bagging around underneath it for awhile. Still couldn't find. Looked around on the internet, still no luck. Started getting cold and no chirping again so i forgot about it. Stated to get warmer up chirping comes back. I was determined to figure it out, looked again on the internet looking and looking. Found this post and then i found a post with the answer. It was the struts and strut caps have been rubbing. Here's the link for it dodgeforum.com/forum/4th-gen-ram-tech/394637-squeak-chirping-noise-2.html. So what i did for now until i can get the front struts change. Is I spray some WD40 on the top of the strut cap in the middle hole. Its easier to do it in the engine compartment then from the fender. Finally its quiet

Don’t know if it’s related, but I had a similar noise in the front drivers side. Sounded like bushings or suspension squeaking when the truck moved. Found that it was a piece of wheel well lining near the bumper that was out of place. Moved it and the noise went away. Just a bunch of plastics rubbing.