Steering issue….. please help!

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Dylankeller94

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Hey guys, so I just recently purchased a 2014 1500 sport stock height on 35x12.5R18s 4x4 and when I test drove it everything was perfect, I just got back for a 1,000km trip and when I was about 30km from my house I was turning right and I heard some loud ass clunking. Figured the tires were rubbing so I continued with driving. About 15km later I hear this weird almost grinding sound, as I was pulling into my driveway when I turned same thing clunking while turning. Anyone have any idea where I can start looking for what the issue is?

EDIT:

Just took it for a test drive, after the clunk it almost would sound like a light grinding sound coming from the front tire. It seemed to get faster the more I accelerated and just stayed the same as I was coasting.
 
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indept

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How about some info, miles, 4wd or 2wd, does it do it coasting and / or when accelerating or decelerating. Doe it have a lift or is it stock height?
Sounds like a bad CV joint or wheel bearing Jack it up and check for bearing play to rule that out. If 4wd check for a broken CV boot.
 
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Dylankeller94

Dylankeller94

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How about some info, miles, 4wd or 2wd, does it do it coasting and / or when accelerating or decelerating. Doe it have a lift or is it stock height?
Sounds like a bad CV joint or wheel bearing Jack it up and check for bearing play to rule that out. If 4wd check for a broken CV boot.

It’s 4x4, stock height with 35x12.5R18s. It does it when accelerating and coasting almost sounds like a faint grinding sound when I’m going straight after.
 

Jeepwalker

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Lift the front wheel up with a floor jack (under the lower A-arm), and grab your tire at the 6 & 12 o'clock positions and shake in/out vigorously. If you feel any movement at all, your wheel bearing is shot. A failed wheel bearing could cause the hub to 'cant' a little and the rotor might rub onto the brake dust shield (making a screetching sound). Also shake the top of the wheel in/out vigorously (failed ball joint).

If that's not it, shake the wheel at the 3:00 & 6:00 positions vigorously (steering joints). Then, put a board under the raised tire and lift up on the board ...check for play at the lower ball joint as you raise pry up on the tire (again ...jack still under the lower a-arm ..tire raised up a little bit).

Considering the added stress from oversized tires, a failed wheel bearing or upper ball joint is not out of the question.
 

Wild one

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It’s 4x4, stock height with 35x12.5R18s. It does it when accelerating and coasting almost sounds like a faint grinding sound when I’m going straight after.
I'd quit driving it,till you find out whats wrong.If it's a bad wheel bearing/front hub and it lets go,the front tire can exist stage left very quickly,and things get real entertaining in a hurry.Follow Jeepwalker's tips above to check it over
 

EdGs

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^^^^this^^^^

A wheel bearing lets go, and your tire will create its own havoc as it travels wherever it wants and will take out anything in its path.

Clunking in a turn does sound like a bad cv joint.

With your wheel off the ground, you can also spin the tire. A toasted hub/wheel bearing will sound very crinkly.

Wish you the best on a quick and complete fix.
 

aces-n-eights

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These guys are on the right track... how many km's on your truck?
 
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Dylankeller94

Dylankeller94

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UPDATE!

I figured it out, it’s most definitely the wheel bearing! We got very lucky as it drove fine on our 1,300km trip and it decided to let go when we were close to home! Ordering parts now, thanks everyone!
 

Burn2k12Ram

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UPDATE!

I figured it out, it’s most definitely the wheel bearing! We got very lucky as it drove fine on our 1,300km trip and it decided to let go when we were close to home! Ordering parts now, thanks everyone!
This is one part you do not cheap out on. Go OE. Trust me. Can mean the difference between you having to redo it here very shortly. Talking from experience lol.
 

Jeepwalker

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I would agree. I bought a non-oem wheel bearing/hub assembly 2 years ago at OReilly's for a truck because I was in a hurry to finish the job. Otherwise I normally go OEM. Well the hub wasn't 'true' out of the box. I put a dial indicator on it (before installing it) and it measured .004 at the hub face. The rotor would never have run 'true' had I installed it. I returned it and bought an OEM hub made by AAM ...which measured .000 at the hub face.
 

EdGs

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This is one part you do not cheap out on. Go OE. Trust me. Can mean the difference between you having to redo it here very shortly. Talking from experience lol.

Just my 2 cents worth, personally for safety reasons I would replace both hub/bearing units. Do the whole job once so you are not replacing the other one a few weeks or months later
Went through the same thing just a month or so ago. Replaced both front hubs with OE parts from RockAuto. Was about $350 shipped.
 
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