Growly, Road noise type sound.

[EdGs]

2015 Ram 1500 SLT QC 2WD 5.7L 8SPD

140K miles. 3.21 Gears.

Had a road noise-ish sound coming from what seemed to be my right front area. Had a slight crinkly sound when spinning the tire with the brake pads released from the rotor.

Bought 2 oe front hubs and replaced them, no issues, but still can hear the growly sound. It does seem not quite as loud.

The sound is to me like when a 4wd goes by, and you hear the tire noise on the road, if that makes sense.

Now I am wondering if its in the rear somewhere. I am going to check that out tonight and see if I have any noise in the rear or a separated tire, etc.

I hear the noise more at lower speeds, and also decelerating. I hope it is not something in the rear diff. Fluid was changed at 106K miles, and is still full.

Any suggestions?

 

[Jeepwalker]

I would have suggested front hubs too. If it's the rear diff or other driveline issue, you would likely notice a change in pitch when you let off the gas or coast down a hill. Try swerving L & R and see if the pitch changes. Usually on a noisy rear bearing or tire, the pitch changes as ya unload the weight of the vehicle. And you can also lift up/down on a wheel (or axle when tire is removed) ..and often feel excessive freeplay on a worn bearing. Like you say, could be a tire-belt too.

Another thing you can do is after you've driven it a while, get out and shoot the rear diff/ hubs/ transfer case, etc with an IR temperature gun and see what temps you see.

One last thing, this might not be it, but a seized fan clutch can lock up and sound excessively loud at speed and can sometimes fool a guy into thinking it's something driveline related. Grab it (engine off) and it should move and feel smooth. Test again when warm.

 

[indept]

The sound is to me like when a 4wd goes by, and you hear the tire noise on the road, if that makes sense.

That sound is typically aggressive tires. Could be a bad tire, try rotating the tires front to rear & see if the sound moves. also verify your tire pressure is correct.

 

[EdGs]

It sounds to me like there is just a bit of oscillation in the noise as I accelerate from a stop. I'm not sure if it is more pronounced in a right or left turn.

It is definately more noticeable at lower speeds also.

U-joints and carrier bearing seem nice and tight.

I sure hope my rear diff isn't going south on me.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to check it out yesterday after work, will do it this evening.

 

[EdGs]

That sound is typically aggressive tires. Could be a bad tire, try rotating the tires front to rear & see if the sound moves. also verify your tire pressure is correct.

I am running Cooper Discoverer AT size LT265/70R17 at ~48 psi. Slightly more than 50k miles on the tires, still have ~ 7/32 tread depth and only recently have had this noise.

I will see if I have a separated tread, and try to move the tires to the front as well.

I hear the noise most below 40 mph. I will check this out further this evening.

@Jeepwalker, can you elaborate a little more on how to check the fan clutch. I am on the original fan clutch and water pump, so I figure I will have to deal with one or both of those sometime in the future.

 

[EdGs]

I didn't get a chance to do much last night, but I put the rear end on jackstands, turned traction control off and tried to drive a little bit to see if I could hear the noise.

Ended up getting the 'Service antilock brake system' message, so that was a bust. I was by myself, and even getting underneath in drive and idling didn't really figure anything out EXCEPT that I can't F'ing stand the Autopark feature.

I did feel around a bit and noticed I have some wear on the inside edge of the rear tires, maybe 1/2 inch from the inside edge, like it is slightly beveled?, and seemed to be maybe slight cupping. Some of the tread felt higher to me.

I would also like to check the pinion nut, but did not feel like unhooking the driveshaft either.

Question: If I did unhook the driveshaft, I will lose trans fluid if I pull the yoke out, correct? Definately don't want that to happen.

I do have 50k on these Coopers, maybe I should get them reversed on the rims? If it is just road noise, I can live with it.

That said, I have also never had an alignment, and also am on the original shocks too.

So, I really don't have a clue yet, so stay tuned.....

 

[jws123]

I didn't get a chance to do much last night, but I put the rear end on jackstands, turned traction control off and tried to drive a little bit to see if I could hear the noise.

Ended up getting the 'Service antilock brake system' message, so that was a bust. I was by myself, and even getting underneath in drive and idling didn't really figure anything out EXCEPT that I can't F'ing stand the Autopark feature.

I did feel around a bit and noticed I have some wear on the inside edge of the rear tires, maybe 1/2 inch from the inside edge, like it is slightly beveled?, and seemed to be maybe slight cupping. Some of the tread felt higher to me.

I would also like to check the pinion nut, but did not feel like unhooking the driveshaft either.

Question: If I did unhook the driveshaft, I will lose trans fluid if I pull the yoke out, correct? Definately don't want that to happen.

I do have 50k on these Coopers, maybe I should get them reversed on the rims? If it is just road noise, I can live with it.

That said, I have also never had an alignment, and also am on the original shocks too.

So, I really don't have a clue yet, so stay tuned.....

'I did feel around a bit and noticed I have some wear on the inside edge of the rear tires, maybe 1/2 inch from the inside edge, like it is slightly beveled?, and seemed to be maybe slight cupping. Some of the tread felt higher to me'

That is most likely your noise out of round tires will sound like mud tires and be loud I would replace them.

 

[EdGs]

That is most likely your noise out of round tires will sound like mud tires and be loud I would replace them.

Tires, I can deal with. That's why I was thinking about reversing the tires on the rim.

I can deal with some noise. As long as it's not my rear diff.

 

[jws123]

Tires, I can deal with. That's why I was thinking about reversing the tires on the rim.

I can deal with some noise. As long as it's not my rear diff.

They are not safe regardless if you feel high spots in the tread and they are worn inside they will not only make noise. But you will eventually have a blowout depends how bad tbh maybe post pics of the tread/worn edges on tires? 50k on tires nearing the end of life.

 

[EdGs]

They are not safe regardless if you feel high spots in the tread and they are worn inside they will not only make noise. But you will eventually have a blowout depends how bad tbh maybe post pics of the tread/worn edges on tires? 50k on tires nearing the end of life.

I will have to look at them closer tonight, the bevel is not dramatic at all, just that I feel something (or think I do...lol).

I will get a better look at them tonight, hopefully. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it is the way I was running my hands around them. My bad for wording it like that. They do have alot of miles on them, but they still have a bit of life in them, I believe.

Stay tuned...

 

[EdGs]

Well, it looks like it was the way I was running my hand over the tires.

Tread depth is good, still have >7/32 of tread depth, consistent at different points on the circumference and across the tread face as well.

Going to do a tire swap to see if anything has changed.

Took a closer look at the oe hubs I removed from the truck and found that the bearing cage was broken (it was plastic, too, btw), so I was at the very beginning of a failure. I feel better having replaced those front hubs. Sucked to part with the $$, but it's all good.

Thank you all so much for the help so far.

 

[EdGs]

Update:

Swapped the tires and rims from my '02 1500, and the noise was not there, so definately tire related.

Saw nothing wrong with the tires from my '15.

Still have ~7/32 of tread, and tread depth is consistent across the tread face as well.

Going to keep an eye (or should I say ear) on it for now.