Leveled truck just too many problems?

[2k9ram]

I have had a noise that sounds about what you might be hearing, and I have discovered that my CV axle has pulled off its press fitting at the differential on the passenger side. I could mainly hear it driving slow and coming to a stop. The way I found it was when I had the wheels off for a header install, I grabbed the axle at the boot and pulled it toward me, and it moved. I could pull the axle outward far enough that I could see the splines on the shaft. I rotated the passenger wheel too and recreated the same clunking sound I had been hearing while driving. The driver's side doesn't do this at all. I'll pull your picture from above in a minute and draw on it to show you where I looked. I've had my wheels rotated several times and an alignment, and they never said anything about it. I'm going to try to tap it back in place, but I'm wondering if I'm going to have to get an entirely new assembly. My CV angle is identical too. Bils at 2.8. Otherwise no issues except it rides a little stiffer.


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Thanks for taking the time to draw this out and responding! I'll double check and see if the same thing is happening to me. I would have suspected the mechanics that looked at it today would have discovered this had it been happening, but who knows!

 

[14RAM4X4]

You might try running at 1.4" I ran mine at 1.4" and never had any suspension noises. I was worried about that when I did the level.

From your original pic, it looks like the truck is sitting really nose high. Like an inch or 2 high up front. When I ran my bils at 1.4", I only had about 1/2" of rake. If the noises go away and is almost dead level at 1.4" then problem solved.

 

[2k9ram]

You might try running at 1.4" I ran mine at 1.4" and never had any suspension noises. I was worried about that when I did the level.

From your original pic, it looks like the truck is sitting really nose high. Like an inch or 2 high up front. When I ran my bils at 1.4", I only had about 1/2" of rake. If the noises go away and is almost dead level at 1.4" then problem solved.

This is something that I am thinking seriously on. When I measure I am about a 1/2 inch to 1 inch high in the front. So dropping down to 1.4" should make me pretty close to level. I just hate eating the cost of another alignment, and going through all the damn work of taking them off and back on yet again. And if it doesn't fix the noises then do I leave them at 1.4, or take them off and back on and set them back to 2.1 where I would like them to be?

It just seems like someone should be able to find a cause. I know my luck and it will be something silly like a Brake caliber clacking and vibrating through the steering or something crazy like that.

Appreciate the feedback everyone! I'm not throwing in the towel yet! Keep the ideas coming and I will keep you posted on what I end up doing.

At least with the Bilstein's I have options for dropping it down!

 

[R.L.K.]

Have you had the chance to see if your CV Shaft has pulled out @ the differential?
Interested to hear .

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[SYKRAMMAN]

Hey bud, sorry to hear your having so much trouble with your truck, it sux, trust me I know. Anyway, I had a similar noise when turning also, so I sprayed silicon spray lube on ONE moving part at a time and then test drove it in between each time I sprayed a part to see if the noise disappeared, it only took a couple try's and it wound up being the inner tie. Give it a try, what's it going to hurt.

 

[Metalizer]

I'm following this as well...I've been having a low speed clicking/ ticking sound on my truck for the longest time. I'm set at 2.8 and I've never gone below 2.1

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[2k9ram]

Have you had the chance to see if your CV Shaft has pulled out @ the differential?
Interested to hear .

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I did. Everything feels good to me. I have very little play in CV joints, and nothing pulled out when I was pulling on them.

 

[2k9ram]

Hey bud, sorry to hear your having so much trouble with your truck, it sux, trust me I know. Anyway, I had a similar noise when turning also, so I sprayed silicon spray lube on ONE moving part at a time and then test drove it in between each time I sprayed a part to see if the noise disappeared, it only took a couple try's and it wound up being the inner tie. Give it a try, what's it going to hurt.

I too have thought of this as well. Good to hear that someone had some success with doing it. I'm just baffled because it is so sporadic. Sometimes when I turn it pops, the next time it doesn't. Some times when I am coming up to a stop it clacks, the next 5 times it doesn't. Hell the last couple of days I was starting to wonder if things were improving, then this morning pulling into out of a parking spot I turn heads with the wonderful clack that is coming from under my truck.

I have an appointment scheduled with another mechanic that is supposed to be good. I'm going to take it to him next week and leave it with him to see if he can uncover what is going on. If he turns up nothing I'll probably go to 1.4 and see if my noises go away.

 

[2k9ram]

I'm following this as well...I've been having a low speed clicking/ ticking sound on my truck for the longest time. I'm set at 2.8 and I've never gone below 2.1

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Pretty annoying right! Especially with all the members that state they have no noises and everything drives just like factory, but better!

For some reason instinct is telling me that mine has something to do with Sway Bar. Before I replaced my Sway Bar End Links I could sit in the parking spot and turn my wheels, and would get noise every time. I knew my sway bar end link bushings were bad, so I had my wife turn the steering wheel while I listened and sure enough it sounded and felt like it was coming from the sway bar. The end links surely have helped as I can no longer sit in a parking spot, and consistently turn the wheels and reproduce the noise, but yet something is still off.

Hopefully I can get to the bottom of mine, and maybe it will help you get to the bottom of yours.

Stay Tuned...

 

[cliftonclendenen]

I leveled mine 3" and it has been going great for the past 6 months or so. But I have a 3rd gen so it may be different.


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[JB1]

Have you taken it to an actual offroad shop versus just mechanics?

 

[2k9ram]

Have you taken it to an actual offroad shop versus just mechanics?

I have to find one before I can take it to one. The joys of living in a small Midwest town.

 

[george g]

Check the sway bar bushings that hold the bar to frame.My old f250 would bang when the bushings would go bad, once a year.

 

[2k9ram]

Not that this helps any, but I grabbed my phone and did a quick recording of the sound when stopping. Sometimes it happens every time other times I have to work at it to get it to happen.

I checked the play in the CV Joints, without searching the forum how much play should a guy have in them?

Noise Clip 1
Noise Clip 2

 

[JB1]

dang that sounds terrible, I couldn't live with that either

 

[smiley]

That sounds bad to me. I don't know what the hell it would be though.

 

[R.L.K.]

Try removing the front anti-sway bar completely and see if it goes away.
Lots of guys remove it for rock crawling and stuff.
Some guys just leave it off , if you do you'll feel a bit more roll in the corners .

This way you can eliminate a component that goes side to side .

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[2k9ram]

It is pretty annoying, and really annoying that I had no noises with the Rancho Quicklift's that were installed right before the Bilstien's, but the Rancho's only gave me about an 1" of lift.

What is also annoying is getting that similar sound when turning. Not all the time, but whenever the old girl feels like speaking, she does.

My plan of action is this:
- Continue to listen to member feedback
- Take it to another shop on Tuesday
- If shop can't figure it out, will remove sway bar and see what happens
- If Sway bar removal does not fix then I will drop to 1.4 and see what happens
- If sound is there with 1.4 I'll send it down the road.

If I am forced to go to 1.4 I think I am going to try and compress the springs with them installed. See if I can get the spring compressors to compress the spring enough to get the C-clip and drop it down a notch. Of course, as soon as I try this I may find out it's not even possible. If not, no biggie as it's a pretty easy job, just annoying to have to do it again, and if the sound is still there at 1.4 repeat...

 

[muddy12]

Don't know if brakes were already mentioned, but it almost sounds like a loose caliper, slamming into the mount when it grips the rotor.


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[stimpy433]

Don't know if brakes were already mentioned, but it almost sounds like a loose caliper, slamming into the mount when it grips the rotor.


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Yeah, did you mess with anything on the front brakes??? When I lowered my SRT4 I forgot to tighten down one of the calipers and it made a hell of a racket!!!!