loud "whining" noise

[nfantbabyjesus]

I just purchased a 02 Ram, 5.9L., 4x4, has 200K on the clock. while driving home i noticed a lough humming or whining noise. the faster i go, the louder it gets. the previous owner stated it had new brakes/rotors, and new u joints. any help with what it may be?

possibly wheel bearing? other then that i don't know what it will be, and i don't know how to diagnose whether or not it is the wheel bearing. im capable of fixing the issue, but i am terrible at diagnosing problems.

 

[redram2007]

It could be a number of things, rear end, u-joints, trans, wheel bearing, etc. If you can, get the rear of the vehicle safely in the air with jack stands. Then have someone put it in drive and accelerate and try to isolate/troubleshoot.

 

[NYCruiser]

Wife?

 

[MegaMouseGW]

Wife?

OOOOO funny but not funny at the same time.


To the OP you do not describe where it is coming from. That would help us in getting you heading in the correct direction.

 

[nfantbabyjesus]

it sounds like the front with an associated vibrations in the floor.

 

[MegaMouseGW]

it sounds like the front with an associated vibrations in the floor.

Ok now we can start helping out. The vibration first. That might not be related to the whining at all so we can start to eliminate potential things that cause vibration. First is an out of balance tire. If one of your tires is out of balance then the vibration will increase as speed increases. You may notice uneven wear on your tires from this. Check your tire for the balancing weights which should be on them. Depending upon the shop they may be on the outside of the rim or even on the inside. If you do not see the standard balancing weights then look on the inside of your rims for the stick on ones. If no weights are present then that is the cause of the vibration. If they are there we can move on.

Assuming that your tires are the cause of the vibration let us move to the engine bay. Open the hood and start your truck. Listen at the front of the engine for the whining while another person slowly raises the rpm's. Belt whine is very distinct and will be almost immediately noticeable. Cure is to replace the belt, the tensioner pulley and the idler pulleys. Replacing the pulleys eliminates 2 other causes of whining.


Ok if there is no whining under the hood when you do the above test then it is time to look at the bearings, and brakes. Normally brakes will sound like 2 pieces of metal grinding against each other. Remove your wheels and inspect the rotors for any signs of excessive wear. If they look good then move on to the bearings. Remove everything that ahs to come off and the dust cap that covers the bearings. Then look inside. The bearings should be backed full of grease with no metal shavings in the grease. Any metal shavings means bad bearings and they will need to be replaced.

I think I narrowed it down a bit for you and maybe someone else can pipe in on stuff I may have missed. Good luck and let us know what you find.

 

[dcarr1971]

Truck leaking anything? I'm new to Ram trucks, but have had other trucks that would produce a whine similar to what the OP is describing if the transfer case or one of the diffs was a little low on gear oil.

 

[Redtruck-VA]

How does the noise change with accelerating and decelerating?

 

[nfantbabyjesus]

How does the noise change with accelerating and decelerating?

it gets louder as i accelerate. while on the interstate cruising at 70mph i have to turn the radio up a significant amount to drown out the noise. as for the vibration...it's not real bad and not felt in my steering wheel, i can just feel it in the floor board.

 

[redram2007]

Have you inspected the truck for leaks from front to rear? You're going to need to get it in the air and start checking your drive train.

 

[MegaMouseGW]

Ok if you cannot feel the vibration in the steering wheel you can pretty much discount everything in your front end. Anything amiss there would be felt in the steering wheel.
Like some of the other posters have said you may want to check for leaks, especially in the transfer case and transmission. A small bit of vibration is always present in most vehicles, but if this is new then that says there is a problem developing that needs some tlc.