Whining/howling noise while vehicle is in motion

[NCRamowner92]

2009 Ram 1500 SLT 2wd with Hemi 5.7 and 5 speed automatic. Whining and kind of howling begins around 25 mph and gets louder and more pronounced as speed increases. Shifting into neutral or switching engine off doesn't change sound. No abnormal noise when stopped.
Any ideas or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[NCRamowner92]

Vehicle odometer is 81330.

 

[shmedley]

Did you happen to replace the antenna or put some window vent visors on the truck?

 

[NCRamowner92]

No. Wasn't sure if this could be transmission or drivetrain related. Maybe a wheel end issue?

 

[NCRamowner92]

No major repairs or modifications since I got the vehicle in 2011.

 

[Rav3ncroft]

I had a similar sound once on my 2004 and it ended up being u-joints.

 

[NCRamowner92]

Ok. Thanks.

 

[caulk04]

Does the sound change pitch/tone if you sway left/right? Dead ringer for a wheel bearing.

 

[NCRamowner92]

Not really. Just higher pitch and louder with increase in wheel speed.

 

[caulk04]

I'd start by eyeballing the differential(s) then. Leaks at seals can give possible clues to bearing issues, check fluid levels and quality.

 

[GTyankee]

My 2009 started howling & it turned out that the Pinion Nut had backed off & that allows fluid to seep out right at the rear of the drive shaft
As that nut backs off the Pinion Gear shifts just enough to come into contact with the Ring Gear at the wrong angle. That causes a noise similar to twisting a metal pipe within another metal pipe
This happened a lot with the 2009 Ram 1500s

Chrysler came out with a fix for it, the fix was free, if it had not fixed by the dealership

They did the fix on my 2009, but they did it incorrectly & on a couple of drives from San Diego to Yuma & back.
The rear differential lost almost all of the fluid & they had to replace most of the inside of the differential

Good Luck

 

[NCRamowner92]

Will do. Thank you.

 

[NCRamowner92]

I put the rear axle on jackstands and we ran it up to about 30-35 mph for a few minutes. Noise came in about 25 or so. Before we shut it down, both rear wheels began to smoke and the smell was that of brakes getting too hot. Thoughts? Thank you.

 

[NCRamowner92]

Got it up to about 42 mph. Ran for a total of 5-6 minutes.

 

[NJMOPAR]

If there's smoke there's friction heating an ignition source like fluid or pad/shoe materials. Might want to pull the rear brakes and check everything including emergency brakes. Look at the piston seals, hose connections, axle seals slinging fluid, etc.

 

[NCRamowner92]

We did this with the ESC turned off. Would the ECM try to apply the brakes?

 

[NCRamowner92]

I'll pull it down and check it out further. Thank you.

 

[cms1528]

Could there be a little piggy in the back seat with a pinwheel?

 

[bcbouy]

i had this issue as well.i don't let her ride in my truck anymore.problem solved.

 

[NCRamowner92]

Good advice. I had a Mustang that had that issue once.