front diff bearings going out???

stinger26 · 05-15-2008, 08:12 PM

First off I have an 02 Z71, and I've been having a metal scraping noise and vibration you can feel in the steering wheel for awhile now. The noise isn't that loud, with the radio slightly up, windows, up, or going 60 mph down the road it isn't audible. It's mainly audible going between buildings or on smooth quiet roads under 30 mph while coasting or coming to a stop. There is a vibration in the wheel that comes and goes at almost any speed. It's not a wheel shaking vibration, just something you can feel. The truck has brand new wheel bearings, pitman and idler arms, tierods, and upper ball joints. The noise and vibes were already there before I replaced these parts so it isn't any of that. Tires were rotated, and brakes are ok. Front diff fluid is full. I pulled the front d-shaft and the noise was still there. So that has me thinking it might be something in the front diff. What's a good way to check if the bearings are bad? Hopefully I can found out what's going on because its annoying as hell and also before anything else goes bad. Any help or info is appreciated.

Joe

dave89iroc · 05-15-2008, 08:21 PM

with the front shaft in, put it in 4wd, does the noise change or go away?

stinger26 · 05-15-2008, 08:25 PM

I'll give that a try tomorrow and see what happens.

stinger26 · 05-17-2008, 02:32 PM

Sounds the same while doing about 30 mph in 4HI

pimprider · 05-17-2008, 04:28 PM

one way to check is to jack the wheel the ground ,put hand on top and one on bottom and try to shake up and down make sure you have someone watching the ball joints from the front to make sure theres no play coming from them when you push on the tire you souldn't feel any movement if you do then its probably the bearing

05-15-2008, 08:12 PM	#1
stinger26 Supporting Member Status: Offline Join Date: Jan 2007 Member ID: 62506 Pics: My Gallery Location: Fayetteville, TX Age: 23 Posts: 82	front diff bearings going out??? First off I have an 02 Z71, and I've been having a metal scraping noise and vibration you can feel in the steering wheel for awhile now. The noise isn't that loud, with the radio slightly up, windows, up, or going 60 mph down the road it isn't audible. It's mainly audible going between buildings or on smooth quiet roads under 30 mph while coasting or coming to a stop. There is a vibration in the wheel that comes and goes at almost any speed. It's not a wheel shaking vibration, just something you can feel. The truck has brand new wheel bearings, pitman and idler arms, tierods, and upper ball joints. The noise and vibes were already there before I replaced these parts so it isn't any of that. Tires were rotated, and brakes are ok. Front diff fluid is full. I pulled the front d-shaft and the noise was still there. So that has me thinking it might be something in the front diff. What's a good way to check if the bearings are bad? Hopefully I can found out what's going on because its annoying as hell and also before anything else goes bad. Any help or info is appreciated. Joe 02 Z71 LT Ext Cab \| 5.3L V8 \| Magnaflow w/ 4" tips \| Bilstein 5100s \| Cooper STT LT285s \| Cognito UCAs, Keys cranked 2" \| RC T-Bars \| Ranch Hand Grill Guard \| Moog Built Front End \|

05-15-2008, 08:21 PM	#2
dave89iroc Registered User Status: Online Join Date: Sep 2007 Member ID: 73893 Pics: My Gallery Location: SE Michigan Age: 30 Posts: 1,887	Re: front diff bearings going out??? with the front shaft in, put it in 4wd, does the noise change or go away? ASE Master Certified Technician 1994 Z71 SCLB 355, Dart Heads, 10.5:1 CR, PM rods, CC XR270HR, CC Pro-Mag RRs, RPM Air-Gap , 4 barrel TBI, 7 qt. oil pan, Headman long tubes , not finished yet

05-15-2008, 08:25 PM	#3
stinger26 Supporting Member Status: Offline Join Date: Jan 2007 Member ID: 62506 Pics: My Gallery Location: Fayetteville, TX Age: 23 Posts: 82	Re: front diff bearings going out??? I'll give that a try tomorrow and see what happens. 02 Z71 LT Ext Cab \| 5.3L V8 \| Magnaflow w/ 4" tips \| Bilstein 5100s \| Cooper STT LT285s \| Cognito UCAs, Keys cranked 2" \| RC T-Bars \| Ranch Hand Grill Guard \| Moog Built Front End \|

05-17-2008, 02:32 PM	#4
stinger26 Supporting Member Status: Offline Join Date: Jan 2007 Member ID: 62506 Pics: My Gallery Location: Fayetteville, TX Age: 23 Posts: 82	Re: front diff bearings going out??? Sounds the same while doing about 30 mph in 4HI 02 Z71 LT Ext Cab \| 5.3L V8 \| Magnaflow w/ 4" tips \| Bilstein 5100s \| Cooper STT LT285s \| Cognito UCAs, Keys cranked 2" \| RC T-Bars \| Ranch Hand Grill Guard \| Moog Built Front End \|

05-17-2008, 04:28 PM	#5
pimprider naked women and beer Status: Offline Join Date: Aug 2003 Member ID: 8179 Pics: My Gallery Location: Gainesville,Georgia Age: 21 Posts: 310	Re: front diff bearings going out??? one way to check is to jack the wheel the ground ,put hand on top and one on bottom and try to shake up and down make sure you have someone watching the ball joints from the front to make sure theres no play coming from them when you push on the tire you souldn't feel any movement if you do then its probably the bearing 94' 1500 silverado 4.56 gears, Rancho 6" 3" body, 37 MTZs on 18 diesels, E-fans, underdrive pulleys, K&N intake, tbi spacer, fuel regulator, headers with magnaflow and hypertech chip 5(15x10 mikey thompson wheels for sale)


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