Got a 96 dodge ram 1500 4x2 w/ 160k. Whenever I accelerate moderate to fairly hard after a number of stop and gos, I hear an on and off again squeaking/scraping that isnt in tune with the tires i.e. it squeaks about 3-6? times faster than about a full revolution of the tires. Thought it was the diff gear (full open) that was low on fluid by not even half an inch but I changed it out with fresh stuff, no metal fragments which is good. Still did it, but it became more pronounced after a week and definitely from the rear end. Checked brakes, they're fine and just replaced 10k ago. It doesnt do it all the time if I drive granny style but this shit is annoying the fuck outta me. Plus I gotta make this truck last for a while. Was looking around and only thing I can think of is the rear u-joints. This sound about right? Need some input before I go fixing something that aint broke.

[Edited on December 19, 2006 at 5:32 PM. Reason : d]

12/19/2006 5:31:25 PM

Quote :

"My rear end is noisy "

well thats another 'polite' way of saying it.

12/19/2006 5:32:19 PM

Ha, wonder how many people would think this is a zxappeal post

12/19/2006 5:33:27 PM

lol

12/19/2006 5:34:14 PM

if it's happening faster than the tires i would guess it has something to do with your driveshaft, since it spins 3.xx or 4.xx times faster than 1 revolution of your tires. have you checked your u-joints?

12/19/2006 5:34:26 PM

12/19/2006 5:35:08 PM

u joints. the one at on the axle end of the driveshaft typically fails first on those trucks.

could possibly be a pinion bearing, but unlikely.

12/19/2006 5:40:20 PM

my pinion bolt came loose on my ram and it made a metallic scraping sound.. and then eventually the bolt fell off and the rear end locked up

12/19/2006 5:58:53 PM

^oh jesus thats gonna freak me out from now on until I figure out what it is. Nah I havent 'checked' the u-joints, I'm not sure what exactly to look for. I've visually looked them over and they seem normal. Though 4k lbs isnt gonna let me turn the driveshaft too easily to really check for slop. If it is the pinion bearing it'll be a pain in the ass to remove wont it? I'd definitely rather replace the u-joint first though, something I can do and only about 20-30 bucks.

12/19/2006 6:12:00 PM

the driveshaft will turn enough to see if there's play in the u-joints.

12/19/2006 6:15:45 PM

yeah i was going about 50 when the rear end locked the fuck up it was crazy. had to put it in 4wd to drag it's ass to the side of the road. my friend re tightened the bolt and although some shit got sheered in there.. not enough to replace anything and i've kept on trucking since. but i def. had a geary sound when i first got the truck up until it locked up.

12/19/2006 6:24:59 PM

wheel bearing?

12/19/2006 6:57:13 PM

prak the truck on a flat area, set the parking brake and put it in neutral, then try to move the driveshaf around at the joint, coming from a man that goes through a lot of u-joints, it sounds like thats your problem

12/19/2006 7:48:09 PM

just saw this thread from the forums page, and had to come post

12/19/2006 7:51:37 PM

damn straight, gonna hit up the advance tonight and see if I can work some magic tomorrow.

12/19/2006 8:00:16 PM

Quote :

"have you checked your u-joints? "

12/19/2006 9:07:22 PM

12/20/2006 8:08:36 AM

Quote :

"prak the truck"

good advice to anyone, PRAK the truck

definately either u-joints or pinion bearing judging by the noises you say it's making......like everyone else said, replace the u-joint first and go from there

12/20/2006 3:23:55 PM

Yeah, checked the joints and I'd say theres barely any play, but for all I know it could be dry on those needles, no grease fitting on it. Well after some head scratching at advance from the design, there were three types available. For my truck the clips alternate on caps of the joint, one set of clips hold the outside, one alternate set on the inner side of the caps. That left me with the joint listed for aluminum/graphite driveshafts, which I didnt think I had. Its the only one of the three that even remotely looks the same for the type of caps and size on my truck. Gotta work today so cant do it till tomm but did anyone know about that, thought most driveshafts were just steel? BBR?

[Edited on December 20, 2006 at 4:39 PM. Reason : .]

12/20/2006 4:37:28 PM

yeah, i forgot about that crap. Jeepman, 69 and i were talking about that last night.

best thing to do is get your joint off, then take it into advance and match it. don't pay any attention to what kind of shaft they have referenced.

too bad it's not 4wd, i could just give you my old shaft to try. it has 2 almost new joints in it.

[Edited on December 20, 2006 at 4:44 PM. Reason : .]

12/20/2006 4:43:57 PM

^couldnt do that, all my roommates been gone for a while as well as most of my close friends. Well I guess I do have the alum/graphite compound shaft, it sure felt like it once I pulled it out, including the yoke its about 15lbs for a longbed version (5-6ft). The sealed end of the driveshaft was a bitch to get the caps out but it fit perfect after I was done. Thanks for the help guys and thanks for the offer BBR.

[Edited on December 21, 2006 at 10:57 AM. Reason : .]

12/21/2006 10:57:21 AM

so no more scraping/squeaking?

12/21/2006 11:02:39 AM

Not yet, but I've only gunned it around the apt complex a few laps so time will tell. Shit that reminds me I didnt say earlier 3 caps came off the joint fine, but the last one I couldnt even turn. Took a hammer to it, pops off in a small cloud of black smoke, look in it and its pure powder, no grease at all, and whats left of the needle bearings is about 20 slivers of pancaked metal of all sizes. So I'm 95% sure thats what it was. Oh yeah and I made sure that my pinion bolt was still was tightened down.

12/21/2006 11:20:29 AM