Knocking/Ticking

[Mister laugh]

Well my truck has recently contracted a case of the speed related ticks. And i would like some idea's to track it down. It is speed related, not rpm related, it becomes noticeable at the same speed all the time (15-20km/h ish my speedo doesn't work), and my tires are freshly balanced by a friend that i know did them right because i watched him do it, and check them. It is a noise like there should be a vibrations coming with the sound, but there aren't any noticeable ones who has suggestions?

[jhow66]

spark knock-pinging maybe? Does it do it at cruise or when you are on the gas at that speed?

[Mister laugh]

both cruising and on the gas. It also happens in neutral just coasting along.

[jhow66]

Check your u-joints at rear of drive shaft.

[68gmsee]

Defective bearings are notorius for being hard to detect until they're really in bad shape. You can hear them, but sometimes it's hard to determine where the problem is.

About the only thing you can do if you don't know where it's coming from, is eliminate the obvious first. As jhow66 said, u-joints are the easiest to check. Lube them and see if there's any movement in them. This is hard to determine unless they're really bad.

If it's an automatic, check for cracks or loose bolts in the flex plate.

Next is wheel bearings.

And last (this happened to my brother) lube the speedo cable just in case. His was clicking against the frame from lack of lubricant. Usually you can see the speedometer needle jumping slighly when this happens.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

[Mister laugh]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

Defective bearings are notorius for being hard to detect until they're really in bad shape. You can hear them, but sometimes it's hard to determine where the problem is.

About the only thing you can do if you don't know where it's coming from, is eliminate the obvious first. As jhow66 said, u-joints are the easiest to check. Lube them and see if there's any movement in them. This is hard to determine unless they're really bad.

If it's an automatic, check for cracks or loose bolts in the flex plate.

Next is wheel bearings.

And last (this happened to my brother) lube the speedo cable just in case. His was clicking against the frame from lack of lubricant. Usually you can see the speedometer needle jumping slighly when this happens.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

All of the u-joints are new, it is a standard (3spd on the floor), And the speedo cable is not hooked up due to the shifter. I am now thinking it may be the carrier bearing causing the noise. In which case I'm just going to pull the whole thing take it to a driveshaft shop and have them do the bearing,balance and throw new u joints on there just to be sure.

[68gmsee]

Originally Posted by Mister laugh

All of the u-joints are new, it is a standard (3spd on the floor), And the speedo cable is not hooked up due to the shifter. I am now thinking it may be the carrier bearing causing the noise. In which case I'm just going to pull the whole thing take it to a driveshaft shop and have them do the bearing,balance and throw new u joints on there just to be sure.

Well, I guess my suggestions bombed out on this one. The carrier bearing would be a good start, especially since it's speed related. A slighly out of balance drive shaft and a bad bearing....

Let us know what you find in case someone else has a similar problem...

[Highsteel]

Originally Posted by Mister laugh

both cruising and on the gas. It also happens in neutral just coasting along.

Maybe a rock/nail/screw in a tire?
Fan to shroud contact?
Is the sound synced with engine speed or vehicle speed?

Jerry

[Mister laugh]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

Well, I guess my suggestions bombed out on this one. The carrier bearing would be a good start, especially since it's speed related. A slighly out of balance drive shaft and a bad bearing....

Let us know what you find in case someone else has a similar problem...

Sorry to be a buzzkill there. Haha i just went over the basic stuff before asking.

Originally Posted by Highsteel

Maybe a rock/nail/screw in a tire?
Fan to shroud contact?
Is the sound synced with engine speed or vehicle speed?

Jerry

I looked at all the tires and there are no rocks and screws that i could see. There is no fan shroud, but that would have been something i probably would have never thought to check. It is synchronized with the vehicle speed, not engine speed.

[Highsteel]

Might also be wheel/brake related. Maybe you could jack up one corner at a time and spin the tire to try and isolate the noise. It could be something in the brakes or wheel bearings.
You could also jack up the rear-end as a whole and turn the wheels with the tranny in neutral so the drive shaft turns to isolate u-joint/carrier bearing noise.
And of course, always use jack stands when working under a vehicle.
If you think its the carrier bearing, verify it before replacing it if you can.

[Mister laugh]

Originally Posted by Highsteel

Might also be wheel/brake related. Maybe you could jack up one corner at a time and spin the tire to try and isolate the noise. It could be something in the brakes or wheel bearings.
You could also jack up the rear-end as a whole and turn the wheels with the tranny in neutral so the drive shaft turns to isolate u-joint/carrier bearing noise.
And of course, always use jack stands when working under a vehicle.
If you think its the carrier bearing, verify it before replacing it if you can.

I had the truck up on the lift at work, and was spinning the rear end, there was no way i could spin it fast enough to recreate the noise, and i couldn't outright see and problems with the carrier. Is it possible that it could be a problem an not see it?

[Highsteel]

There is usually a significant vibration/wobble when the carrier is bad.
Maybe its not at that point yet, I'm not sure. Sorry
Is the rubber and the metal frame separating?

Jerry