think i got a bad u joint...need advice

[BlueCollarTahoe]

anyone had this before? when i accelerate every 5 mile per hour increase i feel a buzzing/growling/vibration from the gas pedal and the left floor board under the driver seat where i sit at. will feel it from 5 to 10 to 15 to 20 if i speed up it dissapears. if i make extreme left turns it seems to be worse after. i had a bull bar installed and that seemed to make it worse. i repalced the front diff fluid a couple months back. did some reasearch and people seem to think its a bad u joint or some sort of bearing. aslo the stabilty control will come on sometimes at random on dry streets. its a 2004 chevy tahoe LT 5.3l 8 cylinder 107k miles. has been maintained properly.

 

[Doubeleive]

I have had similar issue's with bad u-joints and/or pinion bearing, but you may want to check your wheel hubs also

 

[RED TAHOE LS]

stabilty control will come on sometimes at random on dry streets

Jay, I'm thinking your above statement may be where your problem lies. Bearings/u joints normally don't make a noise @ 5 mph increments then go away. JMHO
David g.........

 

[Sasquatch]

How much does that bull bar weigh? I think more weight would make a bad hub bearing louder. Jack up the front and grab the tire and 12 and 6 and shake it. If it`s excessively loose you found the problem but bearings can also go bad and growl and have little or no play as well so give them a spin to see if you can hear any noise.

When you replaced the gear oil in the diff was there a lot of metal on the magnet? If the hubs are good you might have something going bad in the differential.

 

[BlueCollarTahoe]

How much does that bull bar weigh? I think more weight would make a bad hub bearing louder. Jack up the front and grab the tire and 12 and 6 and shake it. If it`s excessively loose you found the problem but bearings can also go bad and growl and have little or no play as well so give them a spin to see if you can hear any noise.

When you replaced the gear oil in the diff was there a lot of metal on the magnet? If the hubs are good you might have something going bad in the differential.

the bull bar is 50 lbs...and the PA speaker i put in for the CB radio weighs bout 20 lbs i shit you not. its solid metal. I got the car up on jacks and checked i didnt feel any crazy movement. when i replaced the fluid it was less than what i had put in and smelled/looked like dino. i put in full synthentic mobil1. the magnet had some sludge but less than ive seen on comparable pics online. seemed about normal. i took the car to the diagnostician spot since i was going to get the fuel injectors cleaned i asked them to check. i asked to specifcally check the u joint, wheel wearings and hubs. they took about an hour checking different things....came to the conclusion that an axle bearing is cooked along with uneven wear on tires that maybe be making it sound worse. looking like an an axle bearing needs to be replaced and new tires. told me to change two but its an excuse to get the 4 i wanted now , sent me home with the parts number recommended i get the best one i can afford, after market or OEM and come back for install.