Update on the noise - I had the front diff rebuilt locally for $800 including R&R at a reputable shop.
The shop said my original gears were burnt and that was about the only thing they could visually see wrong with it. Below is a pic of the gears, I see an imprint on every tooth of the ring...
This is not accurate. It completely depends on the design of the hub.
The new bearings I used, Timken SP500300, are roll formed bearings -- they do not require a stub axle to hold them together. The original OEM bearings were not roll formed and yes, could come apart if driven without stub...
I read that it should be fine. When I pulled the driveshaft out, I did not see anything that would indicate I was compromising a seal by having it removed.
This is 100% accurate. I did not realize that but I went ahead and pulled the front driveshaft out and the noise is gone. So, it's definitely the front diff and now I feel comfortable driving it to the shop knowing I'm not tearing it up further!
I don't disagree with you but don't really want to drive the truck to the shop with the noise and smell. I was hoping I could get temporarily solve that by taking the diff out of the equation.
So small update... I drove the Tahoe a few miles over the weekend and noticed a pretty strong burning rubber odor. After that, I decided it probably wasn't safe to drive to the diff shop as it's about 30 minutes away and I'd have to get on the freeway. I decided to take the front half shafts out...
The fluid had a grey tint to it, otherwise, it was pretty clean. No metal chunks but there was a fine powder on the drain plug magnet. I've read this is somewhat normal?
I tried the diff actuator suggestion but unfortunately, the noise is still there. Sounds like it's the diff. Just super...
Thanks for all the help and feedback.
I pulled the half shaft this morning and confirmed the noise is coming from the diff itself. Went ahead and did a fluid change but no dice. Oh well.
I got a quote from a local shop from $500 - $850 depending on how bad it is, plus $250 for R/R.
Anyone...
Well, the mystery noise is less mysterious now. I replaced the P F wheel bearing hub assembly and crossed my fingers. Went out for a drive and the noise was still there.
Jacked her back up, took both wheels off and spun them again. I think I found the culprit, video below.
It sounds like...
Thanks, I spun both wheel bearings. They feel tight and as they should but I did hear a very faint tick from the passenger side. It's hard to spin it fast enough by hand to know if it's my problem. I took the CV axle off as well to confirm that the noise was coming from the bearing and it...
Well you never know, some forums I've been on censor the shit out of their members and threaten to kick ya off if you aren't PC enough. Glad to know this isn't one of those places
Great thoughts, thanks for the feedback. To check for wheel bearing play, I jacked up each wheel and looked for movement / looseness across the vertical axis (that runs from the ground up through the tire). I say the front based solely on what I can hear when driving - it almost sounds like its...
Hi Everyone,
New guy here, just picked up a 2004 Tahoe Z71 with 172k on her. I stole the truck from the PO because the trans was starting to go out, so I just had that rebuilt with a local shop. Since getting the truck back on Friday evening, I've noticed a ticking noise from the front that...
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