Grinding/vibrating noise coming from the front passenger side above 50 mph

[jdn1299]

At speeds above 50mph, I hear a grinding/vibrating noise coming from the front passenger side. Initially, it was intermittent, but it has grown more consistent over the past couple of hours of my road trip.
I initially thought it was coming from the steering rod rubbing against the radiusff arms but since the noise is becoming more consistent, I am concerned it's something more critical, like the wheel bearing. It just confuses me a little because its only at higher speeds.
Anyone have any ideas? I still have 800 miles till I'm back home, but I can stop for parts along the way and make a repair if needed.

 

[cruzinfj1]

Is the hub hot? Reading what your describing, Id guess a hub bearing. I would pull it apart sooner than later so you don't screw up the spindle if that's what it is....

 

[Kernal]

Any recent work on the front axle or brakes?
Any change in the noise driving forward or reverse, with/without braking??
Does the vehicle track straight on a level road, pulling left or right with/without braking?

 

[jdn1299]

Not at all. It's warm but not nearly as hot as you would think if it were a bearing. I also felt the knuckles and the U joints on the drive shaft, and they aren't overly hot either.

I'm just spitballing: I didn't see any wheel weights, so I may be getting some vibration from tire imbalance, but I would expect to feel that in the steering wheel and I don't feel anything.

Is the hub hot? Reading what your describing, Id guess a hub bearing. I would pull it apart sooner than later so you don't screw up the spindle if that's what it is....

Any recent work on the front axle or brakes?
Any change in the noise driving forward or reverse, with/without braking??
Does the vehicle track straight on a level road, pulling left or right with/without braking?

I just put in Bilstien 5100s, which replaced the shot 4600s. I didn't touch the breaks.
It only happens at 50mph+ so I don't notice it in reverse, breaking doesn't seem to have anything to do with it.
It has a slight pull to the right, but nothing crazy. But this is a new truck for me, so I couldn't tell you what it was like before.

The noise is almost non-existent going up the grade but gets significantly worse when heading downhill.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Park it up in a Walmart parking lot.
Jack a front wheel off the ground, slip the transfer in neutral.
Check for bearing play by rocking the tire back and forth toward you at 6 and 12o'clock. Any play is not good.
Rotate the wheel as well. Feel for uneven resistance or notchyness as it rotates.

The noise is almost non-existent going up the grade but gets significantly worse when heading downhill.

Vibration on deceleration points to bad uni joints.
Pumping some fresh grease into them will either do nothing, or temporarily eliminate the vibration.
Pump grease in until you see fresh grease come out around all four cups of the uni joint

 

[jdn1299]

UPDATE:

Feeling pretty stupid, but relieved. I fabbed some rock sliders and built a box around the cat on the front passenger side. When I welded everything up the box must have warped because it was touching the bottom of the cat, causing it to vibrate.

I really appreciate those of you who reached out with help. The mud community has been great to me. Cheers!

 

[Cowmeat]

UPDATE:

Feeling pretty stupid, but relieved. I fabbed some rock sliders and built a box around the cat on the front passenger side. When I welded everything up the box must have warped because it was touching the bottom of the cat, causing it to vibrate.

I really appreciate those of you who reached out with help. The mud community has been great to me. Cheers!

Hey man! How did you solve this? I bought Mine with sliders installed and my cat rattles like crazy against the sliders.

 

[jdn1299]

Hey man! How did you solve this? I bought Mine with sliders installed and my cat rattles like crazy against the sliders.

I have a temporary fix until I can get back to the shop and do it permanently. I bought a section of heater hose from the auto parts store and stuck it between the cat and slider where it was rattling. I can steal hear/feel it, but it is probably 80% less severe. It still drives me crazy so I really need to get to the shop and mess around with the mounts.

The front of the passenger side slider uses the frame cross-member bolts for mounting. I think I will be able to use longer bolts with a spacer between the slider and the frame to give a little more space between the slider and the cat, but that's TBD.

Hope that helps/makes sense.

 

[Cowmeat]

I have a temporary fix until I can get back to the shop and do it permanently. I bought a section of heater hose from the auto parts store and stuck it between the cat and slider where it was rattling. I can steal hear/feel it, but it is probably 80% less severe. It still drives me crazy so I really need to get to the shop and mess around with the mounts.

The front of the passenger side slider uses the frame cross-member bolts for mounting. I think I will be able to use longer bolts with a spacer between the slider and the frame to give a little more space between the slider and the cat, but that's TBD.

Hope that helps/makes sense.

Makes perfect sense. I had a moment just like yours, but instead of thinking it was the front end i thought It was the motor. It sounded like really bad rod knock on start up and scared the crap out of me until i held the cat while my wife started it and suddenly it went away. Thanks for the help.

 

[jdn1299]

Makes perfect sense. I had a moment just like yours, but instead of thinking it was the front end i thought It was the motor. It sounded like really bad rod knock on start up and scared the crap out of me until i held the cat while my wife started it and suddenly it went away. Thanks for the help.

Yeah it was not a pleasant experience. Mine only happens at highway speeds, so I drove my new truck around town for a few days without ever hearing it. Once I got on the highway to drive from CA to CO, I heard it immediately and my heart sunk. It took me (a very slow) 300 miles to figure out what it was. Not fun.