help with slight squeal noise (sounds like wheel bearing) (1 Viewer)

[hurricanesteve]

the search now has so many results that the signal/noise ratio is low...I spent 20 minutes digging but couldn't find much.

I've got a metal/metal high pitch sound that occurs at all speeds, but only when moving...sounds like a bad wheel bearing...can't isolate to a specific wheel from the cab with windows down. tapping brake pedal does not affect sound nor does engaging hand brake.

Anything else I should be concerned with besides bearings? 142K miles, nothing but maintenance/lube done to driveline since I bought it at 72K miles. I won't be tackling it myself, but I like to be prepared when discussing with my shop.

thanks much!

 

[Atticus]

Have you checked to see if anything is rubbing against a propeller shaft?

 

[80t0ylc]

Could be a rock lodged between one of your brake disk rotors and the backing plate. There's a place that can catch small rocks and trap them near the bottom. IIRC you can spot this from underneath with out having to remove the tire/wheels. HTH

 

[Tools R Us]

A bearing usually makes a grumbling type sound that is felt as much as heard. A metal/metal high pitch sound is most often brake, foreign object or dust shield related. The flanges that the drive shaft mount to have dust shields, they can get bent or get something stuck in them and rub on the diff or transfer housing causing a squeal.

If it makes the noise at slow speed, have a helper drive it slowly and walk around it listening, when you have found the area where the sound is coming from, jack up that corner/end, turn the wheel(s) and locate the problem.

 

[hurricanesteve]

thanks guys, I'll check for foreign objects or bent shields...i definitely can't feel any vibration or grinding, so fingers crossed it's something simple!

 

[JAC83]

Sounds like a pebble/tiny rock stuck between the rotor and the dust shield, this happened to me yesterday when returning from a trail with lots of mud, it sounded awful, we had to jack up both front wheels and sure enough, there were 3 tiny rocks stuck in there(2 in the left, one in the right), pried them out using a screwdriver and the noise went away.

I have a question for the experts about this, can you damage anything if you drive around like this or is it just dealing with the annoying noise? would the rocks eventually break or fall out on their own? One of the rocks stuck in mine actually broke and fell out as I was trying to pry it out.

 

[80t0ylc]

I have a question for the experts about this, can you damage anything if you drive around like this or is it just dealing with the annoying noise? would the rocks eventually break or fall out on their own? One of the rocks stuck in mine actually broke and fell out as I was trying to pry it out.

Well, I'm far from being an expert but, how do you feel about scratching the surface of your rotor? Because that is about what you'd be doing by leaving the rocks in there and just putting up with the noise. Rocks are usually odd shaped and some are very abrasive. We have a lot of volcanic or ignious rock here in Central Oregon. It rips tires and most any thing it comes in to contact with - even the dust is abrasive. IMHO soon as I here that noise - and it's happened to me several times - I get the little bugger(s) out of there. I know just what you're talking about and where to look for it. That's why I suggested to the OP looking in post #3.