gear heads... i need some help.

heres the deal.
2003 dodge ram 4x4 175k.
i got a steady hum in the front end of my truck. when i turn the wheel maybe an 1/8 turn left the hum goes away. leaving a stop light i can hear the wheel kinda wined up with like a loose vibration sound than at speed its steadys out to a even hum/vibration. i can feel it in the floor on my feet when i drive.

its driving me bonkers.

i have changed the driver wheel bearing since i figured when turning left i that would lighten up the weight on the left front causing the sound to go away, thats where i can feel it on the floor, what i found online and what i have expierienced int he past.

i do have a little play on the end of the tierod end on the driver side. could this play and missalignment in the tires cause the sound? or should i change the rt front bearing and then go from there. i already dumped $120 on a new bearing and still have this damn sound. i want to get it right and not spend anymore money than i have to.

HELP!!!!! SOS!!!!!

Is this a 1500? Did you look and see if that tie rod end is hitting the rim? There should be drag marks on either the tie rod or the rim. I know on a dakota I had there wasn't much clearance and if I turned the wheel it would hit.

I would also check the CV axle out. When you had the truck jacked up did you spin the tire and see if the bearing was "grinding"? Also when you do jack it up grab the tire at the 9 and 3 o'clock spots and try to move it back and fourth and watch the tie rod and see if it has any play in it. You can also check for ball joint play by grabbing the tire at the 12 and 6 o'clock spots and do the same back and fourth movements.

yes 1500

no movement top and botton. but i do have some left and right (9-3) maybe 1/8"

i didnt have any noise in either wheel when it was on the jack.

tie rod is not hitting anything.

cv seems tight. normal play. passenger side cv and stub shaft was replaced about a year and a half ago.

Maybe your bearing wasnt any good that you bought? I just replaced mine but it was making a grinding noise. I have an 04 by the way.

Could be a belt coming loose in 1 of the tires. Try rotating them and see if there's any difference. Did you torque the bearing to the right specs? Usually you can tell a bearing is going bad by the opposite of what you said. When a bearing is going bad and you go around a turn it gets louder because you are putting a load on it. Good luck, let us know how you make out.

well not sure if the 1500's have a axle joint on the front like the 2500's do, but had several go on my 2500's over the yrs causing that issue
but if it does, maybe thats it?
or could be an axle, as they wear they can go out of balance and when turning they can add stress to one side!
good luck

it was the passenger bearing. had no play in it what so ever and like i said no noise on the jack. it must have been adding a load on the left turn took the slop out of the bearing causing the noise to stop.



thanks for the help guys.

well Glad you got it figured out, and not a major problem, there I think more time consuming than anything to change !

Glad it worked out for you Ross. Replaced both wheel bearings (not myself) on my truck over the last couple of years. The last one I thought for sure I'd lose that tire on the last big turn headed to get it fixed. When it decided to go...it went fast!

Glad you got it working. Did you use the good timken bearings? They cost a little more but are way worth it.

The old rule of thumb is to change them both because if they are not both bad at the same time, they soon will be.

That goes for most thing on the front end. Ball joints,struts/shocks,CV axles. It is better to spend the extra on a quality part then have you wheel snap off going down the highway.