Mine are worn to 8/32" tread depth and I started noticing a hum for the first time. Anyone else notice this happening with these tires? I know many tires start getting noisier as the tread wears down, and I'm hoping that's the case here. If not, it may be a driveline issue cropping up.... :dunno:
Mine are getting close to 65k miles. My fronts tend to hum more now, especially at lower speeds (20 MPH). I started noticing a bit more noise around 45k miles.
Might be the front differential needle bearing. My 06 hummed and thought it was the tire but was the needle bearing. Jack front drivers wheel up and spin it; you'll feel it if it's the bearing. Replaced mine with ECGS bushing and smooth as silk.
The bearing creates a cyclical vibe before going audible, is strongest around 40 mph, and goes away in 4Hi. I doubt the "hum" you're hearing is the bearing. BTW, my driveline has hummed since new. Was told originally that it was normal. I don't even notice it anymore (not that I could hear it over the Duratracs).
A little follow-up and another question. As suggested above, I jacked up the driver's front and spun it -- smooth & quiet. Do not get the cyclical vibration Moose mentioned, so probably safe to assume it's not the front diff needle bearing. Good chance it's just the tires starting to get a bit noisy, however I wonder if the driveshaft center bearing could be starting to go. I can move it around by hand (maybe 1/4"?) which after searching, seems like that may be normal -- or not. Any ideas about how much you can move these before it becomes a problem? Reading old threads, fixing it might be a relatively easy DIY job, or it might be a very difficult job best left to an actual mechanic.
Splicer, I just saw your thread and thought I would add a couple of things:
1. Even on a brand new truck the center carrier bearing is very sloppy within its rubber mount. To the extent that more than one has suggested filling in with a thick urethane to help calm drive line vibes some believe may be related to the seemingly excessive play in the rubber mount.
2. I am a bit obsessive about greasing the 5 drive line zerks (on the 4WD) at every oil change or sooner. I use a white synthetic teflon grease and the grease purged from the caps of the ujoints comes out black every time. Made me think that frequent greasing may be a good thing.
3. I used to participate a lot in a thread on the other site addressing the front differential side bearing problem. One of the things I used to frequently repeat was to not check the apparent free play condition of the CV tulip at the front diff while the truck was raised. It puts an entirely different load on bearing and reduces the apparent play. I don't believe that an entirely shot bearing would express much with the tires off the ground. As noted by 05Moose perhaps the best way is to drive it in 2WD and then shift to 4WD and listen if the hum diminishes or goes away.
1. Good to know that some movement is normal, even on a new truck. Mine shows no sign of wear or deterioration and I suspect it's normal.
2. I also grease the zerks at every oil change, every 5K miles. Old habit I picked up as a kid, and I have lots of grease!
3. I have been reluctant to engage 4WD on pavement (another old habit, fear of driveline binding) and cannot hear the hum on gravel roads.
At this point, I have pretty much convinced myself that it's simply tire hum from tread that's wearing down. It's fairly faint and someone who wasn't familiar with this particular truck might not even notice it. I'll probably just drive it until I get new tires.... or until it gets a lot worse.... or until something grenades and leaves me wishing I had figured it out sooner.
Did you run your hand over the tire treads to check for uneven wear? Cupping or feather edging will gI've you a hum. Run your hand one direction with the tire rotation then back the opposite direction. Do you notice the lugs catching your hand in one direction and not the other?
Most hum type noise are usually tire related or wheel bearing related. Diagnose those things first before continuing on to other components.
^^^ Good call.... but that doesn't seem to be it either. Last tire rotation, there was slight feathering on the outer edges of the front tires, which were then moved to the opposite side rear positions. No longer any noticeable feathering, tread is wearing evenly. I've pretty much decided I won't find anything unless the noise gets considerably louder, or something breaks.... or both! If nothing happens, it was likely just the tires.
I need to find something else to think about... :lol:
If your sure that it's isn't the tires move on to checking the wheel bearing. Take the truck out for a drive and when you notice the noise "carefully" swerve the truck a little to the left them back to the right. Does the noise deminish on the swerve? What your doing is take weight off one side of the truck and increasing weight on the other. If there is a difference in the noise intensity them it's usually a wheel bearing.
The hunt continues. Do you have another set of tires/ rims you can use. Your going to have to eliminate the tires before you can continue onto other things.
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