I'm on the road and really don't want to do a tear-down in a motel parking lot. So thought I'd check on this quick here, if possible:

On turning the truck at slow speeds, I'm noticing a rotating sound coming from the rear axle or brake assembly I'm turning into - the noise is on the left side if I turn left, or on the right side if I turn right. It's a hollow, scuffing sound, not a whine, not a grind, not a popping. It is not a u-joint or the carrier bearing - I checked. The sound does not occur while turning at speeds above 20 mph. It does not get worse at higher speeds. Sounds the same turning to the right or the left - but the sound does localize to the right or left side, depending on which way I turn. There is no sound while driving forward or reverse straight, nor any sound on mild turns, nor any sound with the rear jacked up and wheels turned by hand. There are no pops, no loud noises, no vibrations even when the noise occurs on turning. It's definitely locational - on the extreme left when I turn left, on the extreme right when I turn right - does not sound like it's coming from the differential.

It doesn't sound like brake pads shifting into the rotor when the vehicle turns - the sound has a hollow quality. It doesn't sound like axle bearings going out - I've heard plenty of those. Axle outer bearing races spinning made a similar noise in an IH pickup I owned a long time ago, but I don't think that's a good possibility here.

So -

This familiar to anyone? Ideas?

Thanks!

 

Do you have limited slip differential? If so, when was the last time the fluid was replaced? I once had a vehicle that made noises on turns, changed the differential fluid, and noise went away.