this is also the first thing that came to mind. I would definetly check to see if there were any marks from contact.

 

I got the front driveshaft rebuilt with new universals, rebalanced, etc. Same issue.

John said: "When you replaced your ball joint did you grease it ? If so you will need to remove the grease fitting and plug it , there is not enough room to clear the fitting and the u joint . I replaced mine yesterday , Went to free spin hubs ."

Yes I greased them. That would be the lower joint you're talking about? If that's the case, I should be able to see damage on the universal or (more likely) on the grease fitting. I'll check that out.

 

Sounds like to me is your tcase lever needs adjusted. You say its good in two wheel drive but when you put into 4 wd you get a grinding even at idle. Do you have manual t case shift or a switch? If manual, try pushing it a little less/ further. Obviously dont let it grind any longer than you can help it. Have you tried 4 low?

 

Bounce,

I put Moogs in mine to and I've been getting a scraping sound that I have finally tracked down to the back of the inner axle yoke on the driver's side rubbing against the end of the axle tube. Right where the axle exits the tube there is not enough clearance, as though the axle is being pushed to far inward.

I've had this thing apart a few times too and finally made it shut up by greasing that spot. It only helps for a while. Now I'm wondering what to do about it.

 

A file or die grinder to knock off the high spot?

 

Camper,

I thought of that too, but it's more of being set too far in and not just a burr or casting anomoly. It doesn't look like a simple grinding will fix it. I'm about to pull it down and get a better look at it though. On the passenger side I can move the axle in and out just a bit. Not so on the driver's side where the axle shaft is being forced into the housing.

In 4WD I get a gronch gronch gronch at wheel speed while under load. With the hubs engaged and in 2 WD it is a subtle wheel bearing sound.

This has been an ongoing problem that was part of another problem I had. I just had it all apart, thoroughly cleaned everything, greased the bearings and replaced the Warn hubs with Dynatrac units. But I didn't go the extra mile and pull the axle shaft. This problem only showed up after I had a problem with the Warn hubs (my fault) and I have put on about 90,000 miles on the free spin setup. I'm beginning to wonder if the ball joint is wearing and allowing the wheel to tilt inward at the top and pushing the axle inward in the process. Grrrrr.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

I'm not seeing any evidence of contact between the zerk on the lower ball joint and the axle.

But check this out...I discovered that if I raise the truck, grab either front wheel at 12 and 6, and push/pull I've got some play. No play if you grab the wheels at 9 and 3.

I wasn't able to rock the wheel like that and look at the knuckle to see if I can see where the movement is coming from...will have to get a helper for that. But...play at 12 and 6 is usually a sign of bad ball joints...right?

Given that these are brand new ball joints and it seems unlikely that I've got two sets of bad joints from the factory, what does that mean? Wrong parts or installed wrong?

The part numbers check out and I'm not sure how I could have installed them wrong...press them in until they're flush with the yoke...zerk facing forward on the bottom one. Install the snap ring on the bottom joint. Install the boot on the bottom joint. Install the knuckle, tighten nuts to spec. Continue tightening until the hole in the stud lines up with the gap in the nut so you can install the cotter pin. Grease until grease oozes out of the grease relief in the back of the boot. How could I have messed that up?

 

I have the manual lever. 4 low does the same thing as 4 high.

 

How would different ball joints change the clearance between the axle and the tube?

 

The only thing I can think of is maybe the upper ball joint is worn and the top of the wheel is slightly tilting inward. This moves the axle inward too. just pondering. I've got about 90,000 miles on my Moog joints now and this problem developed in the last 10,000 or so. On the passenger side I can pry the axle in and out a bit, but on the drivers side, the axle is rubbing against the axle housing and the back of the knuckle/spindle assembly. It's trapped in there and tight. Diving in 4 WD it complains.

I'm afraid it's time for another set of ball joints. I recently talked to Dynatrac and found out they are making them. Might be a good thing.

 

Really suck! Garbage!

 

Just an idea, I'm no mechanic, but on doing chevy axle seals inserting the axles you have to be careful not to dislodge the spider gear when pushing axle in. Can this be a problem in the dodge Diff? If you didn't have this problem before then maybe in 4x4 the prob is in the diff.