First post on this forum, hoping yall can help me.

I'm hearing this metallic knocking in the front drive train. Thought it might be the brakes, but everything is honky dory there. U joint that meets the front diff is alright (replaced it about 3 months ago. Just a little play, probably nothing some grease won't fix. Hopefully...), so I'm kind of at a loss as to what could be causing this knocking.

The noise will stop when I apply the brakes, so I was thinking maybe outter U Joints or knuckle? First Cummins I've owned (bought this truck about 6 months ago) and first time I've had solid front axle (especially non leaf sprung) 4wd setup here, so not too sure how all that stuff works. Owned pretty much nothing but older style toyota's with their flavor of torsion bar'ed IFS, so this is kinda new territory for me. Though it aint really my first rodeo as far as mechanics go

Anyhoo, any idea's? Thanks!

 

If the noise goes away with a little brake pressure, then start checking the calipers and there mounting hardware and the unit bearings. Depending on mileage, the unit bearing could be going out.

 

So it couldn't be the knuckle or outer u joints? Cause the noise didn't go away when I did my last brake job (new pads, turn rotors, rebuild calipers. Loc-tite'ed it all real well, pad spring deal still there), so I really don't think it's brake related.

It's not the steering box either, cause I just replaced that too. Got tired of not having power steering lol. But the noise didn't go away when I replaced that either.

No play in the steering, and you can't feel the vibration through the steering wheel, so I really just don't know...

 

Oh yeah, got 212,xxx miles on the truck.

 

Does it make the noise when you're in 4 wheel drive? When my axle u-joint was gone it would make noise in 2WD but not 4WD. It's easy to check. Pull the wheel off and rotate the rotor back and forth. Any play at all in the u-joint and it's shot.

 

Actually come to think of it, naw it aint make noise in 4wd. I'll have to check that out. Thanks!

 

That's the sound of the front axle u-joint gone bad. Do a search here for removing the front hub without ruining the bearing . Try searching "the socket trick" . Good luck

 

Oh yeah, I've used the socket on the cap pressed with a vice trick way back in the day. Now I got this nifty ujoint press. Hook it up to an impact and it makes short work of it!

Though if it really made me angry, I could always just borrow a 200ton portapower hydraulic press from work that we use for D11 dozer track pins and whatnot. Haha, pretty sure I could pancake a ujoint with that sucker

What part of the hub usually takes a dump when trying to do the ujoints? Isn't it just 4 bolts?? If anyone has a picture handy, it'd help me see what yall are talkin about better. Thanks!

 

the "socket trick" is not refering to getting the u-joint together....it refers to getting the hub off the truck.....they can be a bugger sometimes.