2000 F250 intermittent noise

Lurch830

Lurch830

messin' with sasquatch
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Location
Wilton & Albemarle, NC
My F250 is starting to make an intermittent noise and I cannot figure out what it is, so I'm looking for any ideas/suggestions to check before I start moving. The noise sounds like a cross between a bearing being worn out and a chatter; it will last anywhere between a few seconds to a couple minutes and over 150miles/2.5hrs it could not happen or happen 4-5 times. It doesn't seem to happen under 40MPH and it doesn't sound like its RPM dependent (revving it or putting in neutral doesn't seem to change anything). My mind could be messing with me, but I seem to feel it in the firewall and the steering wheel & it sounds like its coming from the driver's front wheel, but I cannot find anything wrong on that corner. So far I've checked & double-checked all the fluids, u-joints, wheel bearings, brakes, pads & calipers. Nothing feels loose, no evidence of rubbing and/or heat and the brakes don't have any odd wear patterns. The only noise I can hear is the backlash in the gears and from my limited experience they seem within spec. I'm going to crawl over it again tomorrow double checking that everything is greased, but I'm hoping to make my first trip over the long weekend so any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Brandon
 
skyhighZJ said:
Front drive shaft?
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Possibly, but its not in 4WD on the highway and the hubs aren't locked. U-joints on it feel good and aren't making noise either.
 
I have seen the passenger auto hub go bad and enguage itself. Might jack up the front and verify it's not locked
 
fourtrax said:
I have seen the passenger auto hub go bad and enguage itself. Might jack up the front and verify it's not locked
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Confirmed both driver & passenger were unlocked after each trip. No play on any corner's bearing either...in/out, side/side & up/down.
 
Take some fishing line and run it between the axle ujoint and the outer " C". Keep the truck in 2WD and drive it. If the line gets ripped apart, you know the shaft is engaging somehow. Could be the hub or it could be the spindle bearing is failed and digging into the stub.
That's where you start.
 
Jody Treadway said:
Take some fishing line and run it between the axle ujoint and the outer " C". Keep the truck in 2WD and drive it. If the line gets ripped apart, you know the shaft is engaging somehow. Could be the hub or it could be the spindle bearing is failed and digging into the stub.
That's where you start.
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Thanks, I'll do that tonight!
 
I've moved all my hunting & fishing stuff already so I used the yarn(?) from a crown royal bag. Tied a loop on each side around the 'C' and the axle u-joint and drove to the local taco place...both ripped off in ~7 miles and I didn't hear the noise. Wondering if I need to use something stronger or does this indicate I've got a problem on each side?
 
Lurch830 said:
I've moved all my hunting & fishing stuff already so I used the yarn(?) from a crown royal bag. Tied a loop on each side around the 'C' and the axle u-joint and drove to the local taco place...both ripped off in ~7 miles and I didn't hear the noise. Wondering if I need to use something stronger or does this indicate I've got a problem on each side.
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Both sides are fubarred.
Cheapest fix would be if the spindle bearings are toast and the stub is stuck to the inside of the hub.
Otherwise, you're looking at a fresh set of locking hubs most likely.
 
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Jody Treadway said:
Both sides are fubarred.
Cheapest fix would be if the spindle bearings are toast and the stub is stuck to the inside of the hub.
Otherwise, you're looking at a fresh set of licking hubs most likely.
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Well dang...not what I wanted to hear, but hopefully this will put me on the path to fix it! To test spindle bearing vs locking hub would it be smart to pull the hub tomorrow for a quick 5-10 mile drive to see if the yarn breaks again? The local O'reilly has both locking hubs & hub assemblies in stock and they're about the same price for the pairs. I honestly think I'd prefer if it was the hubs since I can replace them in a parking lot without pulling the wheels.
 
No need to replace the hub assy if its just the spindle bearing that is failed. It's like a $10 per side part.
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Jody Treadway said:
No need to replace the hub assy if its just the spindle bearing that is failed. It's like a $10 per side part.
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Gotcha! I was under the impression you couldn't replace that bearing and had to replace the assembly.
 
Jody Treadway said:
on the actual hub bearing, yes. But the spindle bearing (what the stub rides on) is serviceable. Easy peasy install.
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Tried the yarn/string test again after pulling the locking hubs & made the 6 mile trip to the dump & back...no broken strings this time, so the locking hubs may be to blame. I'm planning on leaving them pulled this weekend while new ones are on order to see if I hear the noise again on the highway.

EDIT: drove another 20 miles to TSC & back. No noise & yarn is still intact, hoping that's still the case after tomorrow's drive!

EDIT #2: drove 140 miles on I85/I40...still no noise & the yarn isn't broken. New locking hubs will be delivered on Monday!
 
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Meant to respond to this earlier but looks like Jody got ya on the right track. Similar issue on my 02 was fixed with Warn Premiums. I attributed it to cruddy old vac lines letting moisture into the hub eventually corroding everything inside. Mountain truck problems.
 
StretchASU said:
Meant to respond to this earlier but looks like Jody got ya on the right track. Similar issue on my 02 was fixed with Warn Premiums. I attributed it to cruddy old vac lines letting moisture into the hub eventually corroding everything inside. Mountain truck problems.
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That's what got delivered Monday...hoping to make time tomorrow (technically tonight?) to get them installed. Never thought of moisture getting into the vacuum ports...mine have been disconnected so I'll probably get some vacuum caps next time I'm near an auto parts store.
 
If they're like the 05+ vacuum setup, the vacuum nipple threads in to the knuckle. Pull those out and put in some pipe plugs. I think they're ¼" NPT.
 
I am going to need to try the string trick. I watched my axles when I was driving less then 5 mph and they did not move, Around 70mph I have a vibration and a loud noise that I didnt have before I put the front end back together.
 
Well, installed the new Warm premium hubs & did another ~300 miles with no noise. Went to take another trip today and before I made it 10 miles its making the same (or similar noise) except that when it happens now it doesn't stop until I get to 20mph. This is making moving difficult!

Croatan_Kid said:
If they're like the 05+ vacuum setup, the vacuum nipple threads in to the knuckle. Pull those out and put in some pipe plugs. I think they're ¼" NPT.
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The nipple is threaded, so I'll pick up some plugs the next time I'm in town. Probably a better solution than vacuum caps!
 
Lurch830 said:
Well, installed the new Warm premium hubs & did another ~300 miles with no noise. Went to take another trip today and before I made it 10 miles its making the same (or similar noise) except that when it happens now it doesn't stop until I get to 20mph. This is making moving difficult!


The nipple is threaded, so I'll pick up some plugs the next time I'm in town. Probably a better solution than vacuum caps!
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I think the vacuum ports might actually be 1/8" npt
 
Jody Treadway said:
Did you ever check the spindle bearing? It'll dig into the stub where it rides.
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I spun the axle in the bearing/housing when I pulled the locking hubs a couple of weeks ago & didn't hear anything. I haven't been able to check over the weekend, but I did get the truck on jack-stands & pulled the wheels...hopefully I can pull the hub assemblies to check the spindle bearing Tuesday.

Hokie_YJ said:
I think the vacuum ports might actually be 1/8" npt
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I think you might be right!
 
Finally got back around to working on this thing. I've pulled the driver's side hub assembly and there is no noise from it or the spindle bearing & I don't see any signs of wear. I'm going to pull the passenger side after I cool off to check those as well. If I can't hear/see anything, I think I'll swap sides on everything and take it on another test drive. If I'm still hearing something, I'll pull the manual hubs again to try and make some headway on moving.
 
The passenger side spindle bearing ended up being seized. I've got a new one ordered from the parts store, but it has been raining since 3pm so I haven't been able to ride the bike there & back. Fingers crossed the weather cooperates later tonight or tomorrow!

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^highest the creek in my backyard has been in 5 years!
 
My 2000 had the spindle bearings making noise. I replaced them but you can grease them before the get that bad but most people dont.

It they are just noisy, lock the hubs manually and the noise goes away. This is one diagnostic aid.
 
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