EDIT: Grinding was the wrong word, it was more of a vibration/rumble felt in the floorpan/seat. The solution ended up being a transmission mount, the rubber insulator had come unbonded from the metal allowing the transmission tail to free float. It settled on sticking out of the right side 5/8"~3/4" so it would make the noise when turning left and loading the right. My guess is putting more side load/angle on the drive shaft and making the U-joints clatter, or something else to tap.


Couple days ago, my truck began to have a bit of a grinding noise when turning left. Intensity seems to be dependent on how 'hard' I'm going through the turn, i.e. speed and sharpness of turn. I'm figuring it's a wheel bearing, I know my left front has a bit of a noise when braking, light scrape-scrape when slow, squeak-squeak when faster, mostly when warm. Even after new rotor/pads, so maybe the hub is warped?
I wanted to get some opinions on it, but I'm going ahead and replacing the left wheel hub anyway, been meaning to. When I got tires, the tire place broke a stud, they couldn't get another one to seat, so they put a new hub on the passenger side to fix it. Figured it's best to put a new one on the driver side too. Going straight or turning right there's no noise.

Taking a peak inside the center of the wheel shows a bit of nastiness, I'm not a good mechanic, but using my professional powers of observation says, this is not good; I'm assuming that baked grease is supposed to stay inside the sealed bearings.

 

Socket is 1-3/8 or whatever the metric equiv is. And yes, that grease should be inside the bearing.

 

Dont replace just one. The other wont be in good condition either.

 

I would hope the other one is still decent, as stated in my first post, it got changed already a few months ago. It has maybe, 5k miles on it max.

 

I missed that. You should be good then.

 

Update, had an adventure swapping it out. The actual work wasn't bad, everything else sucked. Went out for some loaner tools (my torque wrench maxes at 150 ft-lbs, and lacked a 35mm)... first place I stopped, they only had the needle style, not the calibrated clicker. Had to go to another place, they had the torque wrench, but not the individual socket, I happened to glance on their screen and notice a spindle nut 'kit' with 6 sockets, so rented that instead. $196 to rent the wrench and sockets, yeesh, glad I get to return them. Anyway, no problems getting the old hub off, and woo it was pretty toasted.

Here's you a fancy gallery of the old driver's side hub

The inner races were almost free floating with how wobbly they were, definitely no longer 'sealed' bearings either. Another snag, apparently the spindle nut I had purchased "direct fit" didn't fit... The outside diameter of the nut was larger than the inside diameter of the hub and a good 1/4"+- bigger than the one I took off. Did a bit of research, and it was the same part number for ever single place. Went to take it back, and just as a whim, I asked them to pull another one off the shelf, same part number and all: it was correct. The one I had bought before was apparently boxed wrong and was the wrong one. They just handed me the proper one and I went on my way.

Reassembly went without a hitch, took the loaner tools back for a refund. Making a left out of the parking lot aaaaand hello grinding noise. Sigh. Then my brain actually stopped and went "Duh" turning left makes the right on load, not the left, thus the sound is coming from the right side, the NEW bearing. So now I'm waiting on another hub and spindle nut. I guess they put some store brand hub on (I saw the receipt, they paid a little over $200 for it, didn't catch the brand) and it wasn't up to snuff. Oh well, I know the driver side obviously needed it, so it isn't technically wasted money, just wasted time. Looked in at the passenger hub, it's leaking the grease too.

as seen here

 

I use a 1-3/8" socket from Autozone/Duralast. 1 inch drive.

 

$200 is pretty steep for a single aftermarket hub. Maybe that was markup? I paid $154 for the pair of Timkens I'm now running. My guess is that they didn't properly torque it and that led to early failure.

 

Probably markup, and they also had it delivered. I'm thinking improper torque too, they only used a small impact to put it on as I recall. Timkins are what I'm putting on it, least I'll know they're right this time.

 

Here's a gallery of the passenger side hub.

Doesn't seem to have seals on the ends, hmm.. Also had shiny specks in the grease behind the wheel bearing.

HOWEVER: Problem persists... So $180 down, still at square one.... I can't tell if it's coming from the front or rear, so I don't know what to look at next. I don't want to think rear diff since it only happens turning left, but I'm not sure.

EDIT: It does seem to do worse when pressing on the gas, more force I'd assume. Crawled under the rear and popped the fill plug off the rear diff to check the oil, light foaming on the top (just got back from returning tools), but otherwise perfect level, right at the hole. Color was a light orange, didn't smell burned, no suspended flakes or trash, clean. Problem also seems sorta intermittent... After changing the wheel hub, went and did a couple left circles in the parkinglot, easily recognizable. However, trying it again during lunch break after returning the parts, couldn't get it discernibly happen, if it did, I couldn't really feel it/identify it vs regular pavement feel. I mostly "feel" it through the pedal and floorboard. As far as hearing it, I had the windows down trying to hear it during lunch, which of course, wouldn't really do it, so no identifying even which side, more or less front/back.

Just glancing over suspension parts, it does appear like my upper control arm bushings are toast, at least on the driver side. Got some pictures of the front only, couldn't get any pictures of the rear bushing on the upper control arms.

Driver's side
UCueczd.jpg

Passenger's side
i23sV9k.jpg

I would think if this was causing it, I'd feel it in the steering wheel. Currently I just don't know.