Well Im new here but i post on several other Forum sites so i think i know the protocol but... I figured i would ask for some help from the powers that be of this forum on a couple things that have been irritating me with my Ram 1500...

Here is the run down on the specifics of the Truck..

1996 Dodge Ram 1500 V6 5spd standard. No thrills to frills nothing cept my audio system in it.

Ok here is the list of problems that I am aware of...

Front end under the passenger side tire i hear a loud "bump" or knock when i slow down or even randomly it will sound like something is hitting another thing. It kinda sounds as iff you were to take a hammer and to hit the tie rod or something liek that... Its not a constant bump or knock it does it randomly but mostly when i go over a bump only on the passenger side or i slow down and the weight of the truck shifts either forward, back or to the side....

My guess is that its the Tie Rod or the bearing over there? Any suggestions?

The rear end is loud! LOL. Like i hear a whining slash loud droan that comes from the back... At first i thought maybe my rear dif gears were grinding away really loudly, but when i took off the diff cover and looked at the gears nothing was out or place nor was there any metal shavings collecting in there.

My guess is the Rear wheel bearings. What do you think?

Lastly, I think i know how to get this fixed but, i dont want to. LOL. When i break its very uneven and even kind of shudders to a stop a little bit. Plus it feels like the rear drums are not being used as much, But when i did a stop test i was easily able to lock up the rear with the drums. Any way i know I need to resurface or replace my rotors because even under slow stops on a hill the truck will unevenly slow down.

For the win... My guess is to replace the front rotors bleed out the brake fluid and replace the pads. What do you think?

Anyway other than that, I am a wealth of knowlege on the Car Audio end of vehicles so if anyone needs help I will try to help and post regularly if needed. Also if i cannot answer a question the forum that i am a part of ( www.Caraudiocentral.net ) is filled with great amounts of information. Oh btw I am not trying to flame or spam here so please dont take it that way! Anyway have a good one and thanks for having me here!

 

Sounds like you have a good idea already. Take it to a shop for a diagnosis and quote. Then take it to another shop and confirm. Then do as much as you can yourself to save money. The front end could be ball joints. The rest sounds accurate for what it's worth.

 

I know i can fix the front end by myself no problem as I am handy with a wrench but im a bit worried about that rear end with all those little pieces and gears i cant afford to mess it up if u know what i mean

 

Not sure if I can help much, but I'll throw in my two cents.

Is the truck 2 or 4wd. If 4wd you may want to check the u-joint for the front axle. I don't know the setup on the 2wd but if it has a cv joint you may want to check that. Could be wheel bearings, try grabbing the tire at the top and bottom and do a push/pull to see if it is sloppy.

When you drained the rear to check it, did you add the mopar additive (or even gm's) when you refilled it?

Sounds like your on the right path for the breaks.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

 

used the special stuff that the Autozone guys gave me for the rear so there is no biggie there... But... it is a 2WD Ram and i think you may be right about the wheel bearings in the front cause I know when i jacked it up i pushed and pulled on it was able to hear that noise a lil bit... Hmm that would be a bit cheaper i think than the tie rod...

 

I know if your outer wheel bearings get bad in the rear they will grind but usually you get gear oil leakage into the brake drums.

 

i had some uneven breaking up front too. my truck pulled to the right when i hit the brakes. turns out it was a swollen piston in my calliper, on the driver's side (wasn't grabbing the pad). went to autozone, and it was $14 for a rebuilt calliper. there was a $20 core charge, but no biggy. i am going to be rebuilding my rear drums, and new rotors up front. you save a whole lot of $$ when you do it yourself.. deffinitley check the bearings up front.

 

mine brakes uneven as well even with all new ball joints and tie rods but what the hell i dont drive fast anyway.