so, picked up a 99 ram truck that needed work. no biggie. i could hear a clunk and she had steering issues. the steering box is leaking. stop leak didn't work. anyways; steering issues; were solved by new wheel bearings. Ididnt need the cheapy trackbar guys, issue averted )
put new axle u joints in too because they were BAD. so i was all happy; truck should be good. well took it for a spin. and there is still a clunk in there somewhere. i am thinking suspension; possilby control arm bushings or shocks. axle ujoints are tight.
what do you think?

and second; the truck, in 4wd, is making howling/grinding noises. it is a very noticable difference between 2x4 and 4x4. what do you think that is? is that a pooched pinion? i'm gonna pull the diff cover tomorrow and take a looksie. could it be something in the Tcase? and not the diff? i would assume the diff would howl all the time if it were the issue seeing as it is always rotating.

just looking for common issues, etc to start my search tomorrow

 

Check your sway bar end links, if the bushings are busted or loose it will cause it to rattle/knock going over bumps or even dips in the road. Mine are shot and im going to be just taking my sway bar completely off untill i can get the cash to fix it.

As far as the grinding sound, check and make sure you have diff fluid in the dana and when you changed out the u joint did you make sure both axle shafts ( passenger and driverside ) were in the same position, because if you put the axle shaft back on with out having both sides in the same way, it will cause one tire to spin at a different pace than the other when you are in 4x4 and might cause some problems.

 

hmm. interesting, can you elaborate on the axleshaft thing? i was unaware they could be put in different. i did the passenger side yesterday, took it for a spin, and then did the drivers today. didn't know you could put them in incorrectly.

still guessing on the clunk though. i think its susp. will check the sway bar links, but they seem ok. dont' know bout shocks and control arm bushings though;

 

Basicly look at your u joint, here i will give you an example okay look at this plus sign + the horizontal line " left to right " its the short end of the axle shaft that goes into the hub that you put the lock nut on and pin in.

Now look at the + vertical side, "up and down" you want both the passenger side shaft and the driver side shaft to be in the same position when you crawl under the truck, make sure the part of the axle shaft that goes into the axle, is in the same position on both sides.


Hopefully i haven't confused the **** out of you but it's 1am here and i dont feel like crawling under my truck tonight and taking pictures, but if need be i will tomorrow.

 

Shock bolts can create a clunk, try tightening them up if all else fails

 

LOL, yup Yak, i'm confused.

Your front tires spin at different rates all the time. Every time you go around a corner your outside wheel spins faster then your inside wheel, this is why you need a differential. if your tires spun at the exact same rotation for each tire, you would get "hop" when cornering, just like going around a corner with a locker engaged.

your U-Joints wont effect how your tire spin. its a solid shaft. your shaft will always spin the same rotation as your tire no matter how you put them in.

 

random question; for my steering box (its leaking) can the box off a 1 tonne or 3/4 tonne work?
thanks again guys

 

+1.

And for as simple as a shock bolt is to tighten, might as well check it..Seen lots of people go replacing stuff only to find out it it something as stupid as one or two loose bolts.

Edit:

IIRC, the steering boxes on the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks were the same except for the ratio, so they should work.

 

U joints on your drive shaft. They clunk pretty loudly when they need to be replaced, can also cause a decent vibration at higher speeds. Check to see if they need to be replaced, if its a 99 with decent miles, i can bet you they do or will need to be replaced soon.