Alright guys, my neighbor has a 98 ram ext cab and it's making a whir/swoosh noise. Its a soft rhythmic noise that can be heard coming from the back. It almost sound like it's a tire rubbing on the wheel well, but it's not. There's nothing obvious that I can tell is the problem, but I was hoping that you guys could point me in the right direction as to what it MIGHT be. Just trying to be a good neighbor. BTW, no CEL's. However his oil pressure gauge drops to zero at stop lights.

 

Brakes rubbing perchance? U-joint going out? Maybe something in the drum came loose.... (seen that before....)

Change the oil pump for a high volume unit.

 

For the oil pressure, a mechanical gauge should be the first step. If it's not actually falling to very near zero when he stops, it's most likely the sender. That's the most common failure symptom of a bad sender, anyway.

 

I'm not worried about the oil pressure. I know the solution for that. The main concern is what's causing the noise.

 

I thought all Rams made that noise? It's the sound of dollar bills flying out the tail pipe isn't it? lol

 

Ah, okay, oil pressure not an issue. Check.

I'd jack the rear up and secure the truck so it won't go anywhere, and very carefully hunt for the noise with the wheels driven. It could be anything that rotates, but just a bit more often than not I've found it to be brake related. Out of round drums will do it, as will badly worn shoes/drums because once the grooves are deep enough the shoes cannot fully retract.

 

Thanks Unreg, as soon as it stops raining, I'll have to check on that to rule it out, if it's not the problem.