My truck just started to make a short creaking noise. When step on the gas hard and then let off, I can hear that creak noise. I can't tell where it's coming from just know its somewhere under the truck. I can't feel anything in the steering wheel or anywhere else when theres the creak noise. Happens whether I'm going straight or turning. And the noise also shows up if I hit a bump hard. Does not happen when braking hard.

I've got new shocks (6 months old) and they're torqued real good. Lug nuts are tight. Track bar and sway bar end links are new. Drivers hub unit is new and passenger side feels solid. I checked the driveshaft ujoints and there's no movement. I tried moving the Axle ujoints and so no movement but wasn't real sure the procedure to check them. Body, engine, and tranny mounts look solid.

I know my leaf spring bushings are real bad and my control arm bushings are all cracked and don't look good. Could those be the cause? And what's the procedure for inspecting axle ujoints?

 

How are your ball joints?

 

Give a check on your body mount bolts. Might have a loosened one up so add that to the checklist.

Ujoint check that I do -- Try to be on level ground, put vehicle in neutral. Possibly also transfer case in neutral. Idea is to take any load off such that there is minimal engagement from forward and backward. Will take a few tries and having a helper is ideal.

You would be underneath and once that neutral position is reached, go into to move/jiggle the ujoint. It should feel solid. You're trying to feel for play in the caps, which would indicate lost needles. If they are dry, then that is not good. Age is main thing for that. My original ones lasted up until January this year.

Leaf springs are surely a place that the creak can also come from. Makes sense if its more on turning too since the rear suspension is loading up.

Good luck

 

Ball joints don't have any play and I don't see any cracks on them. They look somewhat new. All body mount bolts show no signs of looseness an the mounts are intact. Engine/tranny mounts look good from what I can tell. I also didn't see any play in the axle or driveshaft ujoints and the ujoints themselves look intact, although they're very old looking...I can't exactly rule out the axle ujoints yet.

I'm guessing the control arm bushings can dry out and begin to make noise? They all look intact just dried up a bit. And the leaf spring bushings are coming apart although. I feel like the noise is coming from the front seeing as how when I quickly let off the gas, the front end of the truck "dives" down and that's when the noise appears. When I step on the gas hard and the truck leans back there's no noise to be heard.

 

I'm not sure then, if your ball joints are good. I had the same exact symptoms, and it turned out to be bad ball joints.

You could get a can of white lithium and go to town on the dried & cracked bushings, see if that quiet's the noise any.

 

Pulled the front driveshaft just for fun (wasn't really that much fun however) and the noise is still there. Might as well replace the ujoint while its out.

Made a new discovery though. Took a long trip to my new job and found out that the noise (creak/grind) appears when downshifting. I can be in third going around 20mph and push in the clutch and put trans in 2nd, when letting the clutch out the truck will make that noise as soon as the clutch begins to engage. This only happens on a downshift and the noise will not appear with up shifts.

So the truck creaks/grinds (feels like its directly under my seat/feet) when going over bumps, when the clutch engages on a downshift, and as soon as I let off the gas. Disregard my first statement saying that the noise appears when stepping hard on the gas then letting off because I found out it makes the noise at anytime I let off the gas, whether I'm driving it hard/fast or going 5mph. As soon as I let off the gas it creaks/grinds.

I'm guessing rear driveshaft is binding somehow? It's got a new yoke and u joint at the trans side...

 

I'm gonna pull my rear shaft and see if a shop can replace the u joint at the differential, and the single ujoint on the front shaft. I've read threw a few dozen threads from various forums; most were dead ends and a few stated that a ujoint had seized or some other driveline defect.

Also read on a Toyota truck forum that a guy with a 5 speed trans had the same symptoms when releasing the clutch and coming off the throttle. The ujoint at the diff had seized/lost lubrication, and showed no signs of any play...he replaced it an all was good. So I'll give that a try.

 

So i decided to replace my ujoint in my school parking lot at around 4am yesterday and after breaking the needle bearings in the very last cap, I had to wait till noon today to get another one. But I got it done and it has not fixed any of my problems.

Anyone have another idea as to what it my be/what should I check? It sounds like it was coming from the driveshaft area, either at the axle or the tranny/tcase.

 

Creaking/grinding noise progressed to happening when just stepping on the gas, usually in 1st and 2nd gear (does not sound trans related).

So far rear driveshaft u joints and yoke at the tcase are new, rear diff fluid changed, tranny and tcase fluid levels are fine. I'm gonna pull the extension housing off the rear of the tcase and check out how the snap ring is doing, and that the splines are in good shape.

I noticed today if I rest my hand on the tcase shifter and step hard on the gas that it pulls backward (toward 4H) then goes back to rest position in 2H. It doesn't seem to pop out of 2H it just pulls backward. Is this normal? Or should I be looking at everything from shifter to tcase for a problem? Anything in particular to look at?

 

Shifter is mounted to the trans/t-case, on acceleration, things move. Not unusual. Just shouldn't move very much.