I have an 01 ram 2500 with a dana 60 4.10 gears. I just replaced every inch of brakeline and put in a new driveshaft center support bearing in it, took it for a ride, and it is making an awful snapping/bang/clunk from the front end. It only happens when moving, randomly. Sometimes its one snap, sometimes its a few quickly in a few seconds. Occasionally I feel a quick "binding" feeling before it "snaps."

Before I replaced the bearing, which broke free from the rubber, I drove the truck ~20 miles on the highway in 4wd to limp to a rest area to safely wait for a tow home.

Any ideas? I'm thinking its cad related, a wheel/hub bearing, or its a ring/pinion/spider gear issue.

 

Stuck in 4 WD?

 

Check the front jack up and start with the basic checks like the wheel bearing check, grab top and bottom of tire push one hand pull the other check for wiggle. ball joints while jacked up Put a long bar under tire lift up feel for any play, tie-rod check hands on 3 oclock and 9 oclock on tire push and pull one hand to the other feel for play. Do this on both sides and it would be best if you raise the truck and put jack stands under frame to relieve suspension load. also check your track bar and bushing at the frame or on axel. that wears out you will get the death wobble

 

I did a basic check over after it happened the first time. Balljoints and tie rods have a tiny bit of play. However the wheel bearing seemed ok. Yesterday (after all my driving around to diagnose it the other day) I rechecked the wheel bearing and it is DONE! Lots of slop, and now you can hear it when you spin the wheel by hand.

Here's the deal though, someone butchered this thing before. There are only 2 out of 4 bolts in it. They are both rounded off. I'm going to have to cut the hub off and knock out the remaining bolts. Does anyone know what thread the hub to knuckle bolts are offhand since I'll need 4 new ones?

 

The head of the bolts are 14MM and they are 12 points on them. When I replaced my hub bearings, I purchased a 12 point 14MM impact grade socket to make removing and replacing those bolts real easy. Once you have that socket, might try picking up those bolts at a pick-and-pay style junk yard. I believe the 1500 4x4 trucks used the same bolts, but those only use 3 bolts. The 2500 trucks use 4 bolts.


While you are in there, check those U-joints closely. They can also be part of your issue.