What's up everybody, so I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9. Bought the truck a year ago with a blown motor, installed a used 80k motor in it, need to replace the belly pan under the intake due to oil consumption but ever since I had the truck I noticed a violent grinding noise sounds like it's coming from the driver front area of the truck, installed new ball joints, toe rods, hub assemblies, brakes, tires and axle u joints. Weird part is the grinding noise is only there from 70-80 mph. It is there during accerleretion and with my foot of the gas as well. Tranny fluid looks okay and is full. Truck does have a hesitation to shift around 30 mph. I'm thinking possible torque converter going bad ? Looks like it had a rebuilt torque converter in the truck when removing the old motor due to the blue painted converter in there. Any suggestions would be really helpful. Also I removed the front driveshaft one day and drove it and the noise was still there at 70-80 mph. Also on another issue. When backing up and turning when around 5mph I feel a hesitation and lurching from the rear end almost like the back wheels are loose or something is binding up. Lugs are tight. Maybe a possible transfer case or rear diff on that issue. Also should note that I believe the rear diff pinion bearing is bad as wel due to the whining noise back there. I'm a mechanic but I'd rather get other people's opinions due to this being my first dodge truck.

 

Might be a bearing on the carrier in the front diff.... Might pull the cover, see what things look like in there. Could try turning things by hand, see if anything feels crunchy.

Welcome to DF!

 

Yeah I'm gonna try to pull the cover at work tomorrow and see what it looks like in there. All the fluids in both rears and TC are full. Might also note that I put it on the lift at work before and i couldn't recreate the noise UNTIL I put the truck in 4wd on the lift. Wouldn't do it in 2wd. Yet when driving around town I'm obviously in 2wd and the truck does it.

 

On the lift, with the tires off the ground, the fronts aren't doing anything in 2wd. Nothing is turning, so, no noise. In 4wd, things are turning, so, noise. On the road, the truck is actually moving, so, 2 or 4 wheel drive just doesn't matter, as everything is turning anyway.

 

So in theory, it would have to either be something in the front suspension aka (bad hub assembly, even tho they are new) or something in the transfer case or the front diff considering it will only do it when all 4 wheels are engaging?

 

That seems perfectly reasonable. But, if it does it in 2wd, on the road, chances are, it isn't the t-case...... Pull the front cover, have a look, see what ya find.

 

On another noise different from the grinding noise Another thing to note is I also notice that the truck in standstill aka at a light or stop sign or just parked it does not make this noise but when in drive I hear a weird noise almost like something is crunching but the truck is not moving I checked while my buddy had it in drive while at a standstill and I confirmed it's not a pulley or anything in the front of engine it's deff coming from the tranny area

 

Any suggestions on both those last 2 replies

 

Is it a buzz, or a grind? (second noise, for first noise, see above your posts. )

 

It's almost like a rotating grinding but the grinding is very light compared to the grinding at the highway speeds. It almost sounds as if a guide pulley was bad and the bearing was shot and ready to go completely that kind of sound but it's not that bc I checked all the pulleys with the belt off and spun them all and they are good and it's deff in the transmission area of the truck at a standstill but while in drive