I have a 2001 Ram 1500 Laramie XLT 2 wheel drive, 5.2 L engine with 152,000 miles. I have developed a strange noise somewhere in the driveline. Put the rear on jackstands and I get the "squeaking" noise at low throttle in forward gears only. Makes absolutely no noise in reverse. I bought the truck brand new in 2001 and have put every mile on it. I do occasionally tow my car hauler behind it. Any ideas? Transmission? Pinion? Rear end? Does not seem to be u-joints in the driveshaft. Thanks, Steve Bennett

 

U-joints would be my first guess, bad spots loaded in one direction, but, not in the other. If they are original, it wouldn't hurt to inspect them. Pull the driveshaft, see how they feel.

 

I'll pull the driveshaft tomorrow after church and replace front and rear. I replaced the front at 123,000 (2013) but the rear is the original. Thanks for the input. Steve

 

Let us know what you find.

 

Pulled the driveshaft this morning and found the rear u-joint (original from 2001) had 2 dry sockets. Factory sealed so no way to lube. Replaced with a new MOOG u-joint with grease zerk. No driveline noise at all. Thanks for confirming my suspicions and saving me a costly bill at the dealership. Steve

 

Gotta love the easy ones.