Past few days my drive to work has been accompanied by a howl, or "whooooooooooo" between 30-35 mph. Outside of that range of speed, the noise disappears.

Wheel bearing, or rear end?

Either of these go often with this truck?

I have yet to do the basics such as check the rear diff fluid level/condition, or inspect the front end.

I am @ 60,000 miles.

 

sounds like a wheel bearing.....

 

This spells disaster for me dagnammit. 62k for me, nothing happening yet except for a mild droney hum which I think may be fixed with my Auburn LSD install. I have only had mine for 4500 miles and it seems like I'm steadily rowing into the danger zone of front end work...

Makes me wonder if there isn't something wrong with it since I bought it and I can't tell because I wouldn't know the difference.

But, on topic, does it go away when you let off the gas, or get quieter other than the RPMs slowing?

 

I had to do a front wheel bearing... at about 65k. and im all street driving. and that was with factory tires. 2wd as well.

 

the rear end is making a whining noise when you go over 10 mph if you let off the gas. If you have the gas mashed it doesnt make a noise. Any one have any info or suggestions what to do.

 

wrong sub section but should be the same rear end. i would make sure there is still fluid in you rear end and make sure you haven't burned up a bearing. also check the drive shaft for excessive play. like how far forward and back does ir move out of the rear end if any at all. if it moves enough to notice your pinion bearing may be Fried.

Guys correct me if I'm wrong here but dont most of the 1/2 ton dodge rams have the same 9.25 axle? i know mine is leaking fluid and its apparently really common.

 

If it is a wheel bearing, I have to buy the entire hub assembly, right?

Thats sort of pricey....they are like $75 each (rear abs only)

Pretty upsetting.

That makes quite a few repairs for 60k miles on my truck:

rack & pinion unit
sway bar end links
upper ball joints
intermediate half shaft

...and now possibly the wheel bearings.


I can't believe I could be considering an entire rebuild of the front end at nearly 60,000 miles.

 

You know what the sound actually sounds like: when you blow into a beer bottle.

 

I had a failed wheel bearing at 37,000. It sounded like a mud tire wah-wah'ing down the road. Cost installed at a shop with $60/hr labor was about $300. The part itself was around $100. Yes, you have to get a sealed bearing/hub unit. That's pretty much the modern standard for IFS vehicles.

Bad diff bearings can also howl. There are two bearings, one each to bear the thrust loading of the pinion under acceleration and deceleration. Depending on when you hear the howl, one or both may be bad.

Also, brace yourself for factory parts to start failing fast at / around 60,000 mi. My truck is pretty well taken care of, and by 60,000 miles, there were no stock wear parts left in the front end. I've replaced :

Sway bar links
Sway bar bushings
Shocks
Upper control arms
Lower ball joints
Passenger side front wheel bearing
Front rotors and pads (not really needed, but a solid upgrade)
Both outer tie rod ends

My differential pinion seal leaks, my front crank seal leaks, it's starting to get rusty, the list goes on. There's quite a lottery on who gets what kind of problems with these trucks.

 

Cramerica,
I feel your pain - I am having an issue right now with a vibration feel/sound beginning at around 40mph. Anyway - I know your truck isn't the same year/ gen as mine and I don't know what engine you have but doing your pinion seal is relatively easy (I did it so it has to be!) and I also did my Front Main seal.
There is nothing better than not only doing this yourself but not having any leaks is nice too.
If you would like to know more on these two subjects, let me know. Again, I am no mechanic by any stretch and I do not own fancy tools but I did do these two things in my driveway and relatively easily.
I would also like to say - that while yes it sucks to have all these things go wrong - I enjoy the truck - the power (4.7), the ride and and the look of the truck. Thats why I dont try to get rid of it due to these "problems".