Hey guys I'm getting a loud(could clearly hear it about 100yards away) high pitched grinding noise from my front end or maybe transfer case. When it makes the noise at the same time you feel it bind up. This happens in 2wd and 4wd and started while going through some light mud In 2wd in a dirt parking lot.

In the parking lot the noise was fairly constant if truck was moving but when i jacked up the truck and spun the wheels i couldnt make the sound happen. Also everything looked good visually and nothing I grabed was loose (cv's, steering ect)
Now that I've towed the truck home I can't get it to make the noise at all. any ideas?

 

The noise sounds kinda like a belt sander on steel at first then when it binds it sounds like bolts in a blender. If that helps.

 

bearing noise can disappear when there is no load on it. Taking the weight of the truck off the wheel and spinning it might stop the noise from happening. My old 88 chevy had this issue. Grinding noise and intermittent wheel binding when driving it, but when offloaded the bearing seemed fine. until i forced my mechanic to check it and it was definitely bad. he replaced it for free for me because he kept saying that there was nothing wrong with it and we had placed a bet, double or nothing.

There could also have been something stuck in a brake pad, like a rock or something. Check your front discs and see if there is signs of a groove being dug into it. don't forget to check behind the dust shield as it could be on the back side of the disc.

 

I'll check the brakes for rocks.

I was able to get it to make noise again although it wasn't nearly as loud or as rapid I had to drag the brakes to put it under a bit of a load while on the jacks. I took a video. I also noticed that both my front wheels were spinning in the same direction (wether or not the brakes were being dragged).

I'm on my phone so this link might not work

 

After some more playin with it I think its either the joint on the dshaft or the drivers cv.
The d shaft has very little play but I can see up in the joint (boots destroyed). And the drivers cv has a bit of play aswell. Got a feeling its the drive shaft since the noise started after going through mud

 

Is worse when turning? That would indicate it was a half-shaft CV joint. Constant would indicate drive shaft CV, but YMMV.

 

Pulled the drive shaft and its definitely the drive shaft, had pieces of steel fall out when I dropped the shaft. So I'm rockin a 2wd for a while

 

Good that the issue is diagnosed.