I have a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500HD 4WD quad cab short bed. I have confirmed the noise is not coming from the engine at all. Randomly while driving there will be a ticking noise that comes from underneath/the rear half of the truck. The truck has 40k miles on it and everything has been maintained regularly. The brakes are the originals, but will be changed soon as there is still a little life left in them. The noise is not consistent and not always there. Sometimes it will be there and get worse with speed and other times it won't even be there at all. I am stumped as to what it could be at this point. Not a stone stuck in the tire either because it makes the noise on grass too. Any ideas as to where to look?

 

Just to give you heads up....i have a 2008 with the notorious "Hemi Tick". It DOES NOT sound like it's coming from under the hood, but rather from underneath where the transmission is located. If I pop my hood, the fan is so loud it overrules most other noises including the injectors pulsing.
I'd say it is coming from your engine and it's either sticky lifters or you have the dreaded hemi tick which is only on the 5.7L hemi motors due to incorrect valve guide clearances.

if in fact what you describe as a "ticking" noise is from the rear....only thing I can think of are the u-joints.

 

i got the hemi tick too very annoying!

 

The engine doesn't tick. I have heard about the Hemi tick and this Hemi has yet to get it. This sound definitely is coming from the back tires/under the bed somewhere. I had someoen drive it and ran next to it and I could hear it the loudest from that area.

 

Methinks he protests to much. Just kidding.

 

I got the Hemi tick too,
loud enough that the car beside me at a stop light can hear it ...