Ive got an 04' Hemi ram thats got an intermittent grinding noise while driving. Ive been trying to pin point if it does it in a certain gear,,certain RPM,, but cant nail exactly when it happens. I think it is completely random. Sometimes it is loud enough that I feel it in the floor under my feet. The noise seems to be coming from the front drivers side. Im leaning toward drivers side wheel bearing but wouldnt a bad wheel bearing make noise all the time? I have only heard it while driving straight. I have taken corners at 80-100km an hour, left and right to see if I hear any wheel bearing noise or to see If I can simulate the noise but cant make it happen. Any suggestions for what to look for would be great.

 

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The noise is coming from the drivers side front.

 

Then it is your wheel bearing as you suspect. Go buy one brand new off ebay for 75-90 bux.

 

Wouldnt a wheel bearing make noise all the time? This is what puzzles me.,,,I will be driving along and its quiet in the cab...then all of a sudden the noise comes.

 

depends on where it is work and where the pressure is being applied. The wearing of the bearing could allow the tire to slight slit out or at an angle which could give the noise whereas if it happens to be standing straight up and as it should, then at the time you may not get a noise as nothing would be grinding.

 

Is this a 4x4? I would look at the u joint

 

I would jack up the side you suspect is making the noise and see if there is any slop within the bearing. You'll need to wiggle the wheel up/down or left/right and see if theres any noise whatsoever. I would also spin it and see if it spins smoothly. Also, while your there, grab and wiggle the cv shaft to see if theres any play at all.

Just because the wheelbearing doesn't have any play when you do this doesn't necessairly mean it's not bad, but it'll be a 50/50 shot to tell you if it is.

 

Jacked up the front today and checked everything out. Turns out the Passengerside wheel bearing/hub assembly is shot! Hard to believe that noise was transfering to the drivers side like that. Even when I had passengers in the the vehicle they thought the noise was coming from the drivers side.

 

Watch out. It may be both sides. Like brake pads, you should replace both if you have the funds.