I recently bought an 03 Ram 1500 4x4. When the truck is in 4wd, and the steering wheel is turned right or left, I get a nasty clicking/grinding type noise. This only happens when turning, no noise at all when driving straight. The drive CV was bad, so I replaced the entire CV joint/axle assembly on both sides, but still have the noise. Anyone have any ideas on what this may be? The 4wd is strong and will climb a mountain without spinning a tire. This has me frustrated. Thanks for all your help.

 

Are you sure your not experiencing 4x4 "bind up"?
When you use 4x4 in these trucks, you must be on a poor surface such as a lot of sand/gravel/ice/mud etc etc etc.
If there's too much terrain friction eg a sound normal paved road, the 4x4 systems bind up on these trucks as there's no viscus coupling or clutch mechanism, to allow the drivetrain to slip.
The front and back wheels are essentially locked together by the transfer box and it's internal gears and chains.
Bind up usually does not occur in conditions of slippery roads/tracks, as the road surface then allows the front and rear wheels to turn at different speeds.
Sorry if I'm explaining how these systems work and how to drive using your 4x4. But I do not know your level of driving experience with trucks of this nature.
Hope this helps?
Al.

 

could be a bad hub.

 

You are only suppose to turn with 4wd activated on slippery ground. Even on dirt you will get bind.

 

Thanks for the replies. At the time I was climbing a fairly steep hill(dirt and leaves). It wasn't that slippery and was mostly dirt/grass. I actually took the truck back out later while it was pouring the rain and pretty muddy/slippery. I didn't notice the clicking this time until I climbed back up a hill behind the house and was back on a grassy area making a turn. I have some pretty aggressive Federal Couragia M/T tires on the truck, so they are great at digging in and getting the traction. I know you're not supposed to drive in 4wd on blacktop, but I actually had pulled onto the blacktop previously and that's when I really noticed the clicking/binding noise. Your explanation makes perfect sense. I mainly got the truck for winter time driving and it isn't used as a daily driver. I guess I'll just consider the noise normal and hope it doesn't have a catastrophic failure this winter. Lol

 

Something else you might want to check is wheel bearing/hub. Usually you can jack the truck up and shake the wheel back and forth to know if they are bad, but may be worth investigating.

 

Almost 7 years later...

 

hahaha, Didn't notice the date/it was on my recent view list.