Hi, Im new to the forums I own a 2007 Ram 1500 quad cab 4x2. Love the truck havent had any issues till now and was wondering if I can get some help. The issue I'm having with it is that a few months ago I started hearing a thump thump thump sound and it feels like if a tire has a flat spot on it. The truck does not sit around its my daily driver. It happens if the truck is slowly rolling at idle, obviously the thumping sound is slow and the feeling of a flat spot is in sync with the sound. The faster i go the faster the thump and feeling till I hit 40mph and wont start up again till about 65mph. I replaced the shocks and issue is still there. I rotated tires and issue still there. I had the tires balanced and rotated at shop and then the problem went away but only for a few weeks. I have no signs of uneven wear or of bubbles on tires but one tire did have a minor flat spot. I took that wheel off and put on the spare and the issue is still there. There is no vibration on the steering wheel and it also does not feel wobbly or lose. I've had a friend drive it and I drive along side it and tires aren't bouncing around or shaking at any speed.
Oh another thing, when driving on the highway and if there's a slight turn and I have to turn the steering wheel just a tad bit, left or right, the shaking doubles but I still dont feel it on the steering wheel.
Hopefully I was able to explain it well enough and thanks in advance for any help and suggestions.
Al

 

Sounds like you have a bearing going. Take the truck out somewhere that isn't busy, and has a relatively smooth surface. (some side road somewhere, that you can use both lanes, without pissing anyone off. ) Get the truck up to about 30mph, and then play pin ball. The edges of the road are your bumpers. Turn HARD to one side, and then the other. See if the noise changes. If it gets louder turning right, then I would take a long hard look at the drivers side wheel bearings. (when you turn hard, you are unloading the tire on the inside of the turn, and loading the tire on the outside of the turn, if it is indeed a bearing problem, as the load increases, so will the noise.) If it gets louder when you turn left, look at the passenger side. If it doesn't make much difference at all, then it gets more fun.

This works for rear bearings as well. Try and see if you can tell which end of the truck it's coming from. (so, turn off the radio, roll down the windows, turn off the heater........ etc.) Depending on the vehicle, sometimes you can actually hear better with the windows up. Try it both ways.

 

Bearing is most likely cause, but you should also check the tie rods. Both inner and outer.
Tie rod tests: 1. Best test is with weight off of the wheels. Put your hands on tire at 3 and 9 o'clock and check for play. Any play is bad. 2. When slowing down to a stop, do you feel like you are driving over a washboard?, and 3. do you see excessive wear on outer edge(s) of your front tires? Does any of the outer tread on your front tires look chewed up or scratched up?

 

Thanks for the help. I havent been able to do the side to side test on the street. But I did lift the front end and tried shaking the wheels with my hands on the 3 and 9 position, The passenger side didnt budge at all but on the driver side i had a little play. Looks like its going to be the bearings. Once again thanks for all the help.

 

Update,
Well I've replaced rear shocks and front struts, front wheel bearing hubs (left and right side) and replaced tires and its a no go. Thumping sound and feeling is still there. I feel that it's coming from the rear but I don't know what else to check. I did take the truck to a local mechanic which told me that everything looks good, the drive shaft, brakes, differential fluid, brakes etc. I also check tie rods and they are in good conditions.
The only thing difference i've notice is that when I first replaced the rear tires the sound and feeling of the thump diminished I'm assuming it's because of the new tread on the tires versus the old tires where pretty worn. Any new suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Try the test I outlined above, see what results you get.

 

Sounds good I'll give it a try this weekend.I also have a quick question. When I jack up the rear of the truck, with both tires off the ground, how much free play am I suppose to have when turning the wheels? I have at least 3 inch free play forward and reverse when i turn the wheel by hand before i feel any resistance or the wheel on the other side starts to move.

 

That's pretty normal. There is slop throughout the system, and you have to get that out of the way before you start influencing other parts.

And apparently, you have an "open" differential.