"Growling" Front Axle (W250/4x4)

[KEENO]

Hello First Gen Brothers... ... ...



I just made a 1600 mile run to Wisconsin & back to Nashville over a 3 day weekend and now have a "Growling" sound emanating from the Front Dana 60. The noise is at 'Road Speed' (Vs. Engine Speed) and tends to change in sound when making steering corrections left & right. Right being the louder.



My truck now has 272,000 miles on it and I believe it still has the original wheel bearings in the Dana 60.



Do this description sound like a failing wheel bearing?



If not... ... ... Suggestions of where to look!



Anyone know the approximate cost of replacing the wheel bearings in our beloved Dana 60?



TIA... ... ... . KEENO

 

[skobylenski]

Not sure if this is a related thing, but when I use 4WD, my hubs squeal, bark, grind, and pull from side to side like mad. I think the hubs are shot. I hope your problem isn't this bad, but I figured I'd just give you something else to look for when you're under there.



Good luck!

Scott

 

[KEENO]

Thanks Scott.....



My Hubs seem to be in good shape still when engaged.



I forgot to mention that I had replaced one of the 'drive' U joints (on the drive axle near the knuckle) a few months back but not the other one.



This "growling" sounds happens in 2WD at speeds above 30 MPH and increases w/ Road Speed until about 70MPH when it becomes 'drowned' out by all of the other noises the truck makes!



Any assistance?... ... ... .



Tim "KEENO" Keen

 

[Philip]

It could be a front wheel bearing making the sound your talking about.



But sound does travel in a drive train. With the miles you are showing I would be looking at the rear axle. This is above the mileage where most need bearing replacement.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

check the hubs and other front u-joint.

 

[KEENO]

Thanks for the advice... ... .



I had planned to remove the rear driveshaft and test drive in 4 HI to potentially eliminate the rear D70 Axle. I haven't done so yet... ... Maybe this afternoon. Removing the cover and doing a proper backlash check might be in order.



The Rear End was rebuilt by Quad 4X4 in Roberts, Mt. approximately 100,000 mile ago. I hope it's not the D70..... Wheel Bearings are much cheaper!



KEENO

 

[DieselBuzz]

Wheel Bearings

Not to plug for anybody but I saw a wheel bearing kit on E-bay under "Dodge w250" for about $40 each side. Hope it's nothing serious.

Art

 

[rowland]

I replaced all my wheel bearings and both Selectro hubs not so long ago. Carquest had Timken bearings at fairly reasonable prices as I recall. Seems like it was about $80, but I was getting a shop discount so it could be more.



Scott -



Hubs are spendy, about $180 from the local shop. I am not impressed with the design, cheap cast aluminum and they don't seal very well. Unfortunatly, I couldn't find another brand on short notice. The Selectros are now manufactured by Milemarker I believe. If you can find a Warn or similar for the application, I would go with that.



On the positive side, they are very easy to disassemble. Just remove the inner three set screws on the dial, unbolt the flange, and take off the snap ring. Takes less than 10 min. if nothing is rusted in.



Isaac

 

[sparks57]

A growl makes me think gears, but since you are not in 4wd, I don't know.



I can add, however, that when my front bearing was going out (and later welded itself together because of the heat ) it was making a screaching noise, not a growl.

 

[paccool]

Keeno,

I don't have a 4x4 but I know someone that did and had a problem along the line you are having. He said the bearings didn't have an inner race, they rode on the stub axle. The bearings got rough and proceeded to mess up the stub axles which apparently are hard to find. If they are rough, I suggest you get them apart ASAP and make sure something like this is not going on with yours. I think his was a 93 but I'm not sure.



Hopefully someone who knows more about this will jump in here.



Stan

 

[rowland]

Both bearings should have inner races. If the bearings actually went as far as to seize up and spin on the stub shaft, that of course would cause major problems. Other than that, rough bearings shouldn't cause any damage to the stub shafts.



Isaac

 

[paccool]

Isaac



That's the same thing I said. I know the guy that fixed this one (my son) and he said the inside bearing doesn't have a race, rides on the spindle. I just looked at the Dodge manual, it shows a needle bearing setup at the inside bearing. That sure seems like a dumb way to do things.



Stan

 

[rowland]

hmm, interesting. On my '89 it was a tapered roller bearing with a race. I remember it being a pain to install. I also remember that I had to buy the race for the inside bearing separately. Of course my truck was one of the first made and that might have something to do with it. Perhaps they changed things when they quit making the 3. 07 axle.



Isaac

 

[KEENO]

Wheel Bearings It is.....

My trucks in today and getting both Inner/Outer Wheel Bearings. The Inners were shot after 272,000 miles w/ the pass. side grumbling the most. The Outers aren't bad but will be replaced regardless.



I planned to do the job myself but "Time" seems to be in short supply during this time of the year.



Thanks for the Help... ... .



KEENO

 

[JStraw]

Earlier this year I did a front and rear axle job on my truck. The '93s do indeed have races (front and rear). Replaced bearings and races with Timco's at $11 each per side for the front. The rears were double as the bearing / races didn't come as a set. All told, including the brake pads with drums / rotors turned / synth grease, was about $150.



This was the first time I've done this on a 4x4. It was an easy 1 day job to do the races, bearings and brakes. I'd have hated to see labor charges if I wasn't able to do it myself.

 

[paccool]

I guess my terminology was wrong. I'm not talking about the wheel bearings, I'm talking about the axle shaft that the spindle mounts to. The wheel bearings go on the spindle. The shaft has a needle bearing on it at the inside of the shaft and that bearing appears to ride directly on the shoulder of the shaft.



All I can say is I'm glad mine is a 2x4 cause there are way too many parts in the 4x4 setup!



Stan

 

[914x4ctd]

I had that same problem on my '91 this last month. Believe it or not it was actually the axle u joints. All of the needles were missing and the slight drag of the driveshaft on the 205 created a vibration starting about 42 mph or so, and away at 70mph. It had a terrible growl and was extremely annoying. I replaced the u joints and it fixed the prob. Good luck

 

[JStraw]

Hey 914,

Did you do the work yourself? Thanks for that info. How many miles did your truck have at the time?

 

[KEENO]

Originally posted by JStraw

This was the first time I've done this on a 4x4. It was an easy 1 day job to do the races, bearings and brakes. I'd have hated to see labor charges if I wasn't able to do it myself.

My Boys up at my favorite Shop... ... ... Moody's Goodyear In Franklin Tn. take pretty good care of me when it comes to labor rates.



They charged me $40. 00 labor to tear down both sides, R&R Bearings and repack, Button it all back up, Lube the Chassis & Driveline & Rotate the tires!



I can't scrape the grease out from under my nails for that little bit of cash!



She's Rollin' FINE once again! Thanks for your Help!



KEENO

 

[914x4ctd]

Hey Jstraw,

I replaced the u joints my self. It is not very hard to do. It takes about an hour and a half per side. My truck had about 205k on it. The 4wheel drive has been used quite a bit. I bought the truck from the original owner and he had never messed with the front end except for brakes, bearing repack, and so on.