2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission loud noise under truck-help!-$600 poorer

[robertsalverda]

hi guys, i'm wondering if anyone can help me out here. i'm getting a thumping noise that my wife can actually feel in the floorboards whenever i take a fairly sharp turn at any speed. sometimes it happens even when we are driving on a straight rough road. i took it to a friend at a garage and he replaced the upper and lower ball joints. although the problem doesn't seem to sound as loud, it is still there. my friend says the shocks look okay and everything seems to feel tight. any ideas? it is a 98 one ton dually, 2wd. any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated, because now he wants to start replacing things one at a time. the ball joints already set me back 600 bones. thanx, rob

 

[JPLB22]

robert I had a thumping noise that I could easily hear/feel in the front floor boards too. I could definately tell it was coming from the front. Mine seemed to be happening at slower speeds while turning and going over bumps at the same time. I replaced the track bar and the drag link tie rod at the same time and the sound/thump hasn't come back for 8,000 miles so far. The OEM track bars on these trucks do seem to have a high failure rate.

Good luck!



Jeff

 

[Billy Diesel]

There are no track bars on a 4x2.



A sway bar bushing that is shot can cause the noise you are describing. BTW, is it a repeated sound, so just one large "thump" everytime you turn?

 

[JPLB22]

Whoops, didn't notice the 2wd, sorry robert.

 

[robertsalverda]

no need to appologize, every bit helps- now if i ever buy a 4by4 , i'll know what the solution is. wr- it is one noise every time. it usually does it at slow speeds, but if you are taking a sharp corner at high speeds it will also do it. thanx rob

 

[duaneparks]

RS, do you have nerfs or running boards? I've heard of them producing the "thump" you describe as well if/when they get loose.



Just a thought.

 

[Ram4Sam]

A long shot...

Robert, here is a longshot. I had a 99 Powerjoke and had a noise and condition similar to yours. On the some of the early PSD's, the hole(through the sheet metal of the floor of the cab) for the large bolts that secured the cab to the frame were too small and the bolt "threaded" through the sheet metal before it screwed into the frame. As the cab moved around on it's rubber doughnuts going down the road, the tight fit between the bolt and the floorboard would flex the sheetmetal( I call it "tincanning") which could be what you feel and hear. I fixed it by drilling the hole in the sheetmetal a bit larger so there was no contact between the bolt and the sheetmetal of the floorboard. It worked for me anyway. Also, I helped a friend with what we thought was the same situation as me. On his truck, the hole was okay, the cab had shifted a bit and the sheet metal was rubbing the side of the bolt.



Sam

 

[robertsalverda]

thanx for the help guys, i don't think it is the bolts in the floor board because although you can feel it there, it definately sounds like it is originating in the front end. maybe it's the shocks but i will definately check out the sway bar bushing. thanks again. i

 

[Dennis Garrett]

I've always had trouble with the bottom end of the shocks rattling on the mounting bolt. The sound telegraphs up throught the frame & it's hard to tell where it comes from. The factory bolts are threaded, even where they go through the shock bushing. As they wear, the bushing pounds the threads flat, opening up enough clearence to produce a solid rattle. The lower end of the shocks sits in a pressed channel in the lower control arm. It has to be as tight as you can get it, to squeeze in on the sides of the exposed rubber shock bushing to keep it from rattling on the bolt. Find some replacement 9/16" (I think) bolts that only have threads on the end enough for the nut. You might also have to wrap a very thin shim around the bolt, so it fits through the shock bushing with little or no play. I've fought this since the truck was new in late 96, with all three sets of shocks, both sides.

 

[pwknapp]

Check the bottom mounting bolt for the front shocks. On a 4x4 the bolt is smaller than the bushing on the shock. I think it was an 18 or 19mm torqued to all this 265 pounder could pull



Paul

 

[robertsalverda]

i took it out again today and spent some serious time trying to find some other clue. whenever you take a sharp turn to the right, let's say, it will make a loud noise. if you gently straighten out and then make another hard right , it will not make another noise. it will only make the noise again if you make a hard left. of course this works in the opposite set of directions also. i believe it may be a combination of a few different things. i think the shock bolts may explain the noise when going over bumps at a slow speed but how could the loose bolts explain the left and right turns? thanks again

 

[kevinthompson]

I would guess it is tires. Even if they are new. You should be able to borrow a set of wheels and tires from someone or even a tdr member to comfirm or eleminate this theory. I had a guy ask to borrow my tires and wheels for the same reason. I helped him with the switch and it did confirm it was bad tires. Made a friend too. Hope this helps.