I noticed some noise coming from the left front of the truck a couple of days ago while going around a right hand turn at about 40 mph. When I got home, I threw the jack under each side of the front end and rotated the tire only to find out the left front axle wasn't unlocked and was turning with the tire. It didn't matter what position I put the hub lock in, it was still turning.

I took it to my local mechanic and come to find out the guy that repacked my hubs a while back, installed everything backwards. The spring was on the outside, so it was pushing the locker inward causing the hub to stay in the locked position.

After he found it, cleaned it and replaced it, ($45) I hopped in and headed home. Going around another right hand turn, it started again. It sounds like something grinding and it is loud. It speeds up and slows down with my speed and once I turn left, it stops until the next time I go around a right hand corner. It doesn't do it if I'm just turning right, there has to be some speed involved. It really sounds like something is getting up against the tire or inner wheel and rubbing when I go around to the right. I know its not the main bearing because it would be doing it all the time if it were.

The mechanic says there is another bearing behind the main wheel bearing that may be bad, but I don't see anything about that in the manual. Any ideas on what I should check?

 

Well, some mechanics will say that just to make some extra $$$

However, here is my question.

So, it only grinds when you turn, correct?

Do you get that same grinding sound when you are braking? When you turn, does your speed get reduced pretty good?

After that grinding sound, can you smell something burning?

 

It sure sounds like a bad wheel bearing, and there is a bearing loacted under the spindle on the Dana 44. You have to tear down the hub and rotor assembly, and then unbolt the spindle to get it it.

 

Correct, it only grinds when I turn to the right and only when the speed is up over say 30mph. It doesn't do it when the speed is low and I'm turning right. There is no noise at all until I go around the corner and then the grinding comes on very quickly and continues until I go strait for some time or turn to the left and it is loud enough to over power the radio. Once I do that, there is no noise, under acceleration or braking.

No grinding sounds during braking and it does not decrease my speed at all so I know its not related to the brakes. Plus the brakes are all fairly new and there is no smells once I stop.

If the front wheel bearing was bad, I think there would be a grinding noise all of the time or at least most of the time. I get no noise unless I'm turning right.

 

The way you describe it, it sounds load related. I don't know much about those hubs, but maybe when you execute a turn, that's the only time that the right load condition exists on the inner bearing to cause it to "grind".

 

It is common for a wheel bearing to make noise only when turning because of the extra load on it. Another thing that thye second mechanic would probably have seen is maybe the wheel bearings are loosening and the rotor is starting to rub something in turns.

 

If I jack the truck up and grab the wheel at the top and bottom, would I be able to shake the wheel a little if the bearing is going bad? It makes no noise when the truck is on the lift and you rotate the wheel. Maybe I'll turn the wheel to the right and then rotate it to see if I get noise that way...

 

The only time you'd be able to do THAT would be when your bearings were in extremely
bad condition; the truck would handle squirrely on the road with a wheel loose enough to
move by hand.

Are you sure it's not a tire hitting a plastic fender well or somethin'?

 

Sounds like a wheel bearing, but remove the wheel and check your splash shield for signs of scraping, good luck

 

I agree with the others, its ur wheel bearing.u may be able to feel it when on the lift, but prolly just feel some extra slack. Wheel bearings on 4x4s should be cleaned and repacked periodically anyway, so this should be routine maintenance tht you neglected. you are a Ford neglecter!!! Grrrr