Ok, I neeed some help guys. I have a 2000 F250 4x4 5.4 superduty 140k mi.

I started out with what I thought was a bearing going out on the drivers side front wheel.

The other day I heard a noise sounded like a bearing grinding ever so slightly then the next day it was very pronounced. It is loud and distinct when I drive down the road with the window open . It starts at about 15-20mph. Over the long weekend I took the front end apart and replaced the rotors ,dust covers,brakes and guide pins. All bearings appeared to be fine, no looseness or wobble with them.

Now all of the drive shafts were replaced along with the transmission last October with OEM replacements. I went underneath the truck to check the U-joints and all look great as they are fairly new.

Now here is the odd part. When I enable the 4wd by inside switch the grinding sound stops. It only does it when in 2wd.

Could this be a transfer case problem ?

 

Welcome to FTE.

If the noise stops when you put it in 4x4, then it could be the needle bearing going bad. Putting the truck in 4x4 is one was to test this bearing. Have a look at this if you want to do this. Welcome to guzzle's 4x4 Needle Bearing Maintenance Web Page

 

Can the bearing be replaced itself, or do you have to purchase new hubs as well ??

Do you honestly believe this is the problem ?

I only say this because I have spent over 4k on repairs the past few months and know the trucks value is not that great these days. I do not want to spend more than I have to.


Thanks for the reply
Tim

 

i just did this repair on my 2000 f350 200 miles ago lol.
somehow the half shaft was from a 99... it chewed up the hub seal..
in short...
you will probably need a new hub, new seal, and potentially a new half shaft, and b prepared to buy a new 50$ u joint if you arent careful.
you will need a special tool to seat the new seal.
it was a knuckle busting pain in my nuggets.

but she rides so nice now.

xtof

 

you can buy and replace the needle bearing... its timken part number B-2110 rockauto.com sells them for $6 bucks.

when its apart check for excessive wear on the outer stub shaft where the bearing rides. if there is a groove worn in the shaft the same width as the bearing the stub shaft is done.

side story:

i replaced both front unit bearings on my truck after i bought it, cause the passenger side needle bearing was shot and not allowing the passenger hub to engage and an awful clacking noise over bumps. in the replacements i failed to grease the needle bearing, and the clacking noise squeaking noise and failure of the right front hub to engage returned. since my unit bearings were new with 17k miles on them i ordered up new needle bearings. the passenger side was dry and fell apart when the unit bearing was removed. upon further inspection there was a 1/2" wide grove gouged into my stub shaft. i put in a new bearing for temporary until i can source a new stub shaft. its possible the stub shaft was worn when i got the truck causing the noises and messed up needle bearing but i forgot to check and also failed to grease the passenger side needle bearing. resulting is more damage 17k miles later.

moral to my side story take care of the needle bearings before it eats up a stub shaft.

 

Ok, replaced the front axle hub bearings and the noise is still there. I went ahead and dropped the front driveshaft from the transfer case and front pumpkin.
The noise has gone away for now. I put about 10 miles on in at speeds up to 65 with no noise.

So next question is would it be the front differential or transfer case? Which direction should I go next?

Tim

 

what kinda shape is the u-joint on the axle in?
is there any play in it? it should be pretty stiff.
if it is all ok then maybe there is something bad wrong with your locker or something? i would think if it were transfer case you would hear it from farther back...
i dont want to say diff... i really dont want to... so we'll just hope its not eh?

i would see if something is buggered in your locker first tho.
and did the end of the drive shaft look ok? pictures maybe?

xtof

 

All U-joints are tight. They are fairly new just bought new ones back in october.

I believe the problem is in the front differential chunk. I will go in and check later this week. Maybe ring & pinion or bearings.

 

I've replaced both side bearings on my truck. The left side just started whining again. I can't remember off the top of my head how it's set up, but if I replace the the stock hubs with aftermarket ones, will they replace the needle bearings?

 

The needle bearings are an integral part of the hub assembly.

 

Thanks. That's the way I thought it was, just wanted to make sure.

 

did you grease the new ones when you installed them?

how about brakes? could your pads be in need of an edge bevel or maybe replacement?

xtof