The noise is somewhere between a tin rattle and a bearing grinding heard most when braking but constant under say 10 mph. We have not been able to pinpoint where exactly it is coming from but I believe it is front drivers side.(but really could be anywhere) it is not dependent on rpm, nor gear or clutch engagement, Nor hubs engaged or disengaged. The drives side front hub, rear hubs' bearings(races and seals) have been replaced. I have the passenger side front hub to do as well, just havent gotten to it yet and it doesnt seem bad. we are all stumped on what it is. It seems to relate to the rotating assembly though as it seems to change with speed. it almost seems like tire rub, but there is no scaring or marks of any sort anywhere for it.

Vehicle is a e99 f250 short bed ext cab. open diff if it makes any difference. My next thought after the hub is pinion bearing?

Could it be something to do with abs? say the truck is 4 wheel abs but the fronts are disconnected (trying to figure out if it is 4wabs as it appears to have connectors, but the original hubs did not have the hole for the sensors. no abs light comes on, but that could be a bad bulb too)

I will try to get a video for you guys at some point. Hopefully even tomorrow if i think of it

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What we have found is hubs locked or unlocked, 4wd engaged or disengaged, and happens at right around 16 mph, braking, accelerating, clutch in or out, in gear or in neutral. All 4 corners have new bearings. We have found 2 things, 1 is the track bar bushings are shot (dont think this is the source of the noise but could be wrong and i will be replacing those..once I have money in again.. 2 the passenger side leaf spring when wacked with your hand makes a different sound than the drivers side.( could be a matter of different loads, but figured worth noting)

There are 2 noises, the first is the noise we hear, the second is one that i found when doing the noise reduction (loud meaty tires you cant hear the noise in the audio without reduction) I think that that was one of the hubs, or maybe the brakes, I am unsure, but it happens at different locations in the video.
Audio Located below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9z...ew?usp=sharing

 

Some E99 have only rear ABS.

As for you're grinding noise, did you put some grease in the needle bearings on the hubs?

These are brand new hubs with only 1K miles on them. Not sure if it is your issue but this was the exact sound you describe at the same speed.

 

They were indeed greased. But you have given me hope that it is my other hub.

In regards to the abs, that was my thought, but the trucks that only have rabs wouldn't have connections for front abs wires would they?

 

Yes, the connectors would still be there.

 

Its not just E99. My 2000 only has rear ABS.

If that happened in 1,000 miles, then you clearly have another underlying cause. Namely, those several layers of axle/spindle/knuckle seals that everybody hates to have to do. Those are what keeps water and debris out of there. The seals also help to center/support the end of the axle shaft.
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...Mg#h=400&w=600
Its a sucky job, but that rusty hub is a clear sign that you need to tear apart that whole knuckle assembly and fix it right.

The body side connectors will be hanging around somewhere; but it should be obvious if they have never been used/plugged in.

Have you checked to see if your brakes are rubbing somewhere? Its possible a stone or something could get caught between the dust shield and rotor. It could even be the caliper bracket touching the rotor, as I found on mine recently. I have a fairly new Powerstop kit, with reman calipers. For whatever reason, the caliper bracket was rubbing the inside of both front rotors, just enough, in one spot to grind a pretty big groove.

 

The problem occured before and after a full brake job was done as that was our first assumption. then bearings, and now we are at a loss. I think i may have located the source of the problem though..or more so sources. The steering stabilizer is shot..like you can move the canister up and down without anything else moving. (the tinny rattle sound i assume) and the track bar(i think thats what its called) bushings are shot. Which is maybe the thunking grinding sort of noise and only noticeable at low rpm because of the chunky loud tires. I will be finding out wednesday. I am going to pull the stabilizer (not needed, but will replace eventually.) and use a little duct tape to make a temporary bushing/spacer/noise dampener for the track bar in order to check the noise. either way those will be replaced, but id be really happy finding out that those are the noise

 

Please see first post

 

During your full brake job, did you grease the slide pins or replace the calipers?

 

It has new calipers at all 4 corners with grease on the slide pin. The passenger side hose was replaced, the rear rotors were replaced (fronts were fine) I don't think it has anything to do with the brakes, as it made the identical sound before and after.

 

A.) What kind of "grease" was used?" The wrong thing is just as bad as none at all. For instance, using "anti-seize" is a somewhat common mistake.

B.) You have used the word "caliper" specifically. Since it is possible to buy just calipers, I need to ask: Did you also replace the brackets? If not, I would look very closely at the bores in which the slide pins ride. Overtime, those holes get "egged" out and/or corrode, if you ever had a dry pin and/or a damaged boot that let water in. If those holes are not clean, smooth, and round ( and not oversized) they can cause the pins/caliper to stick in weird ways.

Listening to the audio clip, it really sounds like scraping brakes.

Here's another thought. How are your front dust shields? I thought I could throw them away when I did mine a while back; as they were rotted. Turned out that was not ok. They act as a spacer/shim for the front hub assembly. Without the thickness of that shield, it brings the back side of the rotor close enough to rub on the caliper bracket. I ended up with two deep grooves in my nice new drilled/slotted rotors, as a souvenir of that lesson. The shields are available new at the dealer, for about $30/ea. Left/Right are the same part. Also, they come in bare steel (which is ridiculous), so I painted mine with some black caliper paint.

 

A: proper high temp brake grease was used.

B: caliper and bracket. My bad there.


dust shields are rotted but there. I did think of this. But neither brake hangs up when spinning the wheel by hand. And they spin silent. The noise doesn't seem to occur until at a slightly higher speed. Which is why I am at a loss, however I could see it being a vibration of something loose as the tires are horribly meaty, they could be hitting the right frequency(?) and making some part vibrate to make that sound. I am still wondering if it is the track bar. I have the bushingd on order and will know next weekend. Other things that we came up with are the locking hub assembly. Which I am unsure how to test. I was considering pulling them out and taping over the edge of the hub and just going for a short ride to see if that did it but fear that could be a bad idea

So I am further lead to believe it is some sort of suspension thing, also believe it is drivers side.
Went to get track bar bushings, and they had the wrong ones. So will have to order them online Friday. (college student.. Pay days are small and biweekly.) I will be jacking it up by the frame next weekend and see what sounds we can get.

 

I realized that after editing the first post it may not have been read. the second sound is brake drag and has been taken care of. the first is the sound that I am at a loss for.