truck problems

[bmmyers08]

im hear to pick some brains....i replaced the front brakes on my 2005 sierra 4x4 3 days ago thinkin the noise i was hearing were the brake pads rubbing the rotors down. i was wrong...the sound is best desribed as squeeking...just like brakes do. and everyonce and a while i get this aweful metal grinding loud ass obnoxious sound. when i park the truck for a while and then go back out it is gone. it only does it when its rolling and i know its coming from the front left. my thoughts were hubs or cvs? if you agree with one of these 2 ideas and know how to tell the 2 problems apart im open for your thoughts and any new ideas also. everything looks normal i just cant locate exactly where the noise is comin from in the front left. thanks for your ideas.
...oh and it doesnt seem to matter which way im turning either.

 

[fire259]

Without hearing it for myself it is hard to diagnose. But from my experience, I would say it is probably a wheel bearing hub assembly. It is a common problem on GM trucks.

 

[bmmyers08]

i was thinkin the same but i dont want to spend the money and time to fix them and then that not be the prob....any way to know this is for sure the problem?

 

[phylodog]

Get the front left tire up off of the ground and see if it has any play in it. Put one hand up top, the other hand down on the bottom and see if you can wiggle the wheel. If you can, you're hub assy is on it's way out.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I replaced something like 5 front wheel bearings on a 2003 Monte Carlo; those make all kinds of ugly noises.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Get the front left tire up off of the ground and see if it has any play in it. Put one hand up top, the other hand down on the bottom and see if you can wiggle the wheel. If you can, you're hub assy is on it's way out.

What he said...movement top to bottom=bad, side to side=play in steering...got around 100k miles? That's when mine went out on my 2003. The other side went out about a year later. They're not hard to change.

 

[Mgderf]

Unlikely, but it could still be your brakes.
Some new brakes will make more noise than the ones that had been replaced.

Did you clean the rotors/drums before installing new pads/shoes?

If this is the case, it should work itself out with time.

My bet is a wheel bearing.

 

[UltraRick]

I can just agree with everyone else. Wheel bearings.

 

[jlgray]

check the clips that the brake pads ride in. make sure they are not touching the rotor. if it doesnt change while you are turning doubt its the bearing, but maybe the antilock sensor in the bearing hub assembly.

 

[IndyBeerman]

Get the front left tire up off of the ground and see if it has any play in it. Put one hand up top, the other hand down on the bottom and see if you can wiggle the wheel. If you can, you're hub assy is on it's way out.

^^^^This^^^^

Bearing in that front hub is something I would not want to mess with, last time I did that was on my old 88 Ford Ranger SXT 4x4, it was not a happy adventure I want recreate. This is one of the reasons whenever I buy a new vehicle that I buy a long extended warranty, may be a while, but you will always get your money back.

 

[bmmyers08]

i appreciate the opinions! i did the play test with the wheel...it wiggled ever so slightly. i guess i just wasnt sure how much wiggle was to much. and when i replace the left should i go ahead and do the right? or will it not matter?

 

[the only Qualk]

I would like to add when you grab the tire wiggle can also come from the ball jointsso be sure you look behind tire to see where it is moving. (Just in my experience ) Go ahead and check the right side to verify tight or not. Does sound like a bearing many times the c v axles with make a popping noise when bad. ( I believe this to be correct but no gauruntee lol) best of luck to ya

 

[Hanen42]

Sounds like the wheel bearing "hub assembly" whatever you want to call it. If you can jerk the tire back and forth from top and bottom, and with the noise you described, it sounds like the culprit. Hub assemblies are not bad to do. You could replace the other side, as preventative maintenance, but it's not necessary at the time being to do so. On those trucks, if I remember correctly, you just pull the wheel off, pull the caliper up, slide the rotor off, and loosen the axle nut on the hub. Hub is splined, you might have to work it off with a rubber mallet from the backside. ABS sensor just plugs in. Reverse steps to install. Just make sure you re-tighten the axle nut to the correct torque setting or that new bearing will fail prematurely. Hopefully that helps ya some.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

i appreciate the opinions! i did the play test with the wheel...it wiggled ever so slightly. i guess i just wasnt sure how much wiggle was to much. and when i replace the left should i go ahead and do the right? or will it not matter?

In my experience, if your getting squealing, grinding, and/or rubbing noises from the front, especially when making a turn, plus you're feeling that movement as you try to wiggle the wheel (top to bottom), it sure sounds like a bearing. The first one had hardly play at all and the noise wasn't so loud--just a little rubbing or grinding sound--more irritating than ominous. The other side...quite different. I noticed a squealing sound like a brake sensor one afternoon on the way home from work. By the time I got home (20 miles), I thought the wheel was going to lock up on me, it got so much worse in that short time. There was no doubt when I did the "wiggle test" on that side!

As far as doing both...I got a year +/- between my two.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Just google changing front wheel bearings on gmc pickup. There's probably a utube video on how to do it. It's amazing how much stuff like that people have posted.

 

[halfmileharry]

i appreciate the opinions! i did the play test with the wheel...it wiggled ever so slightly. i guess i just wasnt sure how much wiggle was to much. and when i replace the left should i go ahead and do the right? or will it not matter?

In my experience when you're chasing down a problem you're not sure of I think you should just change ONE thing at a time. That way you know exactly when you find the problem. When you start changing out multiple items you increase the chances of more guessing later.

 

[Longhair]

im hear to pick some brains....i replaced the front brakes on my 2005 sierra 4x4 3 days ago thinkin the noise i was hearing were the brake pads rubbing the rotors down. i was wrong...the sound is best desribed as squeeking...just like brakes do. and everyonce and a while i get this aweful metal grinding loud ass obnoxious sound. when i park the truck for a while and then go back out it is gone. it only does it when its rolling and i know its coming from the front left. my thoughts were hubs or cvs? if you agree with one of these 2 ideas and know how to tell the 2 problems apart im open for your thoughts and any new ideas also. everything looks normal i just cant locate exactly where the noise is comin from in the front left. thanks for your ideas.
...oh and it doesnt seem to matter which way im turning either.

Make sure you check the spindle bearing before changing the wheel bearings. My guess is this is your problem, been there done that.

I replace right & left wheel bearings only to test drive and the grinding noise was still there.Turned out to be the spindle bearing.

Chevy and GMC 4X4 Front Axle Spindle Bearing and Seal Set