In my hunt for a 3rd gen I have come across two '01s that seem to have a very nasty front driveline noise. It seems like a groan/grind that happens almost as soon as you start moving, seems to change a little bit with speed, not weight/direction sensitive, doesn't change if in 4WD or 2WD. On the trucks one has axles that look perfect, one has a torn boot, one has Cooper road tires, and one is lifted with Duratracs.

Here's a video of one truck (turn volume up and ignore what sounds like change rattling):
Am I looking at actual diff issues or is this more of an axle/needle bearing issue?

 

ill bet the cv axel is shot pull them out and ser if that fixes sound

 

A few months ago I chased an ever-increasing drivetrain noise that I assumed was coming from the front end (truck had just over 300k at that point with original wheel bearings, CV joints, u-joints - everything). By the time I found the actual culprit (RR wheel bearing), I had replaced both front bearings, front halfshafts, and front diff. The halfshafts and diff were 60k used pieces.

Moral of the story - drivetrain noises travel. I've now put an additional 10,000 miles on my work and all is quiet & smooth. No leaks. What an exercise...

See this thread


Andreas