Front of truck...................cannot hear it in the cab...................all gauges and dash stuff read normally.

 

Sounds like an inconsistent rubbing/grinding.  The whole front end of my truck is OEM.  I'm thinking it could be alternator, fan clutch, water pump, idler pulley, belt tensioner pulley, or the power steering unit.

 

Anyone wanna take a guess or help a guy out as to where to start??

 

I'm gonna start by backing off the serpentine belt tensioner and then manually turning all the parts on the front end.  Hopefully I'll find the culprit by doing that.......

I am assuming it is engine related versus drivetrain then since you want to remove the belt and check the rotating pieces, sounds like you got a good handle on where and how to start for now.

I have found it is usually one of 2 things, first is tensioner pulley can be either the pulley bearing and or the pivot I have found on my rigs numerous times goes bad and makes a lot of noise, second is water pump then I got to other things like alt ac comp fan hub ect.

Dork, this has happened to me many times on my 1st gen. Usually it is just the pulley running dry and or bearings going bad. For a test I usually put a small shot of oil in the tensioner pulley bearings, start the engine and it quits.

 

Hope this helps out.

Supposed to be in the '50's here tomorrow.  I'm gonna dive into it then.  

 

Don't know if'n it's coincidence or causal or not, but this happened right at this "cold snap" we're seeing now!!

 

I'll keep y'all updated.

If is a belt pulley issue just pull the belt off and hand test each pulley you'll know if you found a bad bearing.

You can change just the bearing and pulley. I takes a star type. If you change out the whole unit it costs quit a bit more. In about 400 k miles I've changed just the wheel and bearing twice now. It's good to put a drop of oil on it each year... doesn't hurt.

You can change just the bearing and pulley. I takes a star type. If you change out the whole unit it costs quit a bit more. In about 400 k miles I've changed just the wheel and bearing twice now. It's good to put a drop of oil on it each year... doesn't hurt.

 

 

Almost 217,000 miles and almost 10.5 years old now.........................nothing lasts any more!!  

Almost 217,000 miles and almost 10.5 years old now.........................NOTHING LASTS ANYMORE..   

 one word,  Dork;     VIAGRA

 one word,  Dork;     VIAGRA

He would swallow it and it would get caught in his throat and he would have the worst stiff neck ever.....................................  

He would swallow it and it would get caught in his throat and he would have the worst stiff neck ever.....................................  

or the poor  dude that thought they were  suppositories.   

 

OK!   nuff  said on this!

OK guys;  I backed off the belt tensioner and slid the belt off of the AC pulley.  Checked/turned all the pulleys and guess what??????  A BIG FAT NOTHING!!!!  No grinding, wobbling, frozen pulleys at all on anything.  So I put the belt back on and put her all back together and turned the fan by hand in the direction it turns as if it were running.  Question here............should it spin freely????  Mine would turn but I couldn't spin it, and there was a slight squeak to it doing this.  What y'all think here??

fire up the beast sans  the belt.   You'll know right away if it's  in that system.     If it's still  buzzing,  then you'll know it's  not part of the accessory drive

 

Check for  red dusty residue  at all the  bearings..  dry bearings will shed  rust  on the inner part of  those pulleys  that use them.

 

Can you  laterally  move the fan tip  very much?     Not sure on our specs,  but  most  fan movement should be less than  1/4 inch?

Your noise  come when  truck is hot, cold, no difference?

Edited November 23, 201410 yr by rancherman

fire up the beast sans  the belt.   You'll know right away if it's  in that system.     If it's still  buzzing,  then you'll know it's  not part of the accessory drive

 

Check for  red dusty residue  at all the  bearings..  dry bearings will shed  rust  on the inner part of  those pulleys  that use them.

 

Can you  laterally  move the fan tip  very much?     Not sure on our specs,  but  most  fan movement should be less than  1/4 inch?

Your noise  come when  truck is hot, cold, no difference?

 

 

Ran a few errands today.  The noise was there when I left................could hear it when I closed the garage door.  Upon getting home, I couldn't hear it opening the door.  But today is in the 50's outside.................during the week, it never got out of the teens or twenties, with lows in the single digits.............save for yesterday and now today.

 

Should the fan spin freely when spun by hand when the engine is cold???  Mine will turn, but it doesn't spin freely.  No codes either.

Your fan will turn somewhat stiff when you turn it by hand. You won't get much more than about 1/2 revolution spinning it by hand then letting go.

I agree with removing the belt and starting it.

That will tell you if its CP3 noise or not... Or a broken oil pump :-)

No noise at all today guys!!  As I said above, all my pulleys turn easily and have no wobble or deflection.  

 

Could my noise be the fluid within the fan clutch??  The noise was most noticeable during the real cold last week.........both at start up and after driving.................but I wasn't driving real far either, so maybe all my part never got fully "warmed up"??

When was the last time you changed the ATF in your power steering pump?

Power steering fluid could be... But typically it should whine when you pulling against the steering wouldn't it? But if it been quite some time I tend to agree with AH64ID and just say change it.

When was the last time you changed the ATF in your power steering pump?

 

 

Power steering fluid could be... But typically it should whine when you pulling against the steering wouldn't it? But if it been quite some time I tend to agree with AH64ID and just say change it.

 

 

Will check guys..............It's been a while...................though steering feels fine.  Thanks!!

Well even mine feels fine from year to year but I know if I don't change it every 30k miles it tend to whine in the cold of the winters. Just like engine oil the power steering fluid (or ATF in this case) has to lubricate the pump and parts and withstand heating and cooling of the fluid eventually it does break down and require changing.

I run Amsoil ATF and change it at 50K mile intervals. I just did a change this fall and was hearing some noise pre change that is gone now. I never felt a difference, just heard it.