[StreetDancer]

Okay looking to hear from the TECHS on this one. I took my nitro back to the dealership where I bought it (about 300 miles away) over the weekend. While I was there I had them do my second oil change as it was overdue.

Some time after I pulled out if their lot and back on the freeway I started noticing a "rub" sound somewhere around the Left front wheel. It would increase in tempo as my speeds increased and you wouldn't hear it at all if the car wasn't moving.
To describe the sound it's a low growl (rubbing) noise that can be heard seperately from the engine. It's constant and increases in pitch (not necessarily volume) as the rotation or speeds get faster. Turning the wheel or applying the brakes make no change in the sound. Again, it's a low noise and if you rev up the RPM's while traveling, it drowns out in the engine noise. I've had pebbles and small rocks in my brake calipers from driving mountain passes already and that was a brake problem. This sounds nothing of the sort. At one time I almost thought one of my new mudflaps had come loose and was vibrating in the wind. It's definately a vibrating noise or a rub noise.

Yesterday I went for a short 10 mile drive and confirmed the noise is still present and didn't notice any heat from the wheel area after my drive. I doubt the dealership did anything to the vehicle to cause it. I had already spent 3 unplanned hours there and still had to make it back home plus it was pretty late in the day so turning around wasn't an option.

I refuse to take anything to my local dealership to get checked out so am making plans to take the vehicle to the one that's 132 miles away next Saturday.

My question for you Tech's, any idea what this might be noise-wise? I want to walk in with as much information as is possible on Saturday and get this handled.

 

[AirJunky]

Hey SD,
I think I'd be looking for anything touching or dragging on the axle or inside the wheel. Can you get it up on some ramps so you can slide under it for a look around?

I assume your talking about going to Dave Smith next weekend. My appointment is for 9am. And I hear that THIS weekend Silver mt. closed down for the winter. To bad, guess ski season is over. So I'm thinking I might just bring my ATVs along so we have some way of pokin around while we wait for the Nitro to be done. I'm having them check into an airbag warning light that is coming on on the speedo.

 

[StreetDancer]

Bill,

I was at Dave Smith both of the last two Saturdays. If I can get it in, I'll be taking it to Kari Dodge in Kalispell (didn't really want to burn up another Sat but that's my only day off).

 

[AirJunky]

Ouch, can't say I blame you. Did the DS service dept fix the issues you had?

 

[NitroTech]

StreetDancer,

On a road test with the vehicle see if you can change the pitch of the noise by load and unloading the affected side (possibly left). To do this drive the vehicle where no one will thing you're crazy. What you want to do is drive at anywhere from 25-40mph, or what's comfortable and steer left to right like on a road course of pylons in a row. So what's happening is when you steer left the left side unloads the wheel bearings on the the left side and vice versa when you steer right.

If the noise changes pitch while doing this its possible there is a wheel bearing at fault. Also does the sound increase with speed? There are other possibilities such as the front driveshaft from the transfer case to the front differential.

Do these checks and see what you can determine.

 

[StreetDancer]

Nitro tech,

If I can get to this I am going to try this tonight after work. I don't get the option of driving the car during my work days (the minus to having a company issued car) The positive though is the savings on gas!

 

[StreetDancer]

Nitro Tech.

I still haven't tried this out as we got 6 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours and I didn't think it would be a good idea to try on slick roads even with the ESP.

 

[StreetDancer]

StreetDancer,

On a road test with the vehicle see if you can change the pitch of the noise by load and unloading the affected side (possibly left). To do this drive the vehicle where no one will thing you're crazy. What you want to do is drive at anywhere from 25-40mph, or what's comfortable and steer left to right like on a road course of pylons in a row. So what's happening is when you steer left the left side unloads the wheel bearings on the the left side and vice versa when you steer right.

If the noise changes pitch while doing this its possible there is a wheel bearing at fault. Also does the sound increase with speed? There are other possibilities such as the front driveshaft from the transfer case to the front differential.

Do these checks and see what you can determine.

Okay...finally the snow cleared off of the roads enough that was able to check this. I drove at 40MPH and steered left to right. No changes in pitch. Yes there's a change in pitch with speed like something's rubbing. I did about a 10 mile drive and returned. The noise appears to be coming from the left side of the vehicle and can be drowned out with higher RPM's. The Inner portions of all 4 wheels where the brake calipers attach to are hot, nothing else appears to be out of order.

I also did what Airjnky said to do and looked underneath and could find nothing technically rubbing.

Any thoughts? Either Friday or Saturday I am DEFINATELY goign to get this looked at as I am headed to CA next week.

 

[NitroTech]

Hard to diagnose this one just in posting. I'm sure your dealership will find the cause. Be interesting to find out what the cause is.

 

[StreetDancer]

Interestingly...I noticed this some time after I drove away from my original purchasing dealership that's over 300 miles away. I refuse to take mine to the dealership here in town. They had my Durango for over 3 months on a front differential problem and it never ran right after that.....gave me a bad taste in my mouth for dodges but I eventually came back.

I'll run it to the next closest dealerships either in Great Falls 112 miles away or Kalispell 135 miles away and let them mess with it.

 

[cr8pc]

I had a similar sound happen when I got a piece of rubber stuck between the brake rotor and caliper. While driving back from eastern washington a RV (who was doing 70 mph in the fast lane through North Bend on I-90, grrrrr) had one of his tires come apart. I missed all of the big chunks but apparently caught one of the small ones. The sound started after I got off the ferry in Bremerton after everything cooled down a little bit, not immediately after the dodge and swerve action on I-90. Just a thought...

 

[StreetDancer]

Cr8pc......doubt that it could be rubber (no blown tires in the vicinity), but definately could be something stuck in there as I had hit happen with my rear breaks. The bad news is applying the brakes does nothing to the sound.

I know the feeling though, I had a bearing go out on one of my SUV's in N. Bend and catch part of the engine on fire (when I lived in WA). I in a 3 piece suit called 911 and grabbed the jugs of water I kept in the car and put it out (thus saving the car to have lots of residual problems later). FD #10 boys were LESS than sympathetic to me being as I myself was a Firefighter who didn't call back to cancel them forcing them to leave the cozy confines of their station.

 

[StreetDancer]

Okay I got back from a 5 star dealer today. The mechanic said he couldn't hear anything so I went for a drive with him and told him which problem noise it was. As soon as I mentioned it he could hear it.

They spent about 3 hours with the car an told me they found and isolated the problem but have to wait on parts. Both of the front Wheel bearings are shot according to them and the parts will be in in a week.

I will be leaving my nitro with them for a week next week while on a work trip and they said they should be able to get it done?

Anybody have any ideas why the wheel bearings would go out at 6900 miles?

 

[dk1677]

Other than oem defect

Years ago I remember a Jeep manual that said to repack wheel bearings often if driving though deep water like streams, been fishing a lot from the Nitro? Good one for NitroTech hes the man :rockon:

 

[HighVoltageNITRO]

StreetDancer, no ryme or reason, could just be bad parts. But, they may have not been packed properly, bad lube product, poor mfg, or poor installation, or overtorqued. Lots of possibilities. It would be interesting to know who mfg. the bad wheel bearings though. See if you can get that info out of the svc. department. Just one more thing to put on the long list of things to watch out for, but may never happen.

 

[NitroTech]

I don't know who the manufacturer is for the wheel bearings. I can tell you there is a recall out on select Dodge Ram trucks for possible lack of lubrication of the front wheel bearings. So its possible the Nitro may be affected by this issue also. Only time will tell.

With both front wheel bearings defective it obvious why the method of diagnosis I gave you didn't reveal the problem. I didn't expect both would be at fault. Good your dealer found the problem, with your help of course.

 

[StreetDancer]

Thanks for all the info. I have mostly done highway miles with this car so there's no abuse issues (like off-roading or driving through water).

I'll get it fixed and continue on....I guess I am happy in the fact that even though my nitro hasn't been totally trouble free I haven't noticed much like the torque converter problems or any of the other TSB's.

 

[StreetDancer]

Wow...I got back from California on Sunday and you guys had 5 pages of mew messages waiting for me.

So Interestingly, before I flew out, I dropped my Nitro off and they replaced the wheel bearings. My wife picked it up on Saturday for me.

While I was dropping it off, I mentioned that I had had a low RPM "shudder" strikingly similar to the torque converter TSB. This was happening between 25-35 mph. I mentioned the TSB as I have noticed the shudder becoming more and more prominent. Low and behold they found that to be a problem as well. My wife stated second hand that they did something that didn't work and now need to order parts for that. I haven't confirmed it yet, but I believe they would have done the flash to no avail.

Anyhow, a few minor glitches....but still love the way she goes down the road. I'll have the torque converter problem hopefully fixed this weekend.

 

[juneaunitro]

Hell, I do that in the middle of my street after a good dumping of snow. I just can't let somebody else get first tracks!