I'm done going to my local dealership. Can't stand them or their service dept. I'm out of warranty but I'm looking for a great and trusted independent shop around the Redondo Beach / Torrance area. Any recommendations? I'm at 80k miles and I need someone to give it a good bumper to bumper inspection and let me know what I may need as well as ongoing maintenance and fixes.

 

I too live in PV and I’ve used southbaytruckand4x4.com in Hawthorne. They’re a good shop.

if you can and are willing, there’s plenty you can do your self. If you need help, just PM me.

 

Thanks I appreciate it. I do most of the work myself however I do have some questions/concerns about some noises etc. I may shoot you a PM.

 

What kind of noises are you hearing, under what circumstances, and from what locations? We're all here to help should you need some.

 

It's a pretty regular noise while moving. A couple of different things actually.

The best way I can describe the first is that when moving it sounds as though the axles need grease or something. It's not quite a metal on metal noise but it definitely sounds like a light grinding noise like something isn't moving smoothly.

The second thing is a noticeable sound when on the gas like a noisy, almost whining, fuel pump? It's really gotten pretty noticeable over the last 5-7k miles.

I've always done all my own work on the rig however, I have never re-greased bearings or axles. Not sure about the fuel (pump, rail)? noise either. I really need a second pair of ears sitting in the car while driving to help determine what's going on. It drives fine otherwise and these sounds don't seem to affect the driveability at all. I just got back from another 1600 mile road trip and no problems to speak of other than the CEL coming on and the damn intermittent airbag light which has been on for a while now.

 

think the engine bay sound could be bearings going bad on a pulley? Those can tend to whirl and would be directly related to the skinny peddle since belt driven. Do you have aftermarket drive shafts (thinking about the noises DC joints make when they dry out)?

 

No, the engine and pullies sound good. It's absolutely coming from underneath the vehicle. It sounds as though it's coming from the transmission (which has plenty of fluid, not leaking and doesn't slip at all). Could be driveshaft(s). I have the original driveshafts. It's not RPM related. It's ground speed related.

It's definitely a rhythmic noise that speeds up when I go faster and slows to a very noticeable "tick tick tick" when I slow down. This makes me think it's driveshaft related.

Edit: An interesting side note is that at slow speeds while coasting and listening to the rhythmic noise, if I press the gas pedal just enough to send some fuel but not necessarily move me forward, the noise then goes away. Foot back off the gas coasting about 25 mph and there it is. Baffling.

 

It's never a fun 5 minute job, but, pulling a DS does 100% eliminate that from being a culprit. Can pull the rear and let the front pull you around in 4WD for a short bit. Those factory CV joints are pretty durable though. Unless you see signs that the boot ripped and slung the grease out of the joint it would be odd for one to just fail out of the blue. That noise is definitely coming from the rear? Not possible it could be a front axle shaft u-joint right? Just thinking through common ticking type noises.

If you have a minute, updating your profile with basic specs: year, transmission, suspension mods, etc, or anything else you have updated is useful.

 

Yeah I will update the vehicle profile.



I did pull the front driveshaft and ordered a new Adams Driveshaft Extreme Duty Front 1310 Solid CV Driveshaft. You can see that the rubber seal is all blown out and whatever grease that was in there is no more. It didn't solve the issue, however. The seals on the rear shaft are intact and look good but that doesn't mean the grease hasn't gone the way of the Dodo. When I get the new front shaft I will pull the rear and eliminate that as a factor. Tomorrow I will pull both rear wheels just to rule out anything rubbing in or around the brakes etc.

 

Just a note of caution, or maybe pointing out the obvious. A lot of people consider that since they are buying that DS with a solid u-joint, that it's basically service-free. Don't forget that the DC end has a small zerk that you will need to hit from time to time. Unfortunately it's a pain in the rear to get to. You can struggle and struggle....it's just easier to drop the shaft and hit it every oil change or so. When you go to install the shaft, make note of where it is.