Need some help figuring out whats going on with my truck. I've been searching and reading threads for 2 hours and no luck yet. Sorry for the long post but this is whats happening:

For the last few days I've heard a mild grinding noise, usually when I hit the brakes after I first crank up and back out of my driveway. Sounded like it was coming from the back so I assumed it was my rear brake pads and planned on changing them this weekend. May or may not be related to what happened today. While on the way to work I felt a slight shimmy in the steering wheel at about 45 - 50 mph. Pulled over to check it out and the front passenger wheel was very hot and there was a burning smell. Assumed it was the front brakes. Eased back home, jacked up the front end and pulled the brake pads off that side. Was surprised to find them still in decent shape.

Now that the brakes were ruled out, I started digging deeper. With the caliper and rotor off I tried turning the hub and it was very difficult. I can turn it but theres a clunking feeling, ie its not smooth. Noticably harder than trying to turn the drivers side. So I'm guessing CV joint maybe? This is with the truck turned off so its rotating the front axle. There is no wobble in wheel to indicate a bearing problem. With the truck cranked and in 2WD the wheel spins easily. This seems to support the idea that its something in the hub or the axle, not the bearing. But the problem did show up while driving in 2WD. So now I'm wondering if there is an IWE problem that caused the truck to slip in and out of 4WD while driving at higher speeds and chewed up a gear in the hub.

Any help or tips are appreciated. I really don't want to drop this thing off at a dealer or mechanic and have them start swapping parts. Am hoping its something fairly straightforward that I can fix myself.

 

had that same shimmy in my steering and burning smell on my 05FX4...wound up being a bad brake caliper...it would stick now and then..overheating the rotor and pads...and make the steering wheel shake...replaced the caliper..and I haven't had a problem since..

 

Hmm, definitely possible. There was some chipping on the face of the pistons. But is it normal it to be difficult to turn the hub with the caliper off? Maybe there's just that much drag in the system until the truck is cranked and the vacuum makes the hub release?

 

the hub wont just spin freely with the caliper off...cause your spinning the half shaft with it....it should spin smoothly in either direction...you might at first feel a slight clunk when you change the direction your spinning it in...if you were smelling something getting hot...there's usually no mistaking what overheated brakes smell like...

 

I hear ya, definitely made me think it was the brakes. Just confused me that the passenger side was much tougher to turn than the drivers and wasn't smooth. Maybe its two problems, caliper and cv joint or hub problem. Any way to test the calipers?

 

not to sure if theres a way to test calipers....when i was having my problem it would come and go i was a bit confused at first...the last time it did it it was obvious...as i pulled in my driveway....my front passenger side pads were smoking....

 

Thanks man. Will take a closer look at it this afternoon.

 

Sticking, freezing calipers are common it seems with these trucks. As a thought you could start the motor so the IWE disengages and see how the hub turns.

 

Put the truck back on jackstands today and pulled the brakes back apart. Greased everything up good and reinstalled thinking maybe it was a lack of lube on the slider bolts. Once it was back together I was spinning the hub/rotor by hand when I realized it got hard to turn at the same spot in every rotation. Am guessing that means I have a warped rotor. Going to take them tomorrow to get turned or if they can't turn them, guess I'm buying a new set.