Changed out the LF wheel bearing on the wifes '02 at roughly 69k. Fairly easy job, took about 2.5hrs and most of that was due to the hub not wanting to leave the position it's held for the last 7yrs.
Anyways...
I get everything back together and take it out for a road test, figuring I'd be more than satisfied with my job... that is until I hit ~20mph and start hearing that obnoxious/constant noise.

To me, it sounds like gears grinding. It's a constant 'graaaaaaaaaaaa' that increases and decreases w/vehicle speed.
At first I thought it might have been the tires. They're only about 2.5yrs old and still in good condition. But all the tire/road noise I've heard has been a 'waaawaaawaaawaaa'.
The noise I'm hearing is a consistent, increasing (w/mph) noise.

So my question is, what else could it be, and are there any tips for checking the symptoms without tearing apart, and/or replacing parts.

And yes, I know the LF wheel bearing was shot cause there was a good amt. of play with and without the wheel mounted. The RF does not have any play it in though.

Advise? Ideas?

TIA!

 

BTW... I'm posting here cause the Dodge forum is about useless.

 

What method did you use to tighten the hub back on?

 

The hub itself is held in place with 3 bolts (9/16 IIRC). This was torqued per spec. The spline shaft then slides thru the hub/bearing and is held in place by a 32mm nut, torqued to 125ft lbs (again, IIRC).
Info on removal/install and torques specs were obtained via the net and a dealer repair manual.

 

nothing against you but did you get your bearing packed real good? how does the wheel spin when its off the ground?

 

It's a preassembled part. No bearings to pack cause it's a sealed unit.

 

Ok. No change, but here's what I've done:

Tires are "okay". Passed the penny test.
No visible leaks, damage.
No boots cut/worn.
Front and rear diff oil levels are good, oil looks good.
Rotating the front tires manually shows no signs of grinding/play/wear/etc.
Rears rotate about 20* either direction before stopping. I'm honestly not sure if that's normal...
In process of rotating tires (front to back) and see what type of result I get.

If nothing else, stay tuned for a video clip, cause I'm at wits end with this thing.

 

I had a whining sound coming from what I thought was the front--only to realize that I needed new u-joints...replaced those, now I hear nothing.

 

Okay, here it is:

 

Welcome to the nightmare called Durango Ownership. Your NEW bearing/hub assembly is bad. The front section of the Durango has been known as weak since it came out and there have been numerous law suits over the design....or lack of sufficient design to support the weight of the vehicle. You can't buy just any part at a discount parts house and expect it to work. I'd suggest a quality part and taking advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program before you start having the Durango Gremlins or better said, the usual electrical issues that comes with every Durango. But should you decide to keep it, inspect the ball joints real close. They generally won't make 75,000 miles and some are toast at 35,000 miles. Again, the design is terribly weak and should never have seen production.

 

Labnerd, that noise in the clip is seemingly coming from the RF wheel/bearing which I did NOT replace.
There is no noise/squeak coming from the LF. At least that I can tell.

 

Oh, and if we weren't paying on my truck right now, I woulda already been down looking into a new FoMoCo product. The wifes been eyeballin the MKZ/MKX's.

 

With no load on the wheel it sounds like a u joint, but on the road test it sounds like a really bad wheel bearing.