How about any independent parts stores in the area? I found new tie rod ends in stock here today at local entities.. didn't even call autozone. Any small local parts establishments? My vehicle was making a similar sound on curves and I was just 'diagnosed' yesterday as having bad tie rods.

 

Okay, back together. i think it's that tie rod end, so I'm ignoring it till I get home.

 

That tire will be fine until you get home. I've had to put pressure on my drag link to make the stupid ball joint stay still to remove the nut. I think I used a small crowbar. When you get around to it soak some penetrating oil on the nut and threads and give it the heave ho. Safe trip!

 

Might be a loose hub bolt and there is play in the wheel bearings.

 

if its a stock TRE there will be a spot in the bottom of the stud to hold it with a torx wrench to keep it from turning.
but sound like hub going bad

 

Okay, finally following up on this.
Got a new tie rod end from Rock Auto, finally got to install it this weekend (I was waiting for the weather).

Learnt some important lessons.
I no longer think there was anything wrong with the old tie rod end, but new one is in there so can't complain.
The old one that was loose was so tight I had to buy a tie rod puller to get it out, even though it was so loose when I had it apart at the side of the road that it was popping out. So I guess, maybe just the nut had come loose? Maybe a washer had died and left some space? No clue.

I did relearn the important lesson of remembering that they are backwards threads the hard way — lost a lot of time to tightening it on when I thought I was taking it off and then having to undo my work. At, of course, a much more awkward angle.

Another eyeopener:
The Steering Dampener

When I was trying to get the new tie into the steering knuckle I found it was nearly impossible as the long end tie was sprung. Turns out the Steering Dampener was upside down and the fat end of it was putting pressure on the long end tie rod.
I think this explains some oddness I've been feeling in the steering. The more the steering is under compression, the worse this would be.
In the rave it shows the dampener with the skinny (inside) side attached to the body of the truck, but I had replaced it with a TerraFirma one a few years back. I guess it's fat end is fatter than the original?
Plus now I really look at it, the text was upside down and the plastic sheathing would have been holding water in - open end uphill, now down.

Switched it around and I think it all feels better now.
Still have to find a long left on a highway to see if I'm still hearing the noise that started it all.

Question for the group:
My steering is no longer centring correctly (things moved during the backwards threading fiasco), so obviously I need to adjust it with the… er… adjusty thing. Do I need to have the wheels off the ground to do this?
If I just leave it running will the steering wheel just move instead?

Thanks to anyone who's read this far.

 

By "adjusty thing" I clearly mean this:

 

Wheels off the ground is a yes. You can just use a tape measure. I believe the spec is 1/8" toed out (rear of wheels 1/8" closer than front of wheels).

 

Regarding your noise on left hand curves,......sounds like a wheel bearing to me. Generally a whirring or roaring sound that occurs on left handed curves would indicate a bad bearing on the rignt side as you are loading that bearing on a left handed curve.

 

Just for completeness — I had blown a hub. Don't get me wrong, glad to have replaced that tie rod, needed doing, but at the end of the day, the big problem was the right hub dying.