I have a '04 D2... 119k miles. The sound started yesterday while my wife was driving it. So, I'm driving it today. While the truck is in motion, there is a squeak in the engine compartment. My first thought was a belt. But, it never goes away (which a belt will usually quit after a few moments), and it only does it while I'm in motion. My second thought was a pulley, but I'm not sure. It makes the sound going in forward & reverse. It gets "faster" as I speed up and it slows down when the truck slows down. But coming to a stop, it stops also.

Could it be something in the axle or transmission that is squeaking? If it is a pulley, how do I figure out which one it is since it only does it while moving? I don't have a garage to pull into into, so I'd have to fix it in my driveway, IF I can fix it.

I thought about stopping at the auto parts store and getting some belt lube to spray on the belt... just to try and rule that out. Would spraying some type of lube on the individual pulleys help me isolate which one is bad? What type of lube would I use? This all comes in bad timing too... we're leaving for vacation on Thursday (getting a rental), so it's either an easy fix to do now, or it waits until next week when I get back.

 

Another source of the "chirp" is the front prop shaft. It has sealed joints from the factory, and these dry out from heat from the catalytic converters and other things, and they begin to chirp and will soon fail.

Make no mistake, this is an expensive issue if they fail, because the split shaft will flail around and very likely poke a hole in the transmission. About $7000 to repair at dealer.

Rebuild youself article in our tech area. DIY ($100), or have local drive line shop do it. Or purchase an after market shaft, which will have the grease fittings and allow it to be greased at every oil change.

I would put SWMBO in another vehicle for the moment and get this one worked on. It really could go at anytime. Consider towing to shop. If you have the locking CDL it would be possible to remove the front shaft and drive with just rear propulsion.

 

My money is on the front driveshaft if it hasn't been replaced yet. If it lets go, as they do all to often, there is a very good chance that it will smash a hole in your transmission. Some people are lucky enough to have their catalytic converters taken out too. Since you have an '04, you have CDL (center locking differential) which means you can drive the truck with the front driveshaft out. The shaft comes out by undoing 4 bolts on each end. Just pull the shaft, put it in the back, engage the differential lock in high range and drive to the nearest driveline shop for a rebuild. Unless you are really into doing your own work, I doubt there will be much joy in the effort. A quick search for info regarding pulling the centering ball will tell you all you need to know about this as a DIY project.

 

What about wheel bearings? Would that be a cause of the noise? Since the noise disappears while idling, I am guessing my first thoughts of belts and pulleys are ruled out.

 

Wheel bearings are more likely to rumble when underway, and the noise would typically change when you were turning. I'm still sticking with driveshaft. If it hasn't been done yet, you need to do it anyway so start there. If you're still not in agreement, a quick way to check is to pull it out and if there isn't an obvious issue with it, lock the CDL and take the truck for a spin. If the sound is gone, you found the source.

 

Alright. I'll start with that. Hopefully it'll get me home today. 12 mile drive back to the house.

 

Yea, just take out the front shaft and lock the CDL. It's 8 bolts and nuts all 14mm. You need two closed end wrenches to get it off. I have mine off now (an 04 as well) because I am waiting on the right size nuts in the mail, so I can put on a new rebuilt shaft. Have driven all over with CDL locked in 2WD with no problems. If the squeek goes away, then great. If not, then it's a good time to get a new one anyway, if it hasn't been done. Also, don't put the old one or a new one back on without getting new nylock nuts. They are one time use only.

 

OK, so just got out from under the truck. It's definitely the driveshaft. About to take it out now. I'm sure it's self explanetory, but is there anything I should know about the CDL or taking the driveshaft out. I've never messed with anything like this before. This is all knew to me.

 

This isn't too tough. This may be more info than you need, but I'll try to cover everything just in case. First, make sure you lock the CDL. If the linkage hasn't been used much or at all, which is probably the case since you say you aren't familiar with it, it may be tough to operate it. It would be best to know that before you pull the driveshaft.

The CDL is basically a mechanism within the transfer case, the unit in your driveline which splits power between both axles, which locks the unit so that the front and rear output shafts will always spin. Without this lock, the power will go to whichever shaft has the least resistance. If you pull the front shaft, then that end will spin and you will go nowhere. The lock is operated from the 4 wheel drive selector lever in your center console, which is the little lever in front of the gear lever. To activate it, you need to pull the lever straight over towards you. It will probably be very tough to pull. Once you get it locked, a light on the dash will come on indicating you have done it.

Now crawl under the truck with a pair of 14mm open end wrenches and start disconnecting the bolts. make sure you don't lose any. You will need new nuts but you will reuse the bolts. There are 4 bolts on each end. You will probably need to pull two towards the bottom of the shaft then move the vehicle a little bit in order to pull the other two. It's a good idea to do this with the exhaust cooled off so you don't fry your arms on the converters.

Once the bolts are all loose, the driveshaft comes out by sliding off a pilot shaft on the flange. It will compress at the slip joint so it comes out. It's not too heavy, but get yourself in a position to support it so you don't end up dropping it on your head or some other body part.

 

Thanks for the reply dux! Removing the driveshaft doesn't seem like too big of a deal, pretty straight-forward. It's my wife's truck, so I'm not in it all that much to mess with the CDL. In bad weather, we usually take the '99 since it's a little older and has AT tires. I ended up leaving the shaft in last night, but sprayed all the bolts and nuts with some lube to help loosen them up. We're about to leave for vacation, so it'll be sitting for a week before I can get to it. Once we get back, I'll pull it out, take it to a local shop and have it rebuilt. Thanks for the help and I'll get back with results.