Okay, taking my thread back!!!

Replaced passenger side front bearing as the driver's side bearing was replaced fairly recently. Noise is still present. It is very consistent that with about 25 degrees (or more) of left steering input, it quiets down completely....that's why I think it's a front end issue and not a rear wheel bearing. It has been noted that my tie rod ends are wearing out....could that be the cause?

I know it could still be the driver's side bearing and maybe the part was crappy....could it be uneven tire wear even? Maybe rotating the tires would be a cheap diagnostic; they are due anyway.

 

One more thought. The rear upper control arm bushings on the driver side are really shot.....could that be the culprit? Maybe the groan goes away in a left turn because the bushing gets compressed.....maybe?

 

I dont think arms wold cause rumbling - everything points to wheel bearings. Have you re-checked them for play, all of them, front and rear? Other than that it would be tires. I did have an instance were post alignment my tires got loud because the alignment was crap before. The new alignment put new tread on the road. It went away after a while. Driveshafts would not change noise in a turn. The differential could maybe.... Have you lifted the entire front end to get both tires turning by hand so you can listen?

 

Both the front wheels are wobble free. The rear wheel where the bad control arm bushing is wobbles like a SOB, like it has a bad bearing, but clearly it's the bushing. The alignment is indeed less than perfect and my tires are wearing like ****, but this sounds more metallic than rubbery. Worth doing a tire rotation to see if it changes though.

 

If you have a wobble issue and noises, why not fix the known issue? And a bad alignment will cause tire noise too, especially if the toe is off. Get er fixed!

 

...I'm just trying to perform triage and fix the cheapest issues first since the total is about $2k and I paid $4700 for this thing in 2018. I don't have the tine, tools or patience to DIY on many things (I've done a coolant expansion tank, a compressor and stuff like that) but I'll be paying someone to do this, so...also if I fix things all at once I'll never know what caused the noise!

 

Just fixed symptoms like this 3 days ago. Rumbling at speed and knocks over some bumps. Mine was a center support bearing on the rear driveshaft. Rubber deteriorated. To test, get under and shake the driveshaft either side of that heat shield. There should be no play. If there is, remove the heat shield (deep socket 10mm, 5 bolts) and take a look at that support bearing.

It's much easier to swap the whole driveshaft than to fix that bearing or take it to a local drivetrain shop for rebuild. It's possible to just do the bearing and lucky 8 sells an upgraded one. But I read it adds 2 hours and some tool fabrication. OEM is GSK, about 400 US. The rear bolts torque to 110 ft lbs. I needed a 1/2 inch breaker bar to bust them loose. Only other issue was slipping in the new driveshaft. The front needs to go in first, then the rear. Won't fit otherwise. Job took about an hour, no fluids to worry about, but it's a good time to drain and refill that rear diff.

Edit to add: bolts on the drive shaft are SAE for some reason. Using metric 6 or 12 point metric might work but risks rounding. SAE works great. Don't ask me how I know lol

 

Thank you @kels83 ! Did your symptoms include the noise disappearing in a left curve but not in a right curve (or vice-versa)???

 

Mine was right hand turn and bumps. The support bearing is held by a metal bracket with a rubber grommet holding the bearing. On mine the right side of the center support bearing rubber had completely disintegrated. The other side was mostly present. Guessing the knocking sounds were the driveshaft hitting the bearing bracket where rubber was gone. Guessing the vibrations at certain speeds was caused by the driveshaft wobbling out of balance. Mine is an 06 original too, it's worth a look and easy to diagnose

 

Thank you!