I have listened to the TC it sounded fine. Have not tried transmission yet. Just changed front wheel bearings and listened to the rears and they sounded fine.

 

My drivetrain sounds just like yours, without the chassis ears. It's nice how that really amplifies and pinpoints the noise. Did you ever rebuild/replace either front or rear diff?

 

I haven't done anything yet. Probably only put on 5k miles since then. Are you planning on doing anything to yours?

 

I don't plan on doing anything unless the noise gets much louder. I will check and likely replace the fluid in front/rear diffs, transfer case, and transmission. The previous owner did all of the above, but I'll verify it for my own peace of mind. The previous owner did do the transmission metal pan swap, but I'm pretty sure he didn't re-seal the valve body. So, I'll do that and verify the fill level.

My new 2006 sounds a lot like my 2007. I'm trying to decide if these rigs just have a somewhat loud drivetrain. I believe I am hearing the load on the ring gear (front or rear diff) while accelerating or decelerating. By feathering the throttle, you can hear the transition from pull to drag. If it was a bearing, the noise would be there full time while rolling.

Or, I'm crazy and just turn the radio up. So far the wife nor any passengers have ever said, "what's that noise?" If that happens, I might need to dig deeper.

 

I'm in the same camp. The PO of mine told me when I was test driving it: "you can hear the gears on these cars", and that's kind of stuck with me. Honestly I just use those words as hopium as I pray for it not to get louder lol.

Sounds like you have some experience here! Please post back if you ever find a fix, and I will do the same.

 

Since my last post I have changed front and rear diff and transfer case fluid. No change in any of the noise.

Doing suspension work today, I can fully isolate the wheel bearing, and it’s kind of loud!

 

That sounds a lot like the noise! I changed my front bearings and didn't notice any difference, but didn't do anything to the rears.

 

Rears are not exactly fun to change. The typical average life of the rear bearings seem to be about 150k miles - obviously there is some give or take in that milage. I think mine made it to 175k? I know some that have gone past 200k. But I also know some that failed at 125k.

 

New front Timken bearing/hub assemblies didn't do much to quiet the drivetrain for me either. Maybe a smidge, but that's probably just me justifying the parts cost! Probably needs a differential.

 

Dang, well it was worth a shot though. Here's hoping mine gives me ample notice before it fails