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Front end grinding noise on right side

pulled front driveshaft and installed new u-joints and it was not a pretty sight. I made 1 mistake unfortunately and i didnt put a timing notch in the constant velocity unit but everything seems to be working much better. Significantly better so im hoping the entire problem will go away when i swap the rear u joints because ive been told by several people that trying to guess where sound/vibrations are coming from is a crap shoot because the vibrations can carry through the frame and be misleading. Guess we'll see what happends when i pull the rear.

Symptoms still around
.momentary ticking sound when i hit a bump that usually comes before a grinding noise but it just goes away very quickly now without any grinding noises
.grinding happend for a second when i hit a bump hard goin a lil fast but it went away instantly and thats the only occurence ive noticed since the new u joints.

Im just grateful that my front driveshaft isnt on the verge of falling off anymore. I got a local auto store/machine shop i always go to who are very knowledgeable with older vehicles and the owner of the store had a machinist check out my rig real quick because mine didnt appear to match his diagram and it turned out i had about 1''-1.5'' of up and down play he recommended i pull it there and drive home because he wasnt even sure id get home, good thing i didnt tell him itd been like that since i got the truck :doah:. Its gotten gradually worse though and this definitley offers some relief (combining wheelers/DD's is a terrible idea for anyone considering it)
 
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andyblack said:
:haha::haha: I did that for several years. Most guys used to have no choice but to do that. Now you see why it's so popular to trailer your rig to the trail nowdays.
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The sad part is i got a 73 k5 Blazer i could be DD'ing or using as a tow rig with a brand new custom built 400HP motor,rebuilt th350,rebuilt np203. Only 70k miles on axles/interior with very little rust but im too damn newbie/lazy/broke to drop in the drivetrain and hook everything up :doah:.
 
Well you've come to the right sight. I know there's some guys on this forum who live in your area who would be willing to come help you. Usually all you have to do is provide some beer.

You're lucky too. No one around where I live is into these old trucks and I don't drink anyway.
 
andyblack said:
Well you've come to the right sight. I know there's some guys on this forum who live in your area who would be willing to come help you. Usually all you have to do is provide some beer.

You're lucky too. No one around where I live is into these old trucks and I don't drink anyway.
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Very true and i always keep a 30 pack round but i never drink, I guess i like to age it or some bull**** like that :dunno::thumb:. Main issue is money i need a new TC possibly alternator and a bunch of nickel n dime stuff like that to make it run probably 500 bucks would do the job. On that note im going to talk to Goodyear tires for a potential job interview :woot:.
 
Good luck. Maybe if you get the job you could hook some guys up and they will return the favor when it's time to work on your junk. I usually try to help folks out for free because I may be the next one in need and may not have anything to offer anyone that could help me. I call it paying it forward.
 
andyblack said:
Good luck. Maybe if you get the job you could hook some guys up and they will return the favor when it's time to work on your junk. I usually try to help folks out for free because I may be the next one in need and may not have anything to offer anyone that could help me. I call it paying it forward.
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If i got an employee discount id be happy to pass it along and im sure my manager would love the sales but idk about that yet. Currently im working on passing a drugtest and they used hair and i smoked 4.5 months ago like 2 hits off a joint and ive smoked bout 4 times in my entire life so i should be good on the drug test but the hair test is scary accurate :(.

Back to the issue ive come to believe this is really a transfer case linkage issue seeing as how i have the notorious np203 which does fall out of 4wd frequently offroad and it never sits in 2HI like it should.
Ive pulled the front and rear drive shaft and put new universal joints in as well as cleaned everything up and idk how everyone says its so easy. It took me 3 hours from start to finish on each drive shaft on 2 different days to get tools out/do job/clean up/test drive. I smoother shifts and increased responsiveness from the new u-joints as expected but still no solution to the grinding issue.
My dad mentioned a possible issue with the transfer case linkage and it feels exactly like when im trying to shift into 4wd and its not letting me so i do believe its linkage now also in the past my hubs have halfway engaged themselves when i had the grinding issue. Im going to do some research on it and see where im at. Im seriously considering putting in a 205 if its a direct bolt up with my current drive shafts and th350s output shaft and then later ill turn it into a doubler. But im glad to not have to be afraid of a driveshaft dropping anymore. Although its been grinding off and on so long i wonder how bad those engaging teeth have to be :doah:. I intend to rebuild it before i mate it with a 205 for a doubler so i guess we'll find out.
 
You said before that you thought it was the front hub or brake assembly. Did you ever take that apart to have a look? Sometimes you figure it out a lot faster seeing the parts than by listening and guessing.
 
My truck started making a grinding sound the other day and it was the inner wheel bearing on the passenger side. The seal had apparently let some water in and the bearing was starting to lock up. It's a good thing I caught it when I did. It was still hard to get the spindle sanded down and polished up to where the new bearing would slide on though.
 
Blue85 said:
You said before that you thought it was the front hub or brake assembly. Did you ever take that apart to have a look? Sometimes you figure it out a lot faster seeing the parts than by listening and guessing.
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All i've done to the front brakes are bleed em and change the pads, All ive done with the hub assembly is replace it. I cant imagine how this could be coming from the brakes. This is my only DD atm so unless i have to id rather not play the ever so expensive and tedious game of ''guess the broken part''

andyblack said:
My truck started making a grinding sound the other day and it was the inner wheel bearing on the passenger side. The seal had apparently let some water in and the bearing was starting to lock up. It's a good thing I caught it when I did. It was still hard to get the spindle sanded down and polished up to where the new bearing would slide on though.
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Huh theres an idea, Although now that i have a job ill be able to get my 73 k5 running within a month or so, Brand new drive train with a beefed up motor in the garage already and 70k on original axles :D. And the 76 is going green sticker with one tons soon after so is it worth playing with this 44 anymore is what i gotta decide now. Im thinkin At this point i might as well just ride it out since its been doing this off and on since i got it and nothing catastrophic has happend yet from me jumpin it 2 feet in the air to driving it to hollister (50 miles) and back on multiple occasions.
 
Probably jumping it two feet in the air could contribute to the noise:rolleyes:. Just a thought.

I know how the mud and water got in my bearing. Some crazy fool got behind the wheel and blasted through some mud and water holes then let it sit for a while without repacking the bearings. That has happened before. I'm not going to let that nut drive ever again.:whistle:
 
Probably jumping it two feet in the air could contribute to the noise:rolleyes:. Just a thought.
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I dont see how runnin down a trail i barely fit on at 35mph in a blazer loaded with camping gear and 10 year old schocks could possibly damage anything :D. The noise was actually there when i got the truck its just gotten more frequent since then gradually.

I know how the mud and water got in my bearing. Some crazy fool got behind the wheel and blasted through some mud and water holes then let it sit for a while without repacking the bearings. That has happened before. I'm not going to let that nut drive ever again.:whistle:
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Good idea, I'll have to tell the crazy bastard who jumped my only ride home 2 feet in the air that he cant drive anymore...oh wait :doah:
 
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