Yesterday I took the jeep for a drive to pick up parts for another vehicle and on the return home I noticed a faint squeaking noise going down the road at highway speeds , I've noticed the noise previously going into a sharp turn, then it got really bad when I put in neutral to make a sharp turn (ax5 tranny) and got much quieter when put back into gear and accelerated hitting the brakes seems to have an effect on quieting the noise a little as well I'm really hoping it's not tranny related it sounds like a bad bearing or u joint just not sure were to start, the noise is a cyclic eek eek high pitched kind of sound took it for another short trip to see if it would do it again and it did not I guess I'll have to see what happens but it sounded really bad like if someone was standing near the road it would of probably turned a head.
Squeaky noise while driving
- Thread starter Bigred4x4
- Start date
It could be a u-joint, a bearing, a clutch, a tranmission or something under the hood like a idler pully, belt tensioner or the serpentine belt.
It sounds like it squeaks when a part is under load and not off load like in neutral or when brakes are applied. I would start with determining what the culprit is. First by removing the front drive shaft and see what it does. If it still squeaks remove the rear .. not at the same time obviously LOL. Then let's go from there.
It sounds like it squeaks when a part is under load and not off load like in neutral or when brakes are applied. I would start with determining what the culprit is. First by removing the front drive shaft and see what it does. If it still squeaks remove the rear .. not at the same time obviously LOL. Then let's go from there.
I've just replaced every thing on the accessory drive minus than the compressor and water pump it doesn't make noise when idling in neutral only at speed seems worse in a turn but the loudest I've heard it was when I approached a turn and dropped it in neutral(before actually taking the turn) took it for a test drive after that and got no noises at all,it seems intermittent, but never really concerning until now as it was barely noticeable then all the sudden it got super loud will play with the clutch next time to see if that has any effect on the noise.
rouxbicon
TJ Enthusiast
A couple of questions that come to mind are does the frequency of the squeak ever change, and if so does it change with engine speed or vehicle speed?
If it changes only with vehicle speed, one of the first things I would do is pull the front driveshaft and see if the noise disappears. The "chirp, chirp, chirp" of the angry sparrows is a classic sign of a front driveshaft double-cardan joint on the way out.
I have a work vehicle I drive during the week so unfortunately I pretty much only drive the jeep on the weekends but I'll take it for a longer test drive next chance I get and hopefully get a better understanding of what's going on, and I'll get back I really hope it's a u joint or driveshaft as I have terrible luck it seems like every time I have a problem with any vehicle it turns out to be worst case scenario, but keep shooting ideas I'll get back as soon as I can with more info.
Have you narrowed it down to front or rear? Left or right? If turning influences the noise, think about what is affected by turns. Axle joints and or front hub bearings come to mind. A sticking caliper and glazed pad can cause noise. U-joints if old and dry can chatter and squeak. Can you lift it and duplicate the noise? Diagnosing squeaks, squeals, thumps and rattles via text while not impossible is often just guesswork. Also, we all have different ways of hearing and describing sound. What is a sultry dulcet tone to one can be a harpy screech to another. My advice is to figure out what direction or force causes the noise and then look for those area that can move in those directions.
I've experienced bad hubs and u joints on other vehicles before it sounds like a bad wheel bearing if I had to describe the noise cyclic angry sparrow sqeaking when I had a bad u joints on driveshaft it would chatter during acceleration when I had bad hubs and or wheel bearing it would sqeak or roar constantly I just think it's weird that it flared really bad up once I took the load off by dropping into neutral, which makes me wonder about the transmission but it makes no noise in idle at a stop and the transmission and clutch seem just fine with no issues to speak of I did put into 4 lol to get through the muddy pot holes in yard before leaving the house on the trip it happened not sure if that had anything to do with it I'll just have to do some more test driving to try and narrow it down better. This is my first jeep and first solid front axle 4x4 vehicle so I'm not real familiar with the front end like I am with my other 4x4.
It could be your lack of punctuation.
Try using a period (.), or a comma (,) once in a while.
Or maybe a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence.
Try using a period (.), or a comma (,) once in a while. Or maybe a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence.Well after a lot of test driving I think I narrowed it down to the rear brakes. They seem to be getting a little stuck and grabbing a little from time to time,whew, just glad it's not the transmission. Brakes are an easy fix.
all my years on various forums, you sir, are the only one to ever point out my lack of punctuation so I did this more neat just for you!
all my years on various forums, you sir, are the only one to ever point out my lack of punctuation so I did this more neat just for you!
I have come to the conclusion that TJ calipers are prone to seizing. I replaced my front first, then a couple months later my rears. I should have replaced all four at once. Not a big deal. In for a penny, in for a pound. Good time to snag a Motive power bleeder and flush and bleed the entire system.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CJ5DX9E/?tag=wranglerorg-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CJ5DX9E/?tag=wranglerorg-20
The funny thing is though I have paperwork stating the rear brake pads where replaced,(not that long ago) and the previous owner of the jeep brought it back to the shop complaining about the rear brakes "grabbing and smoking", that's what was in the tech notes anyway. Not sure what the shop did to"fix" that. They should have put new calipers in.
I bought my 06 from a dealer. They claimed new brakes on all 4 corners. Within 30 miles i had 3 locked up and 1 dragging. They just shoved pads in. Pushing all the caliper pistons open fully to shove the pads in is what I believe caused all the crud in the fluid (it looked like ink in the master) to mix and jam the calipers.
Contaminants and corrosives can enter the system over time causing the pistons to seize. That is why you flush the entire brake system occasionally. Calipers are cheap enough that it isn't worth rebuilding them anymore.