[valiant67]

1999 Dakota R/T 133k miles. The truck has developed a noise that sounds like a rough tire, it sings from just over 20mph and up. I didn't think it was anything other than the tires but now I have my doubts. The noise is the same regardless of pavement type and whether the road is wet or dry. So I considered the front bearings, but the sound doesn't appear to change going straight or turning which I though a wheel bearing would. I also get a woo-woo-woo noise during low speed turns, like in a parking lot. I thought it was the PS pump as the rack had a leak which ran the fluid low a few times. So I swapped in another pump (and a PS cooler) from my parts stash and the woo-woo-woo noise did not change. I also can't feel any real roughness rotating the tire by had or excess play at the tire.

Both the tire-like noise and the woo-woo-woo noise seem to come from the front of the truck, but sometimes it's hard to tell for sure from inside. I've ordered new hub nuts so I can pull the hubs out and inspect them. Does this sound like I'm on the right track?

 

[valiant67]

After changing one hub myself (got rid of about 1/3 of the noise) and paying to have the other one done after I could not break the nut free, the bearing noise is all gone. The other noise (the woo-woo-woo) noise is still there when turning and moving slowly, like in a parking lot. I still think it's got something to do with the PS system, though with a new rack and a pump change the noise is still there and unchanged. Maybe it's coming from somewhere else like the rear axle and I just can't tell from inside the truck.