Thanks for the closure!

And I hope that the tires fix it!

 

Hey all, I thought I'd come back to say that i actually dont think it was the tire after all and the noise "moving" was just in my head.

I brought it to my uncles shop yesterday to ask their opinion and low-and-behold... they have an S10 with the same front and rear axle with the exact same problem. The owner of the car has ALSO replaced the entire front end to no avail...

Turns out, defying all diagnostic sense, it was actually a bad REAR wheel bearing despite the noise very clearly seeming to be coming from the front passenger. In his case he waited too long and it destroyed the axle shafts so they ordered a used diff assembly to put in.

so this weekend I plan to jack the rear up and check for play in the rear wheel bearings... will see how it goes.

 

Didn't somebody suggest that? Lol

I had to replace my rear driver side axle shaft, bad bearings, and it wore a groove. Rock auto sells the shafts. It was like fifty bucks if a remember right.

Hope you get it fixed up. Rear bearings are super easy to do. Just need a slide hammer, and a bearing puller attachment for it. Either can be rented from an auto parts store for cheap

 

I mean, somebody could have suggested it was coming from every car driving behind me... but in both of these vehicles, short of using a chassis ear, the sound very clearly seems to be at the front passenger. So having the rear wheel bearing suggested seemed like a waste of time for how "obvious" it was.

I just want the damn noise gone!!! Driving me nuts replacing all this stuff and having it go unchanged. Hopefully this time around there is obvious degradation so I dont waste my time.

Regarding the process, it is super simple. I just hope I'm able to get it out with whatever slide hammer autozone or o'reilleys has for rent and it isnt stuck in there. If they rent a hub tamer I may use the cup backwards with the bearing puller screwed on just to get the thing moving to the edge of the axle shaft housing and then slide hammer it out.

 

LOL I'm just imagining you being followed everywhere you go by the same car with bad bearings!

I tried to pound mine out with a cheap 2lb harbor freight slide hammer. After three hours, I went and got a 5 lb, two hits and it was out.

I'm sure you know, but throw the new bearings in the freezer the night before installing them. Doesn't give you much, but every bit helps
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Good idea on the freezer. When I replaced the output bearings and ball joints last weekend though I'm pretty sure my garage was colder than my freezer was. Started losing feeling in my fingers and toes and had to go inside. Was the most miserable experience of my life doing that... Kept dropping everything in the drip pan full of gear oil as a result.

Hopefully the temperature is a bit more reasonable this time. Are the new bearings really that difficult to get back in there or would a bearing/seal driver and a 3lb sledge get them in there?

 

They aren't that bad. I did mine three times; replaced the first time, repair bearing the second, and finally replaced the shaft the third.

Each time I just used an socket that fit the bearing. First two times all I had was a regular old claw hammer. A mini sledge definitely makes it easier.

I messed up the bearing this last time, got impatient, and had it going in crooked. Just take your time, and drive it in evenly

 

Not sure if this applies to your Jimmy's situation, but in 19 years and 199,000 miles, I've had that kind of noise happen twice. Each time I replaced both front hubs with new Timken hubs, and that fixed it. Their about $90 apiece on amazon... I haven't checked prices on Summit Racing. Seems like the hubs last about 80,000 to 100,000 miles b-4 needing replacement. torque the hub nut down to about 103 Lbs. on my 99' Jimmy. (same truck as a 99 blazer)

 

Hey all hopefully someone out there still sees this post. I'm out here right now and pulled the caliper and rotor off both rear tires to check the wheel bearing. My drivers side rotor is completely shot on the back side so that's getting replaced... I also noticed someone put a new caliper on this side at some point in its life.

Anyway, the seals do have some crud build up on them and probably need to be replaced anyway but there really isnt that much play in the axle... what kind of tolerances are we talking here? Both sides have like MAYBE a 32nd of upward play in them, and both have inward/outward play of maybe more like 1/8th of an inch.

Neither side sounds terrible, it sounds crusty, but not god awful or anything. So once again I'm at a point where there doesnt seem to be any obvious signal of damage... this is really starting to frustrate me. I mean again its like do I just replace them anyway or keep looking?....

 

I would replace them anyway. Two bearings two seals, some 80w-90 (which probably is due to be changed anyways, lets be honest) and a diff cover gasket. Pretty cheap, and you know if you don't replace them, it's gonna drive you crazy wondering if that's the source of the noise