Hey guys. It's been a while since I've been on. Partially because of the great advice from you guys has been keeping her going strong for a while. I do have a problem that I can't put my finger on.

I don't really want to replace parts for the sake of it. I just changed all 4 ball joints, sway bar end links and 4 new 20" tires. My wallet is drained.

The problem is at low speeds I am hearing a squeaky kind of sound. At first I thought maybe it was the warning indicator on my brakes but since the ball joints are silent now I can tell it's coming from the rear. I am experiencing no vibrations just the sound. It's consistent with engine speed but goes silent once I'm up to 25-30ish. Then it's there when I slow back down.

My guess is U joint or axle bearing but without some sort of vibration I'm leaning towards U joint.

Any best guesses or ways to test which one?

1998 F150 4.6 4x4 5 speed

 

Put the parking brake on/chock the tires and put it in neutral, crawl underneath and move the drive shaft left/right-up/down, it should be pretty obvious plus there is normally alot of rust in the cup area. Oh yeah, truck not running. U-joints are fairly easy to do so good luck.

 

Thanks, and the bold gave me a chuckle. I guess one can never be to safe when giving advice. Thanks again.

 

A good floorjack and a pair of jack stands are a lot cheaper than a ride in an ambulance anyday.

 

I heard that. If my honey do list ever shrinks I can get around to pouring the concrete floor for my soon to be garage. The problem is that darn list though, it never gets shorter.