It sounds like a loud tire kind of hum, like I have massive tread, but I don't, It started a couple weeks ago when I put these stock tires back on (tore off 33s, but that's another story,) but they have maybe 2000 miles on them. It increases with speed, not rpms. It sounds like the front passenger tire. I jacked it up and checked for play, thinking bearing, but it doesn't budge. It's not pulling, it tracks straight. I had it aligned about a month ago, and everything looks straight. If I turn right hard enough (as if taking weight off the tire,) the sound stops completely. I swapped front and rear passenger tires a week ago, and it seemed a little better for about a day, and was bad again, so I may have just been imagining things. Everything seems legit but it's an obnoxious hum, and I can't figure it out. Please help!

 

anyone?

 

bump

 

sounds like a bad tire.

 

How long did the stock tires sit? The "new" Ranger I bought has 31's on it but you'd think it was some Swampers. Even though you don't have an aggressive tread, it doesn't mean your tires won't be loud.

 

Did you store them outside? It might be that the tires are weathered and dry rotted from the elements and/or age. Although this doesn't explain why the noise is only coming from a particular location.

 

could the tire be cuped from miss alingment?

 

i'd also guess a bad tire. the belts could be broken and you don't see it.

 

Roll the tire on a flat surface and see if it tracks true.

 

My ex had a cracked hub once....it hummed.

 

Run your hands down the inside and outside edges of the tires to check for cupping/chopping. If they are badly chopped they will hum or roar depending on how bad. A broken belt may also cause this. A bearing could still be bad even if it doesn't have play in it too.

 

I flipped all the tires from left to right and right to left. The sound still goes away when I turn right just as before. The truck is tracking straight.

The tires sat, mounted on rims, with about 15-20 lbs pressure in them, for around a year and a half in my basement. There is no noticeable cracks or dry rot that I could see, but if I switched the tires left to right and it sounds the same and still goes away when I take weight off the right side, ie turn right.

I would think if a bearing was bad enough to make this kind of sound, it would be causing quite a but of drag and pulling to that side. but maybe not? At 40 mph, it's loud enough I have to speak up while talking on the phone.

I think next thing I'm going to do is drop my rear drive shaft and drive around in fwd and see if it goes away, that takes that out of the equation.

 

eh yeah im kinda leanin towards a wheel bearin now......hmmm...lol

 

I am with HozII. That statement points pretty clearly toward wheel bearings.

 

here's a vid accelerating from 20ish to 40ish. windows up, air off. When the sound goes away that's me swerving right then left, twice.

 

did anyone see my video!?^

 

i hear no sound, DO NOT take your rear driveshaft out and drive around, that is begging to need a new t-case, the front of the driveshaft, infront of the front u-joint is not bolted in, it is held in by angle of the driveshaft, and the length, against the rear diff, if you take it off at the u-joint, the slip yoke (i think this is what it's called) can and probably will slide out of the t-case which will then make you dump out all of your t-case fluid

also, don't ever run your hand over a tire, trying to feel for cupping or anything like that, without a glove, too many times i have seen a nice big piece of glass stuck in a racing slick, or a belt sticking out that has sliced someone's hand open (we used to have to wipe the tires off with a glove before every race at the drag strip)

 

There is a possibility that the tires are flat spotted from sitting without use for so long without the proper air pressure. This should go away after some time though. Maybe they are so bad that they will need to be replaced.

 

sounds like you have no grease in your bearings. you will not always find play in a bearing that is shot but if it is noisy as you described, and when you turn right the noise goes away, im willing to bet that you have a wheel bearing gone.

 

you got a wheel bearing thats bad, the tcase on our trucks does not have a slip yoke, but it still isnt advised to drive without a rear driveshaft. put all 4 tires off the ground, have someone in the truck with it in 4x4 and have them run it up to speed while you use a stethoscope or vacuum line to listen to the wheel bearings. they are not too fun to replace with PVH

 

I'm not trying to start anything here, but that is dangerous.... leaning over a spinning hub? not to mention that if it goes away around a right corner (still has weight on it) you aren't going to hear it at all, with no tires or ANY weight on the bearing... find a mechanic friend to take it for a drive and pay him a case of beer for his thoughts

 

you wont be leaning over anything, the tires will be on and you will be underneath. just trying to help you diag this yourself. At work (Ford dealership) we diag them the same way, just on a hoist instead of on jackstands. and the weight of the tire will be pulling on the bearing

 

They had around 20-25 psi in them and they were on their side. I've put around 1000 miles on them and the sound hasn't gotten any better

I have jacked the whole thing off the ground, and the sound goes away. Maybe with a redneck stethoscope like a vacuum hose or long screw driver, I could hear something.

One important thing I left out, when I jacked all four wheels off the ground and clicked it in 4wd, all the tires would start to spin, but then the front right would slow and eventually stop. It was not hard to spin, but I guess harder than the rest. That would make me think that wheel bearing was out, but the normal signs of a worn bearing were not there. I hate to drop $300ish if it doesn't solve the problem, I would like to be certain.

 

hold one tire stopped while someone listens to the other and vise versa, or find two ranger spares to put on the front and drive it

 

if the front tires stop, that would mean to me the t-case is f-bombed...