help diagnosing squealing/screeching sound

hey everyone I've been enjoying my truck for some time now. she's just now broken in with over 150k miles. recently i have noticed what seems like a squeal/screeching sound coming from closer to the driver's side that seems to stop when i let off the gas. it seems like it was occuring most around 45mph and 1800-2000 rpm as well as after accelerating from a stop at a light after a cold start. I don't remember if i ever noticed it when the weather wasn't cold, but it seems to happen the most when the engine has to warm up.

i'm not terribly mechanically inclined but have done some work on my truck if anyone has any suggestions for things to check/look out for

 

Check the belts

 

any advice on how much/if any play there should be? any belts specifically?

 

Check them all, there are 3 accessory belts in there. They should have no more than a quarter inch of play in them. If they are loose, it will make them squeal. If they are worn and cracked, they will squeal also.

 

i had a bout with a similar situation that ended up being the carrier bearing at 200k miles.

to make sure you don't have this issue, drive until the squealing occurs and throw your truck in neutral and let it cruise. if the noise dies down as the RPMs drop, your belts are the issue. if the same noise persists after the RPMs drop, it's most likely some rubber bushing squealing at a certain speeds. which is really just the carrier bearing.

here's how to physically check for a bad carrier bearing without using the vehicle. his support IS bad. when you move the axle like that at the carrier bearing, the bearing shouldn't move 1/4 of an inch total vertically,



you may want to check out your transmission mount as well. if it's bad and separated (while resting on the rubber parts), it will also squeak at certain velocities. you can check it by lifting the back end of the tranny with a jack and seeing if it physically separates from the rubber parts

i'd bet it's more likely to be the tranny mount or carrier bearing than your belts. and yes, the issue I had sounded like it was coming from the mid-section of the truck rather than from the engine compartment like you said.

 

here's a link to the post about my adventure in further detail with feedback.

 

thanks! i'm going to try and figure out what it is tomorrow ... i have a bad feeling in my wallet

 

they're fairly simple to do yourself as long as you have the right tools. i mentioned that I used a 3/8 inch cordless impact gun to help me get some of the bolts off. it can be done without the gun, just takes time to wrench it yourself. gearwrenches are awesome. if you have a cordless drill, you could get a for pretty cheap. you just have to break the torque and have your drill do the rest.

 

well it wasn't any of the belts. no play in those and when i was driving it would still make that noise after switching to neutral. i'm going to look at it some more tomorrow since i couldn't really tell if there was any play in the axle where the carrier bearing is

 

could be as simple as greasing your u-joints btw. besides, they should be done every what, 15-30k miles? have you ever greased them?

 

I currently have the same noise you are describing. It's the center support bearing in the drive shaft. My drive shaft runs in a crazy angle, so my truck eats those things. Thus will be bearing #4. Well, not the bearing, but the rubber around it.

Get under your truck and see how much slop/play you have in the rubber by pushing on the driveshaft. You can spray it down with some lubricating spray, but if its as bad as mine, it will only cure it for s short time.