Right Front Chirp/Squeak

[CaptainCJ35]

Over the last two weeks my Rebel has developed a sort of chirp or squeak in the right front of the truck. This happens rather predictably over moderate bumps in the road, to the point where I can spot a depressed manhole cover, or cracked road surface, etc. and say with confidence... "you'll hear it right there." It's not all the time... it's not on every road imperfection... in fact as far as I can tell, on bigger pot holes and other bumps it doesn't chirp. Just these certain sharp moderate road imperfections. You only hear it with the windows down, and there's no other sign of something amiss while driving. No shimmy, vibration, clunk, rattle, etc. Truck has just over 3200 miles on it. I've only mildly offroaded in it once on sandy fire lanes, and once on the beach, never over 15 mph. Everything is bone stock as the day it left the factory.

I brought my truck to the dealership last Friday and took one of the service guys for a quick drive... sure enough, on queue, the chirp presented itself. Service guy and myself both thought the anti-sway bar linkages might be a bit loose, so he took it in and put it up on a lift. An hour later they gave the truck back to me, saying they tightened everything... sway bar linkages were a touch loose... and asked me to see how that turned out. Unfortunately the chirp is still there. This is my first truck... all prior ownership experience is sport sedans and SUV's... so I have some questions that I'd love to get feedback from the community on.
- I'm inclined to think this is a normal body-on-frame occurrence and may work itself out over time... any validity to that?
- Has anyone experienced and resolved a similar issue? If so how?
- Is there a bigger issue I should be aware of that this chirp/squeak is a precursor too?
- Does anyone have thoughts on where else to check?

It's such a minor thing, but I want to get ahead of it if it's going to become a bigger issue. I greatly appreciate any info provided... thanks!

 

[SilverSurfer15]

It’s probably the strut or ball joint. Could be the sway bar end link as well.

 

[79 300]

Try lubing the hood latch and putting some silicone or similar dressing on the hood bumper stops.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

Thanks for the reply guys...

It’s probably the strut or ball joint. Could be the sway bar end link as well.

Do you think they're something that would require replacement... assuming ball joint would I guess... or just tightening/adjustment? Edit - I had the sway bar links examined and tightened last week. Still the chirp.

Try lubing the hood latch and putting some silicone or similar dressing on the hood bumper stops.

This is something I never thought of. To be fair, I'm fairly certain the chirp is coming from under the truck, but it doesn't hurt to check, so I'll give it a look.

I feel like I'm really nit-picking here. It's such a minor issue, at least for now. But I'd love to hunt it down, if only for piece of mind. Appreciate the suggestions.

 

[troutspinner]

Go over some "predictable" bumps, then go over them with the brakes lightly applied, if the chirp is gone, then it is the brake pads and anti-rattle clips chirping. There is a star case about it my dealer said and a revised set of brake pads / clips are available. I had mine replaced and it fixed it but after 2k miles, it's starting to do it again.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

Go over some "predictable" bumps, then go over them with the brakes lightly applied, if the chirp is gone, then it is the brake pads and anti-rattle clips chirping. There is a star case about it my dealer said and a revised set of brake pads / clips are available. I had mine replaced and it fixed it but after 2k miles, it's starting to do it again.

I saw this thread... and did the "light break test" as you suggested actually. Sadly, it still chirps. Thanks for replying though.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

One thing I think I've noticed. It rained for a couple days, and the next day I was driving around an it seemed to chirp less... maybe I heard it less, or wasn't even paying attention.

But it got me thinking... what if I selectively sprayed parts of suspension with a lubricant to see if the chirp stops even for a limited time... thus ID'ing the area responsible. Aside for the sway bar links, where should I start first?

 

[SilverSurfer15]

I mean ultimately yes on replacing it but it usually will get a lot worse before anything “bad” happens, at which point it will be easier to diagnose. I wouldn’t be too worried about anything yet, But I understand wanting it fixed and not squeaking for sure lol.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

I mean ultimately yes on replacing it but it usually will get a lot worse before anything “bad” happens, at which point it will be easier to diagnose. I wouldn’t be too worried about anything yet, But I understand wanting it fixed and not squeaking for sure lol.

Yes... I don't want a chirp becoming a clank, and then a thump, etc.!

 

[troutspinner]

I saw this thread... and did the "light break test" as you suggested actually. Sadly, it still chirps. Thanks for replying though.

Process of elimination. Good luck and let us know what you find.

 

[SilverSurfer15]

Yes... I don't want a chirp becoming a clank, and then a thump, etc.!

Those are just the most common things I’ve found, but it could be anything lol. It’s hard to figure it out when it’s not a constant.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

I believe I noticed something. Usually I drive in "Aero" mode. The other day, I was in "Normal" and it seemed to chirp less than the truck does in Aero. Still chirps, here and there, but that time it seemed quite a bit less. At this point it's purely anecdotal, but I intend to drive the same stretch of road, back to back, in the different modes, to confirm my observation.

Now Normal mode is supposed to be stiffer than Aero, as well as being slightly higher. If my observation is accurate, then something about Normal mode is preventing the suspension from traveling to the point the chirp presents itself. Or at least my theory at the moment. Make any sense?

On another note, there seems to be boots or bushings on everything that moves. Makes me think that I have a bad bushing somewhere. That would be in line with what SilverSurfer15 suggested.

 

[Mannyman]

Over the last two weeks my Rebel has developed a sort of chirp or squeak in the right front of the truck. This happens rather predictably over moderate bumps in the road, to the point where I can spot a depressed manhole cover, or cracked road surface, etc. and say with confidence... "you'll hear it right there." It's not all the time... it's not on every road imperfection... in fact as far as I can tell, on bigger pot holes and other bumps it doesn't chirp. Just these certain sharp moderate road imperfections. You only hear it with the windows down, and there's no other sign of something amiss while driving. No shimmy, vibration, clunk, rattle, etc. Truck has just over 3200 miles on it. I've only mildly offroaded in it once on sandy fire lanes, and once on the beach, never over 15 mph. Everything is bone stock as the day it left the factory.

I brought my truck to the dealership last Friday and took one of the service guys for a quick drive... sure enough, on queue, the chirp presented itself. Service guy and myself both thought the anti-sway bar linkages might be a bit loose, so he took it in and put it up on a lift. An hour later they gave the truck back to me, saying they tightened everything... sway bar linkages were a touch loose... and asked me to see how that turned out. Unfortunately the chirp is still there. This is my first truck... all prior ownership experience is sport sedans and SUV's... so I have some questions that I'd love to get feedback from the community on.
- I'm inclined to think this is a normal body-on-frame occurrence and may work itself out over time... any validity to that?
- Has anyone experienced and resolved a similar issue? If so how?
- Is there a bigger issue I should be aware of that this chirp/squeak is a precursor too?
- Does anyone have thoughts on where else to check?

It's such a minor thing, but I want to get ahead of it if it's going to become a bigger issue. I greatly appreciate any info provided... thanks!

I have been dealing with the same exact thing for months. My noise happens when i lightly tap the brake or go over bumps. Its a loud chirp/squeak that happens almost every time i lightly tap the brakes while pulling up to my driveway. i have a video but am having trouble figuring out how to post it so you can hear it and let me know if its the same thing you are having. What the dealer did after 3 attempts, was replace my front brake pads. It actually went away for about a month and then it came back yesterday as i got home from work. When i try attaching the video, it says that type of file extension is not supported. Any ideas on how to post a video?

 

[CaptainCJ35]

Only other thing I can think of is uploading it to youtube then pasting a link here...

More on what I've observed... I've noticed it for both sides now. Not sure if that's new or just most bumps are on the passenger side. Because it's on both sides, I'm leaning towards a sway bar related issue. There is also instances noted on here about break pads, etc. I haven't been back to the dealer to get it looked at, because there's nothing else at issue with the trucks, and it's only when I have the windows rolled down that I hear it. It's 60 today, and soon I won't be driving with the windows down at all.

The squeak hasn't become anything else besides a squeak... not a bang, or a thump, or clunk or anything. It drives great. I was hoping it would just go away... probably not going to happen. The dealer gave me to free oil changes and tire rotations, the first of which I'll probably redeem next month. When I do I'm compiling a list of suspected areas that could cause the squeak to present them for inspection.

 

[Mannyman]

Only other thing I can think of is uploading it to youtube then pasting a link here...

More on what I've observed... I've noticed it for both sides now. Not sure if that's new or just most bumps are on the passenger side. Because it's on both sides, I'm leaning towards a sway bar related issue. There is also instances noted on here about break pads, etc. I haven't been back to the dealer to get it looked at, because there's nothing else at issue with the trucks, and it's only when I have the windows rolled down that I hear it. It's 60 today, and soon I won't be driving with the windows down at all.

The squeak hasn't become anything else besides a squeak... not a bang, or a thump, or clunk or anything. It drives great. I was hoping it would just go away... probably not going to happen. The dealer gave me to free oil changes and tire rotations, the first of which I'll probably redeem next month. When I do I'm compiling a list of suspected areas that could cause the squeak to present them for inspection.

Great idea. Just did it. Here is the link in you tube of my truck squeak.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

Great idea. Just did it. Here is the link in you tube of my truck squeak.

Mines a similar noise but only at 30-35 MPH and above, and only on certain bumps in the road...

A lot of people seem to get some resolution with the breaks... pads and calipers, etc. Makes sense because there's no complaint with how it drives. But those trucks were built before mine, which was May 2019 and I guess there's been changes/retrofits since.

Collecting info before I bring it to the dealer next.

 

[troutspinner]

Great idea. Just did it. Here is the link in you tube of my truck squeak.

That's an interesting one. I would lean belt or bearing but that is just squeaks with vehicles, hard as heck to determine where they are coming from. Maybe get a buddy to lean their head out the window or stand outside to see if you can better locate the area.

 

[Mannyman]

That's an interesting one. I would lean belt or bearing but that is just squeaks with vehicles, hard as heck to determine where they are coming from. Maybe get a buddy to lean their head out the window or stand outside to see if you can better locate the area.

It’s definitely the brakes. I had my wife drive it while I stood next to the wheel. Only happens when you tap the brakes. When they replaced the pads last month. It went away. Then I took it for a trip around 500 miles and now it’s back.

 

[troutspinner]

It’s definitely the brakes. I had my wife drive it while I stood next to the wheel. Only happens when you tap the brakes. When they replaced the pads last month. It went away. Then I took it for a trip around 500 miles and now it’s back.

Ahh ok, then a similar issue to me and others. The lobe of the pad is squeaking against the anti-rattle clip.....which it's job is to prevent that...ironic.

The original clips that came on my truck had a PTFE coating that wore off, when that happened, the chirps started. The upgraded pads came with new anti-rattle clips that have more connection points, not sure if they are PTFE coated. Why they replaced my calipers....I have no idea? Possibly because it kind of fits a Star Case description that I believe is unrelated.

Good to see the issue happening more though....as bad as that sounds. Gives Ram more feedback and hopefully gets resolved quickly and permanently.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

Ahh ok, then a similar issue to me and others. The lobe of the pad is squeaking against the anti-rattle clip.....which it's job is to prevent that...ironic.

The original clips that came on my truck had a PTFE coating that wore off, when that happened, the chirps started. The upgraded pads came with new anti-rattle clips that have more connection points, not sure if they are PTFE coated. Why they replaced my calipers....I have no idea? Possibly because it kind of fits a Star Case description that I believe is unrelated.

Good to see the issue happening more though....as bad as that sounds. Gives Ram more feedback and hopefully gets resolved quickly and permanently.

Might have a chance to look later this afternoon... but can you see these anti-rattle clips without taking the wheel off?

I want to see if I can manipulate them in some way and see if that temporarily gets rid of the squeak. Thus minimizing time my truck is in the shop.