Same freaking sound after transfer case rebuild

[CoopKill]

Thought I had a carrier bearing issue, ziptie fixed, installed 2pc driveline, nope. Thought rear diff, nope. Ended up being driver side wheel bearing...

[RealMcCoy]

You, my friend, need a Steelman Chassis ear.
One of the greatest tools I've ever owned. (get the wireless one)

Yep... One of the best tools I donated to the local tweeker feeding a habit fund.

Thought I had a carrier bearing issue, ziptie fixed, installed 2pc driveline, nope. Thought rear diff, nope. Ended up being driver side wheel bearing...

I'll bet money you just diagnosed his noise....

Now he just needs to figure out which one it is....

Get it up in the air with all four wheels spinning, walk around and lightly touch each spring. There's a very good chance you'll be able to feel the offender amplifying the roughness in the spring.

Most of the time a T/case or rear diff will change on/off throttle. A front wheel bearing will often change the noise when thrown into a turn.

Another possibility that is often overlooked and can really screw with people, is the halfshaft bearing on the left axle, bolted to the block. When they go bad, they sound a lot like a wheel bearing.

[curt93t/t]

Already had the wheels up and spinning, couldn't find the culprit. Don't really think it's a wheel bearing. I've had those before and this is not acting like the same. Noise doesn't change with turn, plus if a wheel bearing is going bad you can put your hand on the center of the rim and the bad actor side will be noticeably warmer. I am really thinking it's the halfshaft bearing, but Forest on 3si thinks it's the u-joints. I've had people say they're good and some say they are bad. Like I said, spent $400+ or so on the rebuild for nothing. Don't get me wrong, Chris said the bearings needed to be replaced, just not the cause of this noise. That said, really want to spend another $800+ when it's not the driveshaft.

[RealMcCoy]

While admittedly I'm not there, and can't hear the noise in person, the noise in that vid sounds exactly like a wheel bearing noise...

They have to be REALLY bad to cause enough friction to create increased heat. If it's a halfshaft bearing, it should be pretty apparent with a stethoscope. Feeling the roughness in the spring is a trick I learned years ago, and has served me pretty well finding elusive bad wheel bearings.

I am very skeptical that it would be a U-joint. While the roughness you described in the movement is in fact wear on the trunion, it is caused by the fact that there is little movement or change in the driveshaft angles. The same needle bearings live in the same groove for most of the life of the car... I've seen them live like that for years without consequence.

I'm also going on the sound of the noise, and the perceived frequency... A driveline noise would have a frequency of almost 4 times that of an axle speed noise.