Driver side front clicking/popping noise (w/video) 2004 Silverado 2WD

[mrsilv04]

Here's the details and background: Driver's side front. 2004 Silverado 2WD with 145,000 miles.

Happens at low speeds (such as driving though a parking lot, as I am doing in the video). Most prevalent around 8-10mph. Stops by 15mph. Lightly dragging the brake is enough to stop it.

Recent changes: Not the bearing/hub. It has been replaced (made noise with both old and new units). Not the tire or wheel. Has done it with 16" or 18" wheels installed.

Seems to be most noticeable after truck has been driven, parked long enough for everything to cool down, and then driven again. In the video, it might seem like it goes away when I turn, but that might be becuase I am applying the brake to turn, and the brake usually makes it stop clicking.

No, that tire is not low. It is properly inflated.

 

[hemitom]

broken coil spring ?

 

[clinebarger]

Caliper guide pins loose in the caliper bracket? Would explain why you can stop the noise buy applying the brakes.

 

[HemiBenny]

So starting out cold in the morning, you can't recreate this sound? You have to drive it, park it for a while, and then drive it again before being able to recreate this thumping noise?
I know the weight of the truck is making the sound more pronounced, but have you jacked it up and spun the wheel to see if you can recreate any kind of rhythmic sound similar to it? You're gonna have to jack it up anyway, and it only takes a minute to give it a few spins before taking the wheel off and diving deeper. On the rare occasion, doing something simple will give you an "AHA" moment.
As said above, if you can make it stop by applying the brakes, that's the place to start looking. Usually, guide pins and brake pads will cause a "rattle" over bumps, but this seems to be a thump that has a rhythm to it,...then all of a sudden it doesn't. (50-second mark to 1:06, it's absent.)
Strange indeed.

 

[Dave9]

Check the caliper bracket bolts.

 

[GMBoy]

Caliper guide pins loose in the caliper bracket? Would explain why you can stop the noise buy applying the brakes.

Yep beat me to it - the big flag was it stopped when he is on the brakes

 

[HemiBenny]

Make sure you come back and let us know what you find, we don’t like to be left hangin’.

 

[mrsilv04]

It goes in for an oil change on Friday morning, and the mechanic is going to pull the wheel off and take a look.

He was the last one who did work on that corner, so I'll let him check his work.

Here's a video with the wheel off the ground and me spinning it. The 'tumbling' noise in the video is the butt end of a valve stem, tumbling around inside the tire.

 

[Nick1994]

It goes in for an oil change on Friday morning, and the mechanic is going to pull the wheel off and take a look.

He was the last one who did work on that corner, so I'll let him check his work.

Here's a video with the wheel off the ground and me spinning it. The 'tumbling' noise in the video is the butt end of a valve stem, tumbling around inside the tire.

TPMS sensor I guess

 

[HemiBenny]

Well isn’t it possible that you’re actually hearing the sensor bouncing around in the wheel at low speeds? As you pick up speed, the sensor will be held against the outside and not “tumble” as centrifugal force does its thing.
It’s really hard to tell from a video, but It’ll be interesting to see what he finds.

edit- I hear what you’re calling the “tumbling” sound after watching the video several times, it is in the background as the sound that‘s identical to the first video is more pronounced. I would try to stop the wheel at the point that it makes that sound and move it back and forth. See if you can pinpoint it.

 

[mrsilv04]

Mechanic insisted that it was the wheel bearing/hub and put one on... even though I told him not to.

Apparently, he didn't understand what I meant when I disagreed with his opinion, and then said to him that "I'll just keep driving it that way". I guess he didn't appreciate being disagreed with, and decided that he'll show me as to who was right and who was wrong.

We'll see.

 

[Oliveoil2]

Sounds like a wheel bearing to me.

 

[Soft Cars]

Whatever it is, it's definitely loose and rotational dependent. I would call that a "light" noise; meaning, whatever that's loose is fairly light in weight. It has kind of a sheet metal noise like a loose backer plate behind the rotor or something similar.