I have a 2003 Chevy 1500 ext cab 5.3 liter with the Z71 package and I have been hearing a strange and difficult to describe noise. I recently leveled my truck out by replacing the torsion keys, and I changed all my shocks to Bilstein 5100 series shock with the appropriate stroke to accomodate for leveling the front end. The problem I'm having is this: every once in a while (every one or two weeks) it will make a weird popping sound that seems to come from the front passenger side when I hit a slight increase in the road (a raised crack in the street a half inch high at 40 mph will do it, but not everytime). This noise has progressed to a weird rubbing sound (again on the front passenger side) that occured when I took a right hand turn while braking and continued for 100-200 yards. This happened today, and the previous popping noise started about two months ago. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated! Maybe its a bearing in the front end? I don't know, and I really don't have the money to take it to a mechanic to diagnose.

 

I would check the hub. You should check to see if its the balljoints, hub, tie rods,etc. You can check them all my jacking the front of the truck up. Grab the tire at the top and bottom and move up and down to check the joints and hub, when you do this you will be able to see if the hub or joints have alot of play with them. If you grab the tire at each side and move side to side you can check to see if the inner and outer tie rod ends are bad or the idler and pitman arm. Im not sure if this will solve your problem but thats how you can see if their bad. If your joints are really bad they could making the tire rub on the A arm if they real bad, popping sound might be the hub. Hope this helps

 

Like said above, check ball joints, hubs, and tie rods. I suspect a bad ball joint if it's when you turn. The hub will generally give you a grindin noise but that could be your rubbin noise you're talkin about...check for play as said above

 

checked everything as y'all suggested and nothing. i have the push-button 4wd in my truck so could it possibly be the transfer case? the noise seems to come from the transmission tunnel if you seat in any other seat, but the driver seat?

 

also, the noise now happens at random times with NO rhyme or reason to it. It'll happen when going straight, going into a turn, out of a turn, going 10mph or 80 mph, when getting on the gas or letting off. It happened one time for 15 minutes straight! any help or advise is greatly greatly appreciated. i'm about to lose my mind with this truck!!!

 

So what was the result of your problem? I have a similar noise on a 2002 Avalanche.

 

ok trying to help but need to be more accurate. So is the noise coming from the front or trans tunnel?