Intermediate Steering Shaft issue?

[pwoods]

Two years ago in early August 2007 I had the ISS replaced on our 2004 1/2 ton silverado (currently 53k miles). At the end of the month, I was in for an oil change (I'm looking at the records here for the dates - my memory's shot), and I commented at the time that I could hear a faint front end squeak - different from the original issue w/ the ISS.

This squeak sounds like a bad shock (those have all been replaced), squeaking as the truck moves and/or flexes. It was at the point where at low speed, I could hear it on rougher blacktop or gravel.

Recently though we went on a camping trip, pulling our house trailer w/ weight distribution bars, and on returning I notice that there is no more squeak. Could the extra weight on the front end from the distribution bars have caused the ISS to lube itself differently, alleviating the squeak for now? Would the ISS even cause this kind of a noise to begin with?

Thanks.

[MrCritical]

Someone else can chime in, but to me the ISS was always a bumping you could feel in the steering wheel, not a squeak.

[Bejeweled]

Squeaks drive me nuts, and I chase squeaks like nobodies business. That being said, it's hard to find one without being around it when it happens. I can tell you some other places that I've found and fixed squeaks before on the extended cab silverado. You might have them and now you can fix them.

1. Behind the rear bench seat where the bracket attaches to the back wall near the top on both left and right sides. It's metal on metal. Spray each with your favorite lubricant.

2. All the rubber door seals, they squeak the most on the top section as the cab flexes. But all the rubber benefits from the occasional lubing. Dielectric grease is recommended but silicone spray or whatever works just as well as long as it's safe for rubber.

3. The bearings in your steering column might sometimes groan or squeak on a hot day. It's probably something your mechanic would need to take care of.

4. A bug deflector on your front end can cause the top windshield molding to flap and tap. Not a squeak but annoying if you can't figure it out.

5. Various bushings etc.

That should get you started chasing!

[dr.gizmo]

An "I" Shaft will not normally cause a squeak. As for what you are experiencing I would have to hear it for myself. But if it takes a rough road to produce it I would think it would be in the suspension system. I would recommend having a good tech look at it. Patience is called for as noises can be quite a challenge to find. Especially if the vehicle has to be moving to produce it. Good luck!

[pwoods]

Thanks for the responses guys. It does sound like suspension, but I'm obviously not having luck narrowing it down to that. I can rock the truck in the driveway, and no noise. I can hear the noise though coasting into our driveway (which is pretty smooth gravel), so I'm not sure if it's something that the truck has to be in motion for the noise to occur (body flex in the doors, etc.... ?).

Thanks again.

[shadams]

Take off the top shock nuts and remove the insulators/bushings and look to see if they are worn through rubbing the shaft of the shock. That was a pretty common problem on those truck back in the day. Easy enough to check and put back together with new top
bushings if that is the source of the noise.