6.0L Escalade AWD spun bearing noise accelerating

[heavymetal200p]

I have a 2002 Escalade 6.0L AWD and recently it's been producing what sound like a spun bearing sort of noise.

It only happens when the drivetrain is in a gear and under acceleration load. The harder I accelerate the louder and prevalent the noise becomes. 

 

I can subdue the noise by accelerating very slowly while keeping the RPMs low.

 

In neutral, bringing the rpms up I have no noise whatsoever. 

 

Any ideas? 

 

I change oil regularly and check it, truck isn't burning any oil between changes.

I put 4 brand new U joints 20k ago as the old ones were damn near ready to fall off.

Other then that I haven't touched anything engine or drive train related on it.

 

 

[Jsdirt]

How many miles on her? Noises are one of the toughest things to diagnose over the internet ...

 

The engine could very well be at the end of its life.These engines have ZERO tolerance to neglect. If you don't know the history of the first 50k miles, then anything is possible. The 5.3 is more known for wrist pin slop that will cause a "bad-bearing-like" sound (only a double-tap, rather than a single knock), but given that the engines are nearly the same internally, that could be your issue too.

 

A simple .30 cent o-ring can bring these engines down fast. That o-ring is in the pickup tube to the oil pump. If you're going to drop the pan, that would be the first thing I'd check. You can also access it by removing the timing cover. Normally I'd recommend replacing the oil pump and timing chain if there's alot of miles on her, but with these engines, usually it ends up being a waste of time and money, as something else will fail down the line. A crate, or junkyard (if you can get one cheap) engine is the way to go, rather than a rebuild. If you're certain there's bearing noise, that's the route I'd take.

 

As a last resort, you could try some 10w-30, 15w-40, or even 20w-50 engine oil - if the heavier grades make it more quiet, then it's definitely a lower end bearing, or wrist pin. if it gets louder,  there could be a restriction, or partial blockage in one of the oil passageways. Got nothing to lose by trying. I've been on 10w-30 in my '07 for the past 20k miles. Since then, my oil analysis' have come back much better as far as wear metals are concerned.

[heavymetal200p]

I think I'm gonna do the oil change early and remove the pan this time and have a look. I'll look for that o ring you mentioned and see if theres any noticeable wear or damage. Once I button it back up I'll fill it with something thicker and see what happens.

 

It's worth mentioning also, the noise I'm hearing only starts happening under the previously mentioned circumstances when the engine is warmed up. If I start it up and drive it within a couple minutes it won't be there, but once she's warm it will.. no high temps, no engine codes atm either.  

 

Describing the noise the best I can...

It sounds like the ball in a paint can being shook at a ridiculously high speed.

Picture that sound but continuously with a sorta screech in there too. Haha anyways.

 

I'm not a GM guy really, and I don't  know much about there engines, but I got this from a family friend for next to nothing 3 years ago or so. It has 185,000km on it atm and it was dealer maintained until the day I bought it, after which it was maintained by me.

 

Thank you for the suggestions and I formation.

Starting to sound like I have a ticking bomb on my hands. 

[Jsdirt]

Best thing to do I think would be to chock the wheels, leave it running when it's making the noise, and crawl underneath to pinpoint the sound. Just putting the end of a plastic hammer handle against the oil pan, and putting the hammer end on your ear will amplify any sounds. Just want to be 100% sure it's an internal engine sound you're hearing.

 

The way you described it would make me want to be sure there's nothing contacting the spinning flywheel. Just had a Dodge that had some rust buildup causing a similar noise. Removed the flywheel cover, scraped it all out with a long screwdriver, and it's nice and quiet now.

 

But, since you say the noise starts with heat, that tells me it's either an oil pressure issue, or indeed the bearing, or wrist pin (wrist pin noise will be much more rapid than the cadence of a bad big-end bearing).

[heavymetal200p]

At a stand still the truck won't produce the noise oddly enough, or at least not audibly but like you mentioned, if I listen for it from under the vehicle it may be there just not as loud.

At the moment, if i were say in drive, moving at say 40kmh and get on the pedal even moderately to speed up on the highway the noise becomes extremely noticeable.

Even a semi hard pull from a stop sign or light in town produces it very noticeably.

 

I had an idler pulley on my older f150 produce a similar noise when it was on it's way out. Not as loud but the same sound like a s ratchy rattling noise.

 

I know jsdirt mentioned that these engines are finicky and that repairing it may be futile, but If it is an internal engine bearing what are my options?

Am I still better off looking for a doner motor?

 

I've been toying with the idea of trading my Escalade for an older 3/4 ton truck as i need a truck now more then the SUV, but i refuse to make a trade until i can track down and fix the noise for the possible new owner.

[Doug_Scott]

Where in Ontario are you? 

Does the noise increase equal to the rpm increase, or does it jump to a "frequency" and stay there until the engine catches up to it?

Make sure you have the A/C turned off by pressing the button in the centre of the fan speed knob, assuming you dash layout is somewhat close to the standard dash on the next generation pickup.  Reason I mention this is my 2010 Sierra is presently creating the loudest A/C compressor "rattle" I have ever heard.  You would swear the engine is going to explode.

Can you create the noise by doing a "brake stand"?

[heavymetal200p]

I'll try making sure the AC is off and see if it makes the noise still. AC controls are a bit different in this SUV then your truck but it can be toggled.

I haven't attempted to recreate it via brake stand but I can definitely try that too and see if it does.

The noise seems to be RPM based from what i recall atm. When the truck kicks down a gear to pass and the RPMs go up so does the noise in volume and speed.

 

I'm in northern Ontario, around the Timmins area.

[Doug_Scott]

4 hours ago, heavymetal200p said:

I'll try making sure the AC is off and see if it makes the noise still. AC controls are a bit different in this SUV then your truck but it can be toggled.

I haven't attempted to recreate it via brake stand but I can definitely try that too and see if it does.

The noise seems to be RPM based from what i recall atm. When the truck kicks down a gear to pass and the RPMs go up so does the noise in volume and speed.

 

I'm in northern Ontario, around the Timmins area.

Guess you are not interested in just stopping by one day so I can give it a listen then?, We are only about 7hrs apart.  You're about one third of the way to Manitoba from Ajax where I am.

 

You can also just pull the electrical connection from the switch on the receiver/dryer to stop the compressor from engaging.  Reason for trying a brake stand isn't so much to help find what it is, but finding out what it isn't.

[heavymetal200p]

Heh, yeh that's a little far for me.

 

I'm on shift work and I have my 3 kids at home with me on my non work days so long trips won't happen.

 

I'll try doing both suggestions tmrw evening and report any findings. I can see if I can get a recording of the noise and upload it somewhere for you to hear it.