2003 silverado squeaking in rear

[Fishing83181]

I have an '03 chevy silverado that recently has begun squeaking in the rear end. It only squeaks at slower speeds while accelerating. It does not squeak while braking etc. I have been asking around and most of the people that have looked at it thought it was my leaf springs. Lately one individual was adament it was the universal joint. Have any of you had this problem with your chevy before? Thanks alot, any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[rj]

had this problem in my chevy's and in my ford,, in some instances it was the leaf springs and in some instances it was a U joint and in one instance it was a brake part rubbing the drum.

none of these items are hard to diagnose. if you can't find by a visual inspection, just jack up the rear wheels. block the truck well & put it in gear.

[BUDC]

My bet--- U-joint. Acceleration puts it in more strain and the "chirps" becomes louder. There may be a little clink when you put it in gear. You'll know before too much longer because it will soon start to vibrate and hum the faster you go. Also, the frequency of chirps should vary with turns of the tires(like 3-4 chirps per turn).
Spring squeak will be inconsistant, along with the road surface variations.
budc

[Fishing83181]

Thanks alot for your feedback.

[kmeyer]

U-JOINTS is probable... I bought a truck that had been backed into salt water several times while l;aunching a boat and the bearings in the ujoint were rusty , they squeaked loudly at low speed. replaced them and havent heard the noise since.

[twobyfour]

I would guess u=joints also. Get a grease gun and squirt some in the fitting. If it lessens the noise or goes away, you may want to invest in some new ones. Usually happens on trucks with alot of miles on them.

[toptech3434]

Its hard tell from behind this key board,it could anything.But if you are not far from Glen Burnie,MD send me a pm and I will take a look at it for you,I work for a chevy dealership.The ujoints on that truck are sealed no grease fitting and are glued in and have to be heated to release the glue and be removed.

[TAPEWORM]

When you are driving beside barrier walls put your windows down. The walls reflect the noise back and helps you figure out what it is, accelarate, tap the breaks etc. My old Dodge ate u-joints like cookies.

[Wingnutt01]

Sounds like one or more of the urethane "slider" bushings between the springs took a holiday. When you accelerate the torque will cause the rear end to rotate upwards slightly and the result is that the front of the leafs come into contact with other, rubbing against each other and causing the squeaking that you are hearing. Jack up the vehicle by the frame and carefully look between the springs and see if the bushings are still there.

The U-joint is also a possibility, but you will usually have a noticeable vibration under acceleration.

[chummer188]

U-Joint. No way to grease the new stuff so they fail. Make sure you put one in that has a grease fitting.