When driving down just a normal residential 25mph road with the windows down, I hear a high pitched squeak like a brake pad wear indicator bar hitting the rotor, but not constant. It is only when moving, going over bumps.

I've figured out how to replicate the noise. When parked, if I push down on the passenger side of the rear bumper with a quick, sharp push, it'll make the noise.

I also hear it once when shutting the tailgate.

Open the tailgate and push the bumper, and there is no noise.

It has something to do with the tailgate, but I can't pinpoint the noise. I can't decide if it is from the middle of the tailgate or coming from the drivers side hinge, which is where that spring is to help lift the tailgate up.

Has anyone determined exactly where it is coming from? It is absolutely driving me nuts, and ruins my drive each time, so I have to sort it out, but before I start blasting everything with grease, I thought I'd ask if anyone knows for sure what it is

 

You could remove the tailgate, drive around and see if the noise is gone. That would eliminate one item of question.

 

I'm already sure it is in the tailgate, or something to do with the tailgate, as the noise doesn't appear when the tailgate is opened.... I just wondered if anyone knew precisely which part of the tailgate is making the noise.

When I track it down I'll get pics and make a post.

 

Do you gotz the 'man step' and midget stripper pole? Some members have complained about a plastic bracket being broken, but they didn't complain about noises, tho.

 

Nope, no step option, but I have located and taken care of the noise.

I could replicate the noise by pushing DOWN on the passenger side sharply, and also by pushing up on the drivers side sharply, but with less force, so it was easier to lift the drivers side to make the noise.

It wasn't the bumper, as I was able to push under the fender and make the noise, and there was no play felt in the bumper.

If I held the top of the tailgate in tighter, it wouldn't make the noise.

I could get it to do it by quickly closing the tailgate and it would do it just before it latched... the tumbler had already started to roll over the pin, so I thought maybe it was the pin with the plastic liner, so I greased it.

Nope.

I tried the rubber bump stop at the top of the bed rail, thinking maybe it was just rubbing a bit and squealing when moving.

Nope.

I looked inside the tailgate through the side and could see a long bar running from hinge to hinge almost, and a spring coiled around it I think, so I figure that is the lift assist spring.

The hinge is greased with the yellowish axle grease from the factory, but I figured I would try it anyway.

Problem solved.

The pics as promised, lame as they may be.

Pretty simple... but I had fun making the arrows for the pics, so here you go...

Open the tailgate, find the hinge...



Find yourself some grease, I used this old can with a broken nozzle that has been in my box for years.
It is a can of NAPA brand White Lithium Grease. It is a thickish white grease suspended in a very volatile and quickly-evaporating carrier which is very thin and runny, and creeps into crevices, carrying the lithium grease with it. In a few seconds the carrier evaporates away leaving the coating of grease everywhere it went.



Grab the appropriate tools for the job. Paper towels to wipe up when you're done, and safety glasses to keep any splashing grease out of your eyes...



Spray the grease into the 2 spots shown with the arrows. Spray it and then work the tailgate up and down while the grease carrier is still thin and runny, allowing it to creep into the hinge as much as possible. One shot did the trick for me, so I did it again to be sure



Wipe everything off with the towels removing any over-spray from the body and around the hinge so it doesn't attract as much debris or dust.
If you can see the grease, it isn't stopping the squeak; the stuff that crept into the cracks stopped the noise, so wipe it all clean that you can reach/see.
Remove those stupid safety glasses, you look like a fool.

Hopefully anyone else with the noise can get rid of it as easily as I was able to.
Hopefully it'll last for a long time, but if it comes back, I know what it is now!

Brian

 

Its the tailgate.. Mine does it too. Shut it hard and make sure that both sides latch. it so and u still hear it adjust the latch to make it shut farther inward.

 

If it is the same thing I have and it is still doing it, fix it like I did and just grease the hinge.

I always make sure both sides latch, I can hear them, but I don't shut it hard.

No, just a little grease and it stopped it no problem for me, your noise might be something different.

 

I was having the same issue with the high-pitched squeaking coming from the back of the truck.

It stopped once I let my wife ride up front with me.

 

I found a couple issues the latch it self needs to be greased on both side, and on my truck the brake cables in rear.

 

What a little lube will do !! My first car was a Volvo back in the days when they had two SU carburators. They were connected together by a 1/4" rod supported by rubber grommets. I was getting a intermitant noise which was so loud it frightened passengers. It sounded like the transmission was about to fall off ! I started looking one day and after a long time ,as it was intermitant, found that the grommets had dried out and the right vibration would create that incredibly loud noise !! Lithium stearate grease [white grease] !