I have a 2004 1500 4X4 with the 4.7 and a 5 spd manual, and due to the extreme flooding here in coastal south jersey this past week, i was forced to drive through a good 2.5 feet of salt water in order to get to my house. Just today, a horrible grinding sound was coming from the front of my truck, it sounded like something rubbing against one of the brake rotors. However, I then realized that even if the truck is not moving, if I rev it up to about 1,500 rpm or more, the noise occurs, so it must be in/on the engine. It sounds normal at idle, but occurs whenever I give it any gas, which leads me to believe that it is something attached to the belt. (Seems to loud from outside to be anything internal). I feel that the main suspects are the alternator and/or idler pulleys. I am not sure if this noise is directly due to salt water intrusion, but I would think so. Any thought or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

do you know roughly how far "up" the front of the engine the water got? if you do, see what items, such as the alternator, etc, are below that line, and figure out what it COULDNT be...with the engine running, have you had a look into the engine bay? perhaps look for pulleys that are not turning...does it sound like a belt squeal?

The water was up to the bottom of my doors, so i would say only the very lower portion of the engine was really submerged. I looked under the hood with the engine running, It sounds like it could be the idler pulley, but it hard to tell. It does not sound anything like a belt squeal. Everything turns and operates normal, the truck runs fine...other that the noise.

so there doesnt appear to be any pulleys locked up?

don't forget to look at the tranny toque converter. also water splash will get higher then just how deep the water was.

get a two foot hose and put one end on the moving parts and the other end on your ear and listen for sounds. hve a buddy rev up the engine so you have a better chance of hearing the sound.

are you driving it like this?

Patrick,

Yes, unfortunatley I have no choice but to drive the truck like this, b/c my other vehicle has a clutch that is not fully disengaging (yea cars suck lol) I have plenty of warranty left on the truck, but due to recent problems with other warranty claims, aftermarket parts on the truck, and an all around @$$ of a local dealership, dont even get me started lol. But as I said the noise has not affected any performance of the truck, so I am hoping for the best.

Big Dodge Ram,

I do not believe that it is ne thing on the trans, b/c the noise occurs both when it is in gear and when in nuetral, moving and stopped, and at any RPM above idle.

Thanks for the suggestions though guys.

hmm..how about trying a different dealership? also, what aftermarket parts do you have? there was a law passed ( i believe that it is nation wide) that states that for aftermarket parts to void a warranty, the dealership must prove that the aftermarket part CAUSED the warranty issue.