My truck drives fin and has no bad tendencies vaside from what sound like a loose rattle or something when I go over freeway bumps...

Anyways, both of my front (the right more than the left) have a good amount of play in them laterally. I can grab the right side, and shake it up and down about 1/4", 1/8th on the driver side. Does this mean my hubs are shot? Or is there a bearing that is bad? Again it drives fine so the spindle bearing is ok, and 4wd work ok (ESOF don't work) I just don't know if this is "normal" or do I need to fix something?

 

My truck ran fine too till the brakes started to pull to oneside. I had a bad bearing hub assembly on that side.
I would recomend checking the brake pads for uneven ware. I would suspect the wheel with the most play.

I only replaced the one hub assembly and have had no problem yet with the other.

Hopes this helps!

 

Both of your front WHAT have play in them? Where is the movement coming from exactly. Next question, in what way does ESOF not work if 4x4 works fine? Give me a little more info and I will try to help you out.

 

Ditto...

I'm guessing ball-joints

 

It's not the brakes, and it's not the ball joints- the WHOLE u-joint assembly can be shaken up and down, side to side 1/4". I suspect it's the internal hub that's jacked up, but I don't understand enough about how they work to diagnose what's wrong with them. I hardly ever use 4wd, but I have (ouch) used it on dry pavement before to test that were locking up and heard a noise I didn't like. Yes I'm stupid..... but it still works fine.

THe ESOF is a stupid a$$ design that fails way to often/easy. I just lock the hubs manually if I need 4wd, I gave up trying to fix it....

 

Yup, sounds like the bearings. You have to replace the whole hub assembly.

 

Yup, sounds like the bearings. You have to replace the whole hub assembly. Hope you didnt damage the axel shafts.

 

You DO NOT need to replace the entire wheel bearing. Ford says you do, but the needle bearing should be available separately as a National bearing number B-2110. Take it apart first, and make sure they are the same part number.

Make sure the axle stub is OK - with that much play, it might not be.

 

These new trucks don't have an old spindle bearing and hub set up. The wheel bearings are part of the hub, and this hub/bearing assy must be replaced as a unit.

If you jack up the truck, and can move the tire/wheel assy by hand, the wheel hub/brg assy is probaby bad ---- very common. Look, or have someone else look, at what is moving as you muscle the tire/wheel around.

It is were the replaceable/greaseable needle bearing that is installed in the center of the hub/bearing assy, the noise would go away when you locked-in the 4WD hub --- as they wheel/brg is no longer spinning around the axle end.

my two cents.

Good luck.

 

Not arguing - but the original poster says the u-joint moves up and down - it's not the wheel bearing nor the ball joints.

anyway

 

Yes, I see now .... I did not read his second post carefully.

Still ... I;m wondering ... if he can move his axle ujoint, maybe it is that big 'ol seal assy that seats the axle shaft into the knuckle?

Also ... since his sound is a "loose rattle" when he goes over a bumb, and not a constant, or semi-constant rotational noise ..... maybe it is a suspension or steering part that is bad? (I'm going to check to make sure there isn't normally a little play in the axle ujoint area)

.... just thinking out loud here

 

Hi all, I have been through this, I have also gone through a noise in the front of my truck, I found it to be the needle bearings, torrington B-2110 is the part number, these are on the inside of the sealed wheel bearing assy.

Somebody mentioned that if you engage 4wd then the noise if from the needle bearing will go away, thats an incorrect statement, the needle bearing still needs to "spin"

Here is a how to do on ball joints, it shows the entire take apart (i did this on my truck a few times, and I would bet I could do it over the phone with somebody without looking at the truck.

heres a link, let me know if you have questions

http://www.angelfire.com/fang/mercury/ball.pdf

kenny

 

Yes,yes! I do agree with Mercury45.

 

thanks rude....

by the way if the main concern here is the stub shaft ujoint moving a little extra, then I would be checking the main knuckle seal, mine were all screwed up when i replaced them

kenny

 

Actually, no it doesn't. The inside diameter of the wheel bearing, where that needle bearing is, turns with the wheels. If the axles aren't moving, the needle bearing is moving relative to the axle stub.

A quick way to test those bearings without going into 4x4 is LOCK THE HUBS. When the hubs are locked, the axle does not move relative to those needle bearings.