Bad U-joint can pull you around
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 860
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From: Grantsburg,WI
Bad U-joint can pull you around
It's amazing how much a bad U-joint can mess up your steering and pull you around when it's the the one next to the front wheel. Anyone ever have that happen? I had a real bad wobble also. Front joint was so bad I couldn't bend it without the help of a pipe. I'm surprised I could turn a corner. It's my own fault for not greasing it enough.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,508
Likes: 2
From: The boonies by Dallas OR
Was it a greaseable joint? I thought the stock ones weren't greaseable.
What usually happens if you never engage 4x4 is that the axle shaft will turn until it is sitting such that only one of the two joints turn when you turn the wheel. The other joint won't move at all. What happens is the seals dry out and the needles and seat rust from sitting in one place. Then what happens is the shaft moves a tiny bit and now the one that has gone bad will be the one lined up with the knuckles. Since it's hard to turn it messes with your steering.
The best thing you can do to keep them in good shape is to put it the transfer case into 4x4 once in a while when the hubs are disengaged. A good idea is to do it for a few blocks every time you fuel up. This gets the seals and grease moving around in the joints. If you run around in the winter with the hubs locked then you don't need to then. If you have auto hubs only leave it in 4x4 for a few feet pulling out straight. When you take the transfer case back out of 4x4 the hubs will stay locked until you back up.
What usually happens if you never engage 4x4 is that the axle shaft will turn until it is sitting such that only one of the two joints turn when you turn the wheel. The other joint won't move at all. What happens is the seals dry out and the needles and seat rust from sitting in one place. Then what happens is the shaft moves a tiny bit and now the one that has gone bad will be the one lined up with the knuckles. Since it's hard to turn it messes with your steering.
The best thing you can do to keep them in good shape is to put it the transfer case into 4x4 once in a while when the hubs are disengaged. A good idea is to do it for a few blocks every time you fuel up. This gets the seals and grease moving around in the joints. If you run around in the winter with the hubs locked then you don't need to then. If you have auto hubs only leave it in 4x4 for a few feet pulling out straight. When you take the transfer case back out of 4x4 the hubs will stay locked until you back up.
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