I took my 04 F350 Lariat 6.0 Diesel into the shop to get the ac vaced and recharged, while it was there I had them do an inspection on the front end. I have been having some problems with it pulling to the left pretty hard forcing my to jerk the wheel to straighten it up, almost like i get stuck in a rut. Also when i would make a right turn it felt like something was catching.

Here is what the tech wrote uo for me word for word
"The front and rear sway bar links and bushings are loose. The front prop shaft needs to be replaced due to all three universal joints failed. Both of the front axle universal joints are loose."

Now i have read through the tech folder on how to replace the front axle u joints and can handle that no problem. Since the truck now has 203,xxx miles on it, I will probably replace the ball joints and check the bearing/hub assembly while I'm at it.

What im not sure on how to double check and replace is the sway bar links and bushings along with the prop shaft. Nor am I 100% sure what three u joints he is referring to that are failed and require the prop to be replaced.

If anyone can lend me some advice on how to double check this stuff and what I should actually replace with factory or aftermarket.

 

If you're not running in 4wd and your hubs are unlocking properly, then it is NOT your driveline or axle u-joints causing the problem. Sounds to me like your wheel bearings are shot, especially the catching when turning. Good time to do axle u-joints and ball joints while you're doing the wheel bearings though. I would do all that before touching the driveline and sway bar links.

 

Sometimes the Hubs will catch and lock one side in so grab the front axel every so often and spin by hand it should turn free in 2wd

Iv had mine do it might be time for new hubs for me

 

Alright finally got some time today to look at this a little more closely. I started on the drivers side since that is the way it is pulling. I tried muscling the wheel around and prying on it seeing if there was any give, and nothing. Then took off the wheel and caliper mount and outer hub. There is not restriction or play in the bearing/hub assembly. When i rotate the axle at the u joint it spins freely then starts to tighten up then bind up slightly, if i apply some force to it, it continues to turn. there is also a decent amount of play on the axle where it goes into the housing, except when the axle is rotated into the position where it feels tight.

Is there something inside that housing supporting the axle that could be bad? Or maybe the u joint is going out and seizing at certain positions, and loose in others? My other thought is maybe the outer hub is bad and engaging that side of the front axle at times and causing it to pull that way. I'm still learning a lot about how front ends function so and insight to these theories would be great!

 

Ok, now this is where you're getting into my specialty I can give you a couple things to look for as well as a couple questions to help narrow your problem down.

1st off, the ONLY thing that the tech wrote down that could be a contributor to your pulling problem is the actual axleshaft u-joints. If they're still the factory ones, or even aftermarket ones that haven't been greased, yes one can bind up a little bit, but very very rarely will it cause the axleshaft to bind up and slow down enough to cause a pull (per the freespin in the hub).

2ndly, if the ball joints are something that you just want to do "while you're there" it is a good time, but they may still be completely fine. I work on all types of vehicles, and of all the front end parts, the ones that Ford uses seem to be the toughest and last the longest. To check them and the hub assemblies while you're there, jack up the axle close to the tire. Support it with a jackstand for extra safety! I've seen a few jacks fail and you don't want your hand to be in the way when it does. First thing to do is to check for hub play. Put one hand on the top of the tire and once on the bottom, and try to rock the tire in and out.....if there's any movement, have a friend do it and you can look to the backside. If there's movement and its not in the ball joints, its your hub assy. To check the ball joints really well, put a bar under the tire and have your friend pry up a couple times to look for movement....If the ball joints have any play that you can see, replace them. (Spec is 0.025" of movement....if you can see it move, its way over that) Spin the tire.....doesn't have to be fast, but enough to get about 10 seconds of free spin once you let off. While the tire is spinning, put your ear close to the center of the hub and listen for a low grind/growl. You might hear a tinny kind of noise, that's just the brake pads rubbing on the rotor if its got a high spot. If you hear that low grind/growl it's time for a new hub assy. It means something inside is running dry and/or has come apart and it needs to be replaced.

Your "catching when turning right" could either be from a bad bearing or maybe those sway bar bushings....if they're all bad enough, the sway bar can "pop" a little bit from a relaxed state into a bind and catch.

As far as your question about the axle support, yes there is a bearing inside the diff that supports the inside of the shaft, and the hub assy supports the outer part. Also, yes your u-joint can try to seize at some points in its rotation, when the needle bearings dry out, they don't like to move much.

As far as your prop shaft/driveline needing replaced....unless the u-joints are so bad that they've wallered out the yoke eyes, or the centering stub is shot (which you can't see until you get it apart), it should still be reusable and all you need is new u-joints and a centering kit for the double cardan cv at the transfer case.

Finally, just for laughs and giggles, while you've got the front end in the air anyways, rotate the left side tire to the right and the right to the left and go drive it and see if it pulls the other way. This would be an indicator of radial pull, which is a condition where one of the internal belts of the tire has slipped, and that misalignment causes a pull. If the pull changes, rotate the "bad" tire to the rear and call it a day.....quick and easy...the tire will be safe to run, you'll just have to keep it on the rear to prevent the situation from happening.

Hopefully this has given you some ideas, sorry its so longwinded. Let us know what you find

Edit......as far as your parts question goes, I would try to use Ford hubs....highly reliable....spendy, but worth it (you've got 203,000 miles on these right?) Ball joints: either MOOG or actual Dana Spicer, NAPA Chassis Parts is ok too. A good quality polyurethane bushing set would be great for the sway bars, but as far as fixing your problem, I'd prioritize those lower on your list. And for u-joints, Precision is ok, but I still prefer Dana Spicer parts, but to each their own

 

Thanks for the ideas. I know from what I did last night there is no play in the tire so i can eliminate the ball joints. Although I may just replace the ball joints while its apart. The truck does have 203,000 on it but i bought it with 140,000 and havent touched the front end. I dont know what was done to it prior to that.

There is no play in the hub and it spins freely, however i do hear some noise coming from it when i spin it. I even removed the brakes to make sure and eliminate any other noises.

Also how much play is acceptable for the exle inside the housing, or should there even be any at all? Maybe it would be a good idea to replace that bearing as well.

I'll dig into this some more after work and see what else I can come up with. Looks like I might be going on a parts ordering spree anyway.....

Again thanks for all the great advice!

 

I did forget one important question.....when the truck pulls, does it make the steering wheel go turn in the direction of the pull? If it does, definitely try rotating the tires first, as a radial pull is probably the cause of your problem...let us know what you find!

 

I recently swapped out my left front hub assembly due to some play as you Nighthawk described. The other week I had the windows down and now I can hear a noise that sounds like a spinning a ratchet going backwards. It is definitely coming from the part of the truck. I put the front end up again and checked everything and not seeing or feeling any play in the front hubs.

In trying to further pin point this problem, I found an empty street to coast with the engine not running to hear the noise. I discovered that the noise only happens when the key is in the "On" position. When in neutral and the key is "Off" there is no noise, but it comes right when I turn the key to the "On" position.

I wasn't sure if Nighthawk285 or anyone else had any ideas what could be making this noise?

 

I don't know if you've gotten any farther on your "ratcheting hub" problem.....did all of your washers get put in and did you torque the hub pre-load correctly (instead of just an impact gun)? Did you get the electrical connections connected properly? What year/make/model are we working on?