Not yet, but high hopes .
I'll finish it this evening and report back in the morrow.

 

Mike, all is well. I even accidentally fixed the auto hubs. Found a bare wire on the ABS wire.
Wooohooo
Thanks Brah

 

offer still good??

 

Unfortunately, I sent it to a member in PA, and a postal worker decided they wanted it more than the recipient. It was delivered as an empty box. The member in PA was able to file the claim and get money to buy another one, but I never heard from him again after the claim was paid.

 

Well I kinda figured as such would eventually happen. You
just can't be a good decent helpful person in today's world full of ME ME ME ME folks... Sad! You're a good person for trying to do a good deed like this. Hate you were taken advantage of like this. I have this issue with my f250 and Ive even taken it to the local dealership and was told this is normal play. I just don't think it is. My hubs are back out again and I just replaced them 18 months ago. I asked about the seals just dangling around and was told oh that's not something you should worry about. The oil is clear and still full. I guess that's a plus.

here's a YouTube video of what I'm dealing with

 

any advice for what I need to replace?

 

WOW those axles are totally jiggling around in there. I did this job YEARS ago and Im accessing old memories to try and recall if there is a bearing in there needing replacement....accessing accessing....

 

Sorry. I retired and have been moving.

With the hub off, that all looks normal to me. The only thing holding the axle centered in the knuckle is the vacuum seal, and that is not designed as a structural component...it just seals against vacuum leaks. I would inspect it well...check around the edges and see if it has been damaged by whoever was wiggling the axle around in there in the photo.

Now, if you had wobbly movement of the axle while the hub was still on, I would look at the hub/unit bearing as suspect. The seal that is dangling is your inner axle dust seal. They are known to not last long...bad design on those. Not a critical part, but something to put on the list.

 

thank you for your reply. I have the hub assembly for both sides to go back on but wanted to make sure before putting it all back together that I didnt have an even bigger issue that needed fixing. I just had the hubs replaced 2yrs ago and the passengers side was worn slap out(broken apart etc) drivers side looks fine. Another question ive seen pple say grease them and to grease the inside for the 4wheel drive lock and some say not to grease them.

 

the axle hub bearing assembly holds the outer part of half axle in alignment. It’s almost like a fwd car where the axle would flop around if not for the unit bearing assembly. If you wiggle the u joint like that after it’s all assembled you have a problem. Sometimes it’s just the $11 needle bearing at the outer end that goes bad.

 

ahhh ok well that makes alot of sense to me now. The front passenger tire wore down quick and in a weird manner in no time. I took it for an alignment and they told me that the sway bar was the issue and replaced that and didnt do alignment as I had requested. The tires were brand new and barely had 5k miles on them but they deemed it my fault for not getting an alignment. When i mentioned bringing it in and was told the other and they replaced the other, and even saw this on their computer, yet it was still my fault. I guess it ultimately is as I cld have went elsewhere as I am doing now. Roadmart locally is crap.

 

you need a new mechanic. Anti Sway bars have nothing to do with direction or angle of wheels/tires.

it does not take much of an alignment issue to ruin tires.

 

I ruined a new set of tires in less than 200 miles after a really bad alignment.

 

indeed. Ive always had good luck and excellent service from out of town road marts, but this local one here is nothing but one Huge joke. Im no mechanic nor mechanically inclined and when he said "sway" the way he did and explained it keeps the tires from swaying causing the issue i had with that tire. It was the passenger tire and only that one and of course the sway bar was more on passenger side,so i fell for the bs they were feeding me. They got more money, cheated me out of a tire and STILL left me with a dang issue. Great group of folks!

 

[QUOTE=Nicmike;12805026]Ok. So I got her all done today, just waiting for the RTV to cure so I can put the diff oil in. Thought I would share some photos of the process for those who have not jumped into this procedure before. It really helps to have the seal installer, and I am fortunate enough to own one. It is stepped so that you get the seal on the axle PERFECTLY. It also doubles as the tool you use to push the seal into the knuckle and seat it at EXACTLY the right depth. I have read of others making seal drivers out of PVC, and I am all for engenuity and saving money. However, you might not get the depth just right on that seal, and that could have consequences down the road i.e.: hubs won't lock under vacuum and the inner dust seal wears out prematurely.

This is the seal driver used at the dealership.
Attachment 68872

Here is the seal seated on the axle. You can see there is a slight step up from the flange of the axle to the flat area of the seal. That is where your plastic washer with the grooves in it will sit. This step must be exact, or your washer won't be able to do it's job....this equals no 4x4 ESOF action. I put the axle in a big vise to hold it while I drive the seal on. T
Attachment 68865

Here is the seal driver on the shaft. There is a special tool that fits over the axle behind the seal driver (I forgot to take a picture of it), and that gets hit with a big hammer. This exerts EVEN pressure to the seal and pops it right into the knuckle. A little bit of bearing grease on the outside of that seal before inserting it into the knuckle makes this go REALLY quick.

• Attachment 68866

Starting position.
Attachment 68867

Driven to EXACTLY the right depth when the tool bottoms out.
Attachment 68868

The result is a inner dust seal that sits snug up against the axle tube and is able to do it's job correctly without wearing out prematurely.
Attachment 68869

If anyone on the forums needs the tool and cannot rent one locally, I will send it to you (you pay the postage). It will fit in a small Priority Mail box, and it only costs like $6 for a 2-3 day delivery. Kinda like the traveling hub zerk thing that is going around. You would just go to USPS.com, buy the label, save it as a .pdf file and then email it to me. Then send it back when you are done. $12 and piece of mind that you did it exactly to the right dep