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U-joint question

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Old Oct 14, 2013 | 07:53 PM
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U-joint question

I have a 2005 F250 FX4. Both driver and passenger side axle u joints have a lot of play in them. Going to tear into it and see what's wrong, but would like to maybe get an idea before I do. Am I more than likely dealing with bearings here or U-joints themselves?

Thanks.
 
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Old Oct 14, 2013 | 07:57 PM
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If you have noticeable play there's a good chance that the needle bearings in the wheel hub are trashed. If that's the case you will likely need new unit bearings and outer stub shafts for each side. Of course it all depends on what things look like when you take them apart.
 
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Old Oct 14, 2013 | 08:52 PM
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I second that. Hopefully, it's just the bearing. I have good luck with Timken.
 
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Old Oct 14, 2013 | 11:14 PM
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Great, sounds expensive. Would these things being bad cause the steering wheel to jerk like hell when hitting bumps and what not?
 
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Old Oct 15, 2013 | 11:18 AM
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Go with high quality hubs if they need replacing. Chances are if you rigs close to 120-150K they are ready? Even Timken has an off-shore-junk line so ask before you buy and steer clear unless you like burning money & time.
For the ujoints I use nothing but Spicer. In fact its all I use for chassis parts period. I believe the correct part number is "SPL55-4x I got it at jeffs bronco graveyard: Dana 60 Spicer 1480 Series Axle Ujoint". The quotes from xmontex4 gotta give him the credit for the part number. But check to see if its correct for your application.
I grease my fronts each time I rotate the tires so 5-6K
 
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Old Oct 15, 2013 | 11:21 AM
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More than likely the needle bearing. Any noise when you roll down the road?
 
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Old Oct 15, 2013 | 11:24 AM
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Originally Posted by FordTruckEnthusaist
Great, sounds expensive. Would these things being bad cause the steering wheel to jerk like hell when hitting bumps and what not?
Possible. Sounds to me like you're experiencing the dreaded "death wobble". Loose or worn parts will contribute to it for sure. Anything loose in the front end for that matter. Its caused by several factors depending on your set up. Search death wobble here, there has to be 1M+ post regarding it.
 
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Old Oct 15, 2013 | 04:32 PM
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Tore it down today and all the bearing looked and felt fine. I got the new upgraded seal from ford that goes on the axle housing side of the u joint. Apparently the old plastic ones weren't any good and it allowed the shaft to bounce up and down so they made a metal upgraded piece that replaces the plastic one. Gonna see if that'll work before I replace hubs.

For the record, I have all new greasable moog tie rod ends, moog greasable drag link, new steering linkage, Moog steering stabilizer shock, and a whole new track bar assembly so everything is pretty damn tight.
 
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Old Oct 15, 2013 | 09:05 PM
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Axle bounces up and down? Which hubs, the locking hubs? U-joints are bad? Confusing post.
 
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Old Oct 15, 2013 | 09:45 PM
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Sorry, not very good at explaining. I'll try and take a picture of the part and where it goes tomorrow instead of trying to explain it haha.
 
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Old Oct 16, 2013 | 08:18 AM
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sounds like you're ready for some long term worry free driving.
 
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Old Oct 16, 2013 | 02:56 PM
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I got the seals replaced and it's made a very noticeable difference, can still feel it jerking a little bit when going over bumps but it's probably 5x better than it was.
 
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Old Oct 16, 2013 | 03:01 PM
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Right here is the old plastic seal that mounted to the axle housing, if you look close you'll see the actual seal sitting there.


Right here is the old seal that was all broken on the passenger side.


Just the housing with axle shaft out of it.


And this is the new upgraded metal seal that Ford came out with.


Hopefully that helps out with the confusing post haha.
 
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Old Oct 16, 2013 | 03:19 PM
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Is that seal for 05+ models? I though ford updated the part numbers , just curious because i replaced my seal with the same exact one you originally had, i thought that if they updated the design then the same part number just got tagged to the newer design. I bought my seals 2 weeks ago, next time ill have to get those though if they work. My knuckle seal looked different than my old ones but had the same part number.
 
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Old Oct 16, 2013 | 03:21 PM
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Those seals have been falling out for years and many people just ignore them. They don't keep the axle from bouncing up and down.
 
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