Vibration/Steering wheel wobble
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Vibration/Steering wheel wobble
Hey all,
Been a while since I posted, the X had been running well for a while. Have a situation that started and wanted to share my findings, may help somebody. Driver front wheel bearing gave up. Replaced it. Almost immediately after the wheel bearing replacement, I started to get a bad wobble at highway speed, and it continued to get worse. Got to where I was feeling the vibration backing out of the driveway. Turns out, when the wheel bearing was failing, it was progressively heating up the whole knuckle assembly, including the u joint. It got hot enought that it cooked the u joint. The result is that the u joint is seizing at times causing the vibration. Those of you with bad wobble, vibration may want to check out the front u joints. I had all but forgotten about them. Taking the opportunity to rebuild all the seals in the axle. For reference, my X is an 02 PSD, 4x4, 242,xxx miles.
Z
Been a while since I posted, the X had been running well for a while. Have a situation that started and wanted to share my findings, may help somebody. Driver front wheel bearing gave up. Replaced it. Almost immediately after the wheel bearing replacement, I started to get a bad wobble at highway speed, and it continued to get worse. Got to where I was feeling the vibration backing out of the driveway. Turns out, when the wheel bearing was failing, it was progressively heating up the whole knuckle assembly, including the u joint. It got hot enought that it cooked the u joint. The result is that the u joint is seizing at times causing the vibration. Those of you with bad wobble, vibration may want to check out the front u joints. I had all but forgotten about them. Taking the opportunity to rebuild all the seals in the axle. For reference, my X is an 02 PSD, 4x4, 242,xxx miles.
Z
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 8,259
Likes: 346
From: Northern California
Not sure I can buy into that therory as I have gotten a wheel bearing so hot it actually welded the spindle to the axle shaft and did not heat the ujoint to the point of failure.
besides, even if the heat did cook out the grease the ujoint should not be turning while driving down the road in rwd so no wobble or shimmy should occur.
Sounds like you do indeed have a bad ujoint but the cause was most likely from a locked or stuck hub that keep the axle shaft and ujoint turning even in rwd, this over time caused caused the ujoint failure not the bad wheel bearing.
besides, even if the heat did cook out the grease the ujoint should not be turning while driving down the road in rwd so no wobble or shimmy should occur.
Sounds like you do indeed have a bad ujoint but the cause was most likely from a locked or stuck hub that keep the axle shaft and ujoint turning even in rwd, this over time caused caused the ujoint failure not the bad wheel bearing.
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 8,259
Likes: 346
From: Northern California
maybe not completely possible to say but I would still go check your hubs to make certain they are not causing your axle shaft to turn while ypu drive down the road in 2wd.
simply climb under your rig and firmly try to rotate the axle shaft at the ujoint yokes.
if they spin freely then your hubs are actually unlocked.
if the axle doesn’t spin or is extremely stiff your hubs are sticking and causing the shaft to spin and will wear out your new ujoints just like the last ones.
simply climb under your rig and firmly try to rotate the axle shaft at the ujoint yokes.
if they spin freely then your hubs are actually unlocked.
if the axle doesn’t spin or is extremely stiff your hubs are sticking and causing the shaft to spin and will wear out your new ujoints just like the last ones.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
xlt4wd90
Clutch, Transmission, Differential, Axle & Transfer Case
4
Apr 15, 2018 11:33 PM
bielaf
1999 - 2003 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel
9
Oct 14, 2015 08:36 PM
