4x4 front axle question
Thread Starter
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 2
From: central ohio
4x4 front axle question
i was noticing something last week when i was doing a oil change and wonderd if this is normal, where the axle shaft goes out from the differential to the passenger side tire is the axle supposed to be straight (up and down)? mine looks like i have a heavy load on the front end or i have weak front springs, i noticed this because the u-joint is at a slight angle and not in a straight line. maybe this is normal. ive never looked at ttb this closely before. 4wd worked without any problems this winter, i just wonder if i might have possible u-joint failure coming with it operating at a angle constantly. the truck has 70,000 miles, it was originally from colorado and the suspension is pretty rusty, does rust cause spring steel to lose temper? i removed my rear blocks last fall because the rear was so much higher than the front it looked like i had air shocks. it now sits 32" at the top of the front wheel wells and 33.5" at the top of the rear wheel wells on 215/75 15 tires.(tiny , i know. cant wait to put the stock deer paw rallys back on with stock 235s) thanks for any info you can give me.
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,237
Likes: 3
From: Belleville, Ontario
Being from Colorado, I'd guess the truck saw its share of rough roads. So,there could be a little spring fatigue.
Rust doesn't effect the springs too quickly because they are harder steel than spring mounts, etc.
At 70k, a truck that has seen a fair bit of rough roads/off roading might very well need new joints. Go under and latch on to the axles to see how much play you find in the joints.
The rake angle at 32'' x 33.5" says that the back hasn't been payloaded too often, so that's good.
Rust doesn't effect the springs too quickly because they are harder steel than spring mounts, etc.
At 70k, a truck that has seen a fair bit of rough roads/off roading might very well need new joints. Go under and latch on to the axles to see how much play you find in the joints.
The rake angle at 32'' x 33.5" says that the back hasn't been payloaded too often, so that's good.
Thread Starter
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 2
From: central ohio
all the u-joints seem fine, just rusty. the body looks new though, must have been garaged. had a window sticker for peterson a.f.b. so im guessing it was drove back and forth from a home to the base, it also had a dealership emblem that told me it was from colorado. no doubt this transfer case didnt sit idle. i put my stock rims back on yesterday, looks alot better with the factory wheels versus the jeep wrangler steel wheels i was running for winter, got to figure out how to use the wife's digital camera so i can post a picture.
