so prying behind the u-joints with a large bar solved my problem! back up and running.

 

Glad to see you got it all put back together.

 

i have this shacking problem from the front end.
but who sells the TRW brand of hub assembly's?
i can only find the cheap garbage units made in communist china.

.

 

So I recently purchased these back in March 2020. MOOG 515020 {Click Info Button for Alternate/OEM Part Numbers} (Standard Replacement) Info
Front; 4WD; 60.5mm Length; without Dual Rear Wheels [Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty]... Bought them on Rock Auto. This part originally had a 3yr warranty. I purchased as a wholesale closeout with basically no warranty but couldn't beat the price. So I have the symptoms of the bad wheel hub. Vibration in front end, sort of feels like a tire out of balance but not really... (had the tires ground force balanced last week, proving tires are not the issue). 4x4 is not engaged. so it's not that either. I just replaced the brakes, calipers, and rotors this past weekend so it's not that (i was suspecting a dragging brake pad)...

Could one or both of these hubs have gone bad that fast? thats only like 6 months...


Thanks,
Andy

 

UPDATE... Just went out and checked both front tires for wheel hub play/movement... zero play in the hubs... ball joints are tight as well. and the rest of the front linkage is tight.no play... so I am at a loss for the problem...

but, just like Shore said in his post... he can feel it going around curves... so can I. Also, this is sort of like a shimmy vibration and sort of like a grabbing feeling (which is why i thought the cause of the problem was a sticking brake caliper)...

 

Did you figure yours out yet? I have new brakes/calipers, timken hubs, and warn lockouts and I have a shake in the front that sounds the same I can't figure out in 2wd either...

 

Nope.. the vibration remains... sometimes worse ...sometimes not so bad... not sure what is, but my wheel hubs are less than 12 months old and under 10k miles. Could be outer needle bearings in the hub? Fkn mystery vibration is pissing me off though. Figured I'd just drive the ***** out of it til it breaks.. then fix.... 🤘

 

Make sure your lockout hubs are functioning. Unlock them, jack up that one wheel, and spin it. It should spin freely and the driveshaft should not move. Repeat on other side.

If you still get this issue when the hubs are locked out (unlocked, front axle disconnected, whatever), the front driveshaft is NOT the issue.

Wheel bearings are hard and dangerous to diagnose. Sometimes you will hear a growl at high speeds, and not have any play at all. I remember when I was at a tire shop we had one wheel bearing that took forever to diagnose. The tech figured it was bad, but it only roared above 60 MPH. Even sitting on the lift with the car in drive going 60 MPH, he didn't hear it because it wasn't under enough load.

The front axle u-joints can be a surprising culprit of vibration and steering issues, and your symptoms point to a bad u-joint. The needles/cups can bind up, which can result in steering issues. Even if you are locked out of the front axle, the joints can still bind and cause vibrations while steering. Jack up your front end and place it on jack stands. Put your key in the ignition in the ACC position and try to steering your truck by grabbing the tires. See if the axle u-joints bind up or if there is any steering difficulty.

 

I'll give it a look. Those ujoints in the front axles are probably 10yrs old and have spent plenty of time on the beach in 4x4.

 

So.. can I pull the front locking hubs and front axle shafts and then test drive the truck?

 

Bump ..............

 

if you pull the axle shafts and drive it you’ll leak gear oil everywhere

 

I knew it would be something.. thanks

 

That'd be the least of my worries. The unit bearing needs the stub shaft (and outer nut) to hold it together under loads seen when driving.

 

I wouldn’t think so, the unit bearing doesn’t ride on the axle shaft does it? I read an article that said Dodges and Heeps need the axle shaft to keep from falling apart but SDs don’t so idk. I’m not responsible for destroyed parts if he decides to take a chance