I've been late on rotating tires, so I got around to it today. While under the truck, I found this ring looking thing that felt like it was made out of hard rubber. It was just loose, hanging there.

I have this on both front wheels and am concerned, because it's indicative of something gone wrong, but perplexed as the truck runs fine.



Can someone fill me in and point me in the right direction? Meanwhile, I will be searching, searching, searching my butt off.

 

Just the dust boot, everybody has them hanging there. It's not anything important.

 

Ok, that makes sense. Would it be safe to cut it off? I don't like it hanging there.

 

For sure couldn't hurt anything.

 

Yep, I just noticed them on a 2000 F250 I was looking at as well.

 

I don't recall mine looking like that, dust boot sticking out like that, I thought their supposed to be flush, it looks like it worked itself out from properly sealing. To cold out now but I'll look at mine tomorrow, that doesn't look right, IMO.

 

They are supposed to be in the axle tube to stop crap going into the tube itself !

 

Both of mine are just like that. Been that way for a while. Just not important enough for me to fool with it yet as far as I can tell.

 

After I did my ball joints those dust boot rings fell off the new seals in less than a year.

 

Yeah, when I discovered mine, I examined it closely and decided that it was another cleverly designed POS that would end up doing the same thing if I replaced it.

 

The F250 that I was looking at (and am buying soon) had them like that, and I thought maybe it was because the guy leaves his hubs locked all the time.

 

I left my hubs locked all the time. I turned them back onto "auto" when I discovered this just in case.

 

You can replace them if you want, but chances are they'll look just like that again in no time as Tenn01PSD said... Don't sweat it, it don't hurt a thing. EVERY pre 05 ive ever seen had the same condition.