[Farmer18]

My frount end a cupple months ago would start makeing a verry bad viberating noise when i was going down the road so i took it to a local mechanic and he said that the seals were out on the drivers side and the axle was moveing in the housing well that fixed it. my hubs wouldnt come un locked so i drove it for a cupple weeks with the frount end turring and that took the seals back out again. is there a bearing in there that needs replaced because just 2 weeks of the frount end turring and it was just driveing arround the county sould not of took the seals out. thanks for any help you guys can provide.

 

[klhansen]

Yes, there's a needle bearing just outboard of the u-joint that supports the axle shaft. That may be your problem.

The way these hubs are set up is when you have the locking hubs unlocked, the needle bearing rotates around the stationary axle shaft. Typically when the needle bearing and/or shaft is worn, and you have the hubs unlocked, you can hit a bump and start the axle chattering inside the turning bearing. Another bump may make it stop. What can stop it is to lock the hubs, which makes the axle turn WITH the needle bearing. You can actually limp along for quite a while that way.

The seal inboard of the u-joint is just a dust seal, and not a real big deal if it's worn. The one you need to be worried about is the seal outboard of the u-joint. If that goes, you can get mud and other nasty stuff inside where your wheel bearings are. You don't want that. Also, that seal may let the vacuum that actuates the automatic hubs leak out preventing them from locking or unlocking.

Hope that helps.

 

[Farmer18]

yes this helps but cant the needle bering be replaced with out replaceing the hole wheel beering Thanks

 

[action4478]

Look ... Here... For some answers....Hope it helps....