70DUSTER

Hello All,

Yesterday I was bringing some yard waste to the back yard and while turning in 4 Hi I noticed some clicking from the Left front wheel. As I turned more it almost seemed to be binding up.

I jacked the truck up and checked the wheel hub by lifting and pushing pulling the tire but it does not seem to be loose. The wheel also spins pretty freely and I can't see anything wrong.

Any thoughts, ideas are appreciated!!

Help this is my only vehicle and if ot breaks down I am stuck. Also I can't afford to spend big bucks on it. Just bought a house and had my first child!

Thanks,

Mike

DRD

When it's jacked up, leave it in 4 wheel drive, (just the one side off the ground) and try to rotate the tire back and forth. Look at the universal joint in the knuckle for movement/wear.
Too me it sounds like a worn/dry u-joint in the stub shaft.

dsldan

Calm down a little, mine is a 99 and the binding at full lock appears to be normal, you have ujoints not light duty cv joints in your front end, the clicking may or may not be a worry, but if it is the u joint they are not all that expencive.

70DUSTER

First of all thanks for the input dsldan and DRD.

I finally got a chance to jack the truck up today in a little better light and check out your suggestion DRD. The u-joint in the axle shaft does not look too bad, but I question whether the bearing may be bad?? While spinning the wheel backwards it spins free and then almost locks up and then clicks, then frees up again. It seems like there are at least two places where it is binding and clicking. It does not seem like the clicking is coming from the u-joint but more from the hub area.

Any new thoughts??

Does anyone have a written procedure for changing the axle u-joint and/or the wheel bearing??

Thanks Again,

Mike

DRD

If the truck is in 4 wheel drive,in gear, the other 3 tires on the ground, you should not be able to spin the tire that's in the air. It will move only a little depending on the amount of drive train slop.

70DUSTER

Hey DRD,

Sorry I jacked it up two different times. Once as you suggested in 4 wheel drive and checked the u-joint and it seemed fine. Then I drove it and disengaged 4-wheel and jacked up again and that is when I was spinning the tire.

Sorry for any confusion.

Any thoughts on what it might be??

Thanks Again,

Mike

DRD

So does it only click in four wheel drive?

70DUSTER

That is when I noticed it first but it does click in 2 wheel also.
I can only hear it at slow speeds so I am not sure if it does it all the time.

Scubasteve

If its stiff in one spot during a revolution it could very well be just a warped rotor and this could explain the clicking sound as the rotor turns its picking up the pad and then once past that spot it drops its again giving you the clicking sound that your hearing. Usually a bad wheel bearing will show up at highway speeds and its pretty hard to miss.


Good Luck


Jason