Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and harriw
Well-Known Member
Hey folks,
'94 4x4 w/ warn manual hubs, electric t-case.
Just thought I'd let everyone know I figured out what's been causing my bizarre grinding noises and wheel pull. I already determined I have seizing/seized u-joints on the front half-shafts. I'd checked the driver side out thoroughly, as that's where I thought the noise was coming from. Tonight, I went to pull the pass. side front tire, and found the hub was stuck in the wheel.... strange....
When I got it out of the wheel and looked up, I found to my surprise that half the hub's guts had stayed on the spindle!
Turns out, when I had the truck in for my safety inspection a month ago, they put the hub back on crooked under the wheel. At some point (it was about a week ago, based on when these problems initially started), the resulting pressure inside was enough to (not necessarily in this order) pop off the spring clip (the small coiled one that holds the bearing in place inside the hub), and sheer through the thrust washer that sits between the bearing, and the splined bushing that the bearing sits on (it literally came out in 2 pieces, as in 2 washers, one with a slightly larger diameter than the other). With neither the clip or washer to hold the splined bushing properly in place, it was starting to partially engage 4x4 on its own whenever it floated over in that direction. That combined with the seizing u-joint in the half-shaft was causing quite a racket.
Besides a tiny knick or two on the splines of the bushing, everything but that thrust washer looks OK. Unfortunately, I can't put this thing back together without the thrust washer.
SO....... Could I just leave the entire bearing assembly out of the hub, and put the hub and tire back on to drive in 4x2 until I can get a replacement hub? Or would that be bad for my half-shaft? I know that bearing helps support the half-shaft, but if it's not being used (4x2), maybe that's not really a problem?
I'll also be calling the shop in the morning... I think perhaps they owe me a hub, as I know they were the last ones to put that tire on. Or am I over-reacting?
Anyone have a hub they can ship quickly?
'94 4x4 w/ warn manual hubs, electric t-case.
Just thought I'd let everyone know I figured out what's been causing my bizarre grinding noises and wheel pull. I already determined I have seizing/seized u-joints on the front half-shafts. I'd checked the driver side out thoroughly, as that's where I thought the noise was coming from. Tonight, I went to pull the pass. side front tire, and found the hub was stuck in the wheel.... strange....
When I got it out of the wheel and looked up, I found to my surprise that half the hub's guts had stayed on the spindle!
Turns out, when I had the truck in for my safety inspection a month ago, they put the hub back on crooked under the wheel. At some point (it was about a week ago, based on when these problems initially started), the resulting pressure inside was enough to (not necessarily in this order) pop off the spring clip (the small coiled one that holds the bearing in place inside the hub), and sheer through the thrust washer that sits between the bearing, and the splined bushing that the bearing sits on (it literally came out in 2 pieces, as in 2 washers, one with a slightly larger diameter than the other). With neither the clip or washer to hold the splined bushing properly in place, it was starting to partially engage 4x4 on its own whenever it floated over in that direction. That combined with the seizing u-joint in the half-shaft was causing quite a racket.
Besides a tiny knick or two on the splines of the bushing, everything but that thrust washer looks OK. Unfortunately, I can't put this thing back together without the thrust washer.
SO....... Could I just leave the entire bearing assembly out of the hub, and put the hub and tire back on to drive in 4x2 until I can get a replacement hub? Or would that be bad for my half-shaft? I know that bearing helps support the half-shaft, but if it's not being used (4x2), maybe that's not really a problem?
I'll also be calling the shop in the morning... I think perhaps they owe me a hub, as I know they were the last ones to put that tire on. Or am I over-reacting?
Anyone have a hub they can ship quickly?
