Drivers front wheel wobbles bad - need quick advice and info

[rickhans]

The drivers side front wheel began wobbling real bad all of a sudden. My son called me after breaking down so I have not visually looked at it. After pulling the wheel and hub cover he says the hub moves side to side with the axle end staying in place. It sounds like a wheel bearing gave out. It is a '95 1/2 t. 4wd automatic. Also, when he rotates the rotor the axle turns with it which I don't think it should when in 2 wd. He was not using 4wd. I had him jack up the passenger side and see what it does.



There is no play but the axle also turns with the wheel. 2 questions:

1. Is the locking mechanism in the hub like it is on a Chevy 4wd straight axle? If so the axle should not turn with the hub unlocked. What is happening?



2. To remove the rotor and hub, he said it looks like there is a large nut to remove which is against a washer. I think this was behind the nut that had the cotter pin. This sounds like a chevy hub. If we remove that nut will a bunch of pieces fall out or is it a simple process to remove the insides to get to the bearings? I tried doing on one of my Chevy's once and gave up and have always had a shop do it since then. Most everything else I do myself. Maybe it is not as mysterious as it seems. What is involved on this Dodge?

 

[dmurdock]

I can help you on part of it... .



The axles are directly connected to the hubs. . basically it's more of a front wheel drive setup, like this:



Drivers axle<->carrier<->intermediate shaft<->disconnect<->passenger axle



"2WD" is achieved by disengaging the disconnect (vacuum switch) and disengaging the front drive shaft (floor shifter). When your running down the road in "2WD", everthing except the front driveshaft is spinning, it's just not all connected.



Yes, I know it's a half-assed setup, but it's what we got... .



Hopefully someone will post on the hub assembly issue...

 

[rickhans]

Is this true on mu 98. 5 2500 also? That means I am wasting fuel and putting wear on the front differential. If I blew a rign gear on the front I wouldn't be able to move. It also means there is rolling resistance on the tires which can be a hazard on ice or very slick roads.



My manual (98. 5) says that the hubs auto lock when switched into 4wd and to back up after shifting back to 2wd to unlock the hubs, resulting in the axles and front differential idling down.



From what you are saying, this would mean that the axle is one piece and the hub (and rotor) are splined and direct connected.

 

[illflem]

Your comments above are correct.



To remove the bearing you will need to first remove the brake caliper, two 3/8" Allan head bolts, hang the caliper out of the way with bailing wire, not by the hose. Then the large center nut (sometimes it's easier to break lose with the tire on the ground), then four bolts behind the rotor(takes a 12 point socket). No pieces will fall out unless the failed bearing falls apart, pay attention as to how the dust shield is mounted. Be careful now that everything is loose, sometimes the bearing is stuck to the axle shaft, you don't want to pull the axle out of the differential as it may cause the seal to leak. You may want to leave a couple of the inside four bolts loosely installed to prevent this while breaking the bearing free . Next pound the wheel studs out of the rotor with a soft hammer and you're there. Dodge will tell you that you must replace the entire unit bearing housing but if you get the number off the bearing it is available at most any auto parts separately for 1/8 the Dodge price. You will need to press the bearing out/into the housing. Large vice will work but a press is better. With a new bearing it is also sometimes advised to have the rotor turned on the vehicle since the new bearing might not be aligned perfectly and the rotor may wobble. Depending on your mileage you may want to also replace the u-joint with a greaseable one from Napa, around $35, since you have things apart enough.

The whole repair is easy unless the axle is badly stuck to the bearing, then things can get real interesting. If the bearing falls apart due to it's failure you may need a puller or torch to remove it from the axle.