Shimmy

[Prairie Dog]

Over the weekend my truck developed an odd shimmy in the steering wheel while turning at very low speeds. The first time it it turned the steering wheel back and forth in my hands slightly. It does it turning either way and it doesn't do it every time. It may have been my imagination but it kinda felt like all the lugs were loose or ball joints were completely shot and the truck was nosing over.
From reading previous threads it sounds like it is most likely the fr. DS, or the outer U-joints, bearings, ball joints. .
I found one or both of the joints in the double cardan has a slight amount of play in one axis. I could replace those but the one at the front/diff looks to be glued in and there's no room for a clip. Is there room for a clip on the inside?

Any thoughts? 80k on the clock BTW.

TIA,
Scotty

 

[jhenderson]

It sounds like the outer axle joint on one or both sides has gone bad. Try looking at the joint for rust or shiny spots. You can jack up the wheel and rock it back and forth to look for play. Also turn the steering full in one direction and rotate the wheel. If the joint is locked up, you will feel it binding as you spin the tire. The front joint on the drive shaft will come with inside locks.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Thx for the tips J. I'll check it out tomorrow morning.
Dang, should have put this in the "No eng stuff" forum - Mod, feel free to move it if you wan't.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Well you nailed it JHenderson - Ujoint. Drivers side wheel was near impossible to spin with wheel at full turn, would slip and grab. Can also see where the seal has failed on the joint. The wheel bearing has been a bit loose for a couple of years too so that will be replaced as well. Ball Joints seem to be tight.
Strange that the other side seems perfectly fine, even the bearing only has the very slightest movement (normal?).
I put so few miles on the truck (5k in 17 months) that I'll wait until the other side has more issues before replacing more parts.

Thanks for the help.

 

[jhenderson]

Glad you found it.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Last question for anyone who may know, What size is the axle nut in the middle of the hub that I'll have to remove?

EDIT; never mind, apparently it's 1 11/16 or 43mm.