1994 explorer wheel alignment

[ecreek]

the front wheels look a little knock kneed. i raised the front end and suspended it on floor jacks. now the wheels look aligned. the wheels both have some play in them when i wiggle them top and bottom from the side. there isnt any slop in the ball joints or steering linkage. do you think the bearings are not snugged down enough? if so, how do i get in there to tighten without having stuff flying out and getting lost? is there and exploded view somewhere that i can use as a reference?

 

[Maniak]

If it moves at the wheel and not at the ball joints or tie rods then yes its the bearings being loose, or bad. Usually, when it moves when your holding it at 12 and 6 and moves also when you hold the tire at 3 and 9, its the bearings.

Do you have manual or automatic hubs? (I'm assuming 4x4 here).. The tools used are different, but in essence to tighten the bearings you just jack up the wheek, take off the tire, take off the hub and tighten the bearing.

What tools and what torque you use etc changes depending on the type of hub you have (auto or manual).

~Mark

 

[ecreek]

i'll try the 3-9 wiggle to make sure. it's a 4wd with auto hubs. will let u know

 

[ecreek]

done

took off hubs and tightened bearings. fairly easy job. there was a c-type snap ring buried under all the grease. got that off and the found a sliding flat key in a notch that served the purpose of a cotter pin to hold the bearing nut from loosening. wheels look straighter. good enough for me since it's not an everyday car. huntin' & snow busting only. my thanks to respondents.

Ron

 

[StevenT200]

I was going to tell you about the key in the notch but you found it...otherwise that is the easiest bearing tightener I've ever seen and works like a charm...I went ahead and bought the socket for that which is 3&a half inches across but it has paid for itself several times I just want to know how to realign my front end...any help?

 

[Gadget X]

If you have the vehicle parked on a flat surface, with the steering wheel straight, you can "sight" down the wheels from rear to front to see if the front wheels are toed in or out too far. You can adjust them by loosening the retaining bolts on the tie rod "sleeve" and then turning the sleeve to adjust the wheel in or out until it is in line with the rear tire. This will get it close, but you should still take it to an alignment shop to have it dialed in properly, unless it's just an off road rig! Hope that helps!