'98 AWD front end vibration

[gregr]

I have a '98 Explorer V8 AWD that has a vibration that seems to be coming from the right front. It's sort of a rythmic vibration with highs and lows, not a steady one. I've ruled out tires and balljoints. Right now I have the axle shaft pulled so I could check the CV joints, as far as I can tell they look good. The wheel bearing/hub assembly turns freely with no grinding or play.

So, what do I check next? Any ideas what may be causing this? Any help would be great. Thanks.

Greg

P.S. This vibration is always there, accel, decel, and steady speeds. Most noticable at highway speeds.

 

[Papa]

You say you have ruled out tires but you don’t say at what speed this occurs. A bad rim or failing tire tread will raise havoc. My 97 came with three bad rims from the factory that Auto Way balanced out when I took it back but that only covered up the problem. I would consider rotating the tires front to back and see if there is any change. A tire going bad will exhibit some weird stuff too and the professional people that balance tires don’t always catch a tire going bad. I have had that happen twice.

Pa Pa

 

[gavin]

I replaced both of my wheel bearings a few months ago.... when turning by hand, they felt fine and sounded fine (no noises). But after putting the new bearings on, and test driving the truck, there was a noticeable difference.
Just because the bearings make no noise with no weight on them, doesn't *always* mean they're "ok"