Newbie 1st Gen Front Driveline Problems

[Robb]

First off, sorry for another long post! I tend to get yappy.

Second, I apologize for asking such newbie questions, but in the long time that I have been here, I haven't paid much attention to 1st Gen suspension and driveline threads/posts. I have two 2nd Gens, so learning as much as I can about 1st Gens hasn't been a high priority to me. BUT, now I have one of my work Xs that needs some major help, and money has gotten so tight that my brother and I have to take care of it by ourselves to get it going again. Right now, I really need the help from some of you TTB driveline specialists!!

We finished up replacing the clutch on it late this afternoon (GD PITA), after messing with it when we could for a couple of days. The hope, and NEED, was to have it going by tomorrow morning, but after a test drive this evening, that ain't gonna happen.

Problems we observed: (btw, it is a '94 with auto hubs and 110K miles)

Movement in the wheel/hub assembly. When we had the front end in the air, we noticed you could wiggle the tire both side to side and up and down. This was more prevalent on the driver's side. With someone looking underneath, no movement in the balljoint/knuckle was observed, all of it seemed solid. All of the movement seemed to be in the wheel/hub.

Clicking noise while driving. During the test drive, a pretty constant, rotational clicking/slight clunking noise was observed. When I came off the skinny pedal, the noise seemed to go away. Tthe noise also sounded a bit louder on the driver's side. Sometimes it sounded like the tire sticker was still on, other times it sounded like a screw in the tire.

One auto-hub slips/clicks. Only put it in 4wd for a couple of minutes in the yard. When we got in a muddy spot with some upgrade, the driver's hub just spun and clicked. Obvious sign of bad hub.

Verification of bad hub. Pulled driver's wheel and auto hub "cap" off, and grease is everywhere. There is a seal, or o-ring, torn in two just hanging there. Looks like this seal should hold grease up in the "cap" end with the bearing, but that has let go and let the grease fly. Obvious sign of bad hub.

Try to help it a little. We pulled the c-clip off the shaft and remove the inner portion of the locking hub. The shaft end has some play in it, maybe 1/16". We remove the "key" and tighten the spindle nut a little. After another test drive, this helps a little, but all the problems are still there.


So, this is where we stand. We really need to fix this situation asap, can't have the truck down much longer........and if we don't fix it now, it won't get fixed until something major breaks. Obviously, we need to look into replacing one, or both, locking hubs. 4x4 strength and reliability is a high concern with this vehicle, so we may look into throwing autos back on (may have to work on Kris for a deal ). But for the wiggling stuff, how should we go about this? Can we remove the wheel bearings, repack them, and retorque the spindle nut for any improvement? Or are we looking at replacing the bearings? Is the fact that the axle shaft has some freeplay a concern?

One thing we would really like, is a pictorial breakdown of this frontend. If anyone has a CD and can get me a pic, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for any help here guys!!!!

 

[Bashman]

Robb, I'm at work right now and can't provide a breakdown pic, if no one has done so by the time I get home, I can scan one in for you.
1: A little bit of in/out shaft end play is normal.
2: You should definately pull the bearings, inspect them and if all looks good, re-pack and re-install. You might want to consider purchasing new "C" clips as these wear out and add to shaft play.
3: A lot of Gen 1 people switch to Warn manual hubs when their auto's go (and your's has) for the greater reliability under more severe conditions. Definately talk to Kris if you wish to stay auto as new ones are expensive. It might be something you can fab yourself. Don't know how much they want for a rebuild kit.
4: How are the U-joints for play at the wheels? These are another common component you might wish to check.
5: If you need any torques, or further questions, let us know.

 

[Robb]

Thanks Bashman!

Actually, my axle shaft play is up and down and all around. Not sure if that is right at all.

I mis-typed above when I wrote that realibility of the 4wd systen is a high concern..........it really isn't. If I can get this thing going nicely in 2wd, that will work for now.

If I get some time this morning, I am going to go ahead and pull the bearing and see what they look like. If I can get my hands on some new ones this morning, I will probably go ahead and replace them.

I didn't even think to look at the u-joints.............I will check them out while I am there.

I would still like a breakdown pic if someone has one. I would also like a torquing procedure for the spindle nut. I thought it was one of those "tighten this much, then back off this much" type deals.

 

[Bashman]

Torque for the wheel bearing adjusting nut is as follows:
1: Torque to 35 ft/lbs
2: Back off 1/4 turn
3: Torque to 16 in/lbs. Install "key", tighten nut to next slot if necessary.

 

[Robb]

Thanks for the help Bashman.....................good to see that not ALL the members here are only into the "fluff" threads!

What a let down by everyone else here! Maybe if I had mentioned God, Bush, Subwoofer, or Lift in the subject line, more people would have paid attention. Actually helping people is getting more rare around here.

Finally got a little time this afternoon to work on this X. Replaced the bearings and races, grease seals, and the o-rings on the hub cap (that was the seal that was torn in two). The grease in everything was flat nasty!! So everything got a good taking apart, cleaning, and new grease. Couldn't get the whole locking part inside the hub cap to come out though. I took out the snap ring (after heavily modifying my snap ring pliers with a grinder) holding the bearing at the bottom, but that only allowed the bearing and splines to move about 1/2", and wouldn't come all the way out. Cleaned the hub cap part out as much as possible, but when repacking it, a lot of the nasty grease made its way back, so I didn't get it very clean................but clean enough.

With everything back together, both sides had MUCH less play in them, although the driver side still had just a little. Took it for a drive, and the ride is 95% better!!! The clicking and slight clunking is gone! Now, a pretty good "thump" is noticable on the driver's side every once and awhile, but I am 99% sure that that is because of the front radius arm bushing on that side, which has a noticable tear in it.

Thanks again for the help Bashman. While I was getting the bearings, I snuck a peak at a Haynes manual in the store and saw the spindle nut torque specs, just as you had told me. Weird thing is that torquing them that way, just put the spindle nut at just about the same spot where it was after the initial 35lbft. Retorquing to 16lbin is a joke, it does nothing, so you just twist it to the next keyway, which is about 1 keyway away from where you were from Step 1.

Oh well, the truck is back on the road for now. I have my brother driving it tonight to make sure all is well, at least for now.

 

[RangerX]

Did you still want want an exploded view?
http://www.therangerstation.com/files/lockinghub.GIF
They have a few others there, front axles, front suspension...

Sorry if I'm too late.

 

[Bashman]

Robb: You're very welcome and glad to hear everythings much better, no point spending a ton of cash for no reason. I should have thought about a grease build up stopping the auto's to fully retract and cause the clicking, that's better then replacing or rebuilding especially since at this time there's no plans for it doing any serious offroading. You will have to replace the radius arm bushings eventually since the one is torn and the passenger side is usually worse since the exhaust is right there cooking it. Just make sure the arms are not wearing into the crossmember. When it comes time, spring for the poly's and not the original rubbers, it is well worth the small difference and I can also help you there with any questions you may have since I did mine last year.