no to sound ignorant about front hubs but...

[expobronc]

well lets face it i am ignorant (and dont forget cheap)

heres the deal... im driving home from work the other day and every bump on the right front wheel seems to have a strange hollow bump sound. get it home and jack up the right front tire... chunk ka chunk (sound it makes as i grab top and bottom and shake it back and forth a good 1/4-1/2 inch) ouch okay bearings have come loose np. pull out the shop manual says get a 4-tooth hub tool check $20 at napa. k dig in. wheel off, auto hub off, pull c-clip and splined washer. k now where does this damned $20 hub tool thingy go? there is 4 teeth on the locking cam assembly thingy but the 4-teeth on the tool dont line up.... k napa misprinted the packaging or this is for manual hubs or something... so i break out the screwdriver and BFH. tap that cam thingy around and around and around... its not coming off so i pry it off k.... slides right off. pull 2 thin thrust washers. now i'm thinking okay the tool goes here... NOPE its just a big like 3" nut!! wow. so i spent $20 on something i dont need??? WTF? so anyways i get everthing from rotor out apart check it and put it back together. only problem is it didnt help wheel still is loose. sooo could the inside bearings cause this? or is the fact that i could not "tighten to 42ft-lbs then back off 1/4 turn" mean something. dont have to many 3" deep sockets laying around.

wow that was a mouth full but what do you guys know about this??

thanks

 

[JDraper]

First, you might want to go buy a Haynes repair manual for the truck. Costs about $15 and will help you out with repairs.

The play you feel could be a ball joint instead of a bearing. You might want to check to see if the play is actually coming from the bearings or if it is in the suspension.

 

[expobronc]

i have the big fatty chiltons and i like it.

i know its not balljoints because i can see the rotor moving in relation to the caliper.

thanks

 

[FMExplorer]

If you can move the rotor and the hub/axle assembly doesn't move, you probably have crushed bearings. You will need a seal puller to pull them out (or a screwdriver - be careful npt to bend the seals). Take the assembly apart - hubs, calipers, etc... and take the rotors off to inspect the bearings. I've seen a few get crushed. If they are ok, repack them and double-check the balljoints...

J