Power window/vibrating tire feel while driving...

[Viro]

2004 Sport Track 4x4....

Problem 1.) Window off track

My window froze up on me the other day so I gave it a little smack to free it up which it was okay that night. Next day I had it rolled all the way down and when I went to roll it up it went up crooked....so it came off the track.

I painstakingly took the door panel off to find that the front part of the window popped out of the U-channel. So I hummed and hawed, heaved and hoed and can't get it back on and rather than continue farting with it I put it back together for now.

So what's the trick to getting this thing back in. It's off the track and not in the whole window door track either. I'm thinking I have to pop the window off the other U-channel and get this thing back in the u-channels with some more silicone but I could use a little advice before I uh, possibly break something....

Problem 2.)....

I went on a long trip in September....after I came back I noticed my front tire had a bit of a wobble/vibration sound to it which you can kinda feel while driving up around 30km/h and up. I had the tires rotated and some of the vibration/wobble seemed to have gone away so I had my tires checked for balance and one of the tires was out 1/4 ounce but it was a tire that was on the front that went to the back....

Anyways, I'm thinking wheel bearing but when I jacked the truck up to check for wheel play I don't seem to notice any unusual movement on either front tire...

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this...

 

[John_Rock]

Problem 2 possibilities...

Tie rod ends
Ball joints

 

[Viro]

Problem 2.)

I neglected to mention that the sound/vibration/wobble whatever you want to call seems to go away with a hard jerk to the right of the steering wheel but I can never catch it going through a normal turn because the sound/vibration/wobble goes away under 30 or so km/hr....I notice that sometimes when I hit like a hill in the road, as the suspension/truck floats up after coming off the hill the symptoms of my problem go away until the full weight of the truck is back on the tires.

When I brought the tires in for balancing (I took to two places to be sure) they both said basically the tires looks fine other than a little low on the air pressure. I bought the truck used, but it's pretty safe to say that they're original with 73000kms on 'em (goodyear rt/s's i think) and the last time I took it in for an oil change (which was after the trip at 70000kms) the dealer car shop indicated I still had lots of tread left.....

At first I was thinking a bad tire but the whole tire rotation/unbalanced wheel threw that thought out the window. Then I thought bad bearing but there doesn't seem to be any hint of play in either front wheel.....

 

[brianjwilson]

Those tires are garbage anyway in my opinion. Look at them closely. Turn the wheel to the side, and look over the tread really good. Does it look really uneven or cupped? Like different blocks of treads stick up more than others, etc?
Since you said rotating them helped some, makes me think a lot of it is the tires themselves. But it could very well be play in the balljoints too.

 

[Viro]

How would a ball joint differ from a wheel bearing (what are the dead giveaways)....and what's more expensive usually?...when I rotated the tires that feeling i was getting in the front went down a bit, say 30%....and like I mentioned if the weight of the truck is off the suspension from driving or i jerk the truck to the right real quick it goes away. Again, it's a bit of a speed issue too. I notice it around 30 km/hr or so.

I kinda ran my hands around the tire and didn't feel anything out of the ordinary but I was looking for a bulge of sorts rather than what you described....

also, anyone got suggestions for problem 1.) ?

 

[Ed Fenwick]

Aloha,
Do you feel the problem in the steering wheel? If a wheel bearing is bad enough to make the wheel wobble, then get off the road now. A wheel bearing will usually growl or groan. A ball joint will clunk, and you will feel it in the steering wheel. Jack up the car and try to rock the wheel. If you feel play, have a friend look where it is coming from while you rock it.
Ed

 

[Viro]

Aloha,
Do you feel the problem in the steering wheel? If a wheel bearing is bad enough to make the wheel wobble, then get off the road now. A wheel bearing will usually growl or groan. A ball joint will clunk, and you will feel it in the steering wheel. Jack up the car and try to rock the wheel. If you feel play, have a friend look where it is coming from while you rock it.
Ed

I jacked the truck up and found no real play in the tire in terms of the wheel bearing...I wasn't thinking about the ball joint. I tried to rock the tire from top and bottom and I didn't feel anything outu of the ordinary on either front tire....I guess a ball joint could be the culprit.

I do feel a little vibration although it's not always in the steering wheel (most of the time not) but it 'feels' like a hard spot or something in the tire...

Wish I could describe it better....LO

No help for #1? Hate to take to get repaired if I can do it....heck, I've already had it apart, just can't get the window back in the u channel....Do I need to remove the window? How do I get the rest of the silicone on the other u channel off cuz it's on goooood.....

 

[brianjwilson]

Try posting problem # 1 in this forum...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=51