Hi; i have considerable play on my right rear wheel and it's making noise.i'm also experiencing the front of the truck sort of wobbling side to side....could that rear wheel play be causing that? need to change those bearings regardless; will i have to go into the rear end and remove that axle pin in order to change out the bearings? thanks!

 

The front wobbling doesn't sound to me like it's caused by the rear wheel bearings. How much play do you have in the rear, and what type (axial or radial - up and down or in and out)?

And yes, you do need to remove the differential cross pin to pull the axle and replace the bearings.

 

Thanks for weighing in Tom; we had it on a floor jack and i only pulled and pushed on the top of the tire; it was, i'm guessing, maybe 1/8" or less by the way it felt.

 

Sounds like it could be normal. The rear bearings aren't pressed on the shafts (they're free to slide side-to-side), so there's always going to be some end play. How much depends on tolerances inside your differential. 1/8 inch would definitely be on the high side, though.

Normally, rear wheel bearings will make a rumbling sound when they go bad. And they usually ruin the axle shaft, too.

 

Best way to check is take off the tire and the drum spin axle feel if its grinding or lumpy it should turn smoothly. Then look for oil on the brakes bad oil seal also means a bearing is about to go. Whelp that's all my wisdom on it.

Dudester

 

thank y'all; it is making a noise so i'll have it changed out. i also have clunking noise when i back up turning and brake. one of the inner tie rods looks bad....could that be whats giving me the shimmy in the front?

 

That could, Kevin. I'd lay a weather eye on the entire front suspension - much as it hurts to say, all the first gens are old enough they may (or maybe ARE!) needing front suspension work if it's never been done before.

Be prepared that the rest of the front suspension may not be that good a shape due to age.

RwP

 

Okay thanks; i took it to expert tire. the mech drove the truck then racked it. he was very concerned about the loose rear bearings. he verified that one inner tie rod was bad but, in his opinion, that wouldn't be the cause of the shimmy; Like me, he suggested the shimmy was perhaps due to the bad rear wheel. he also looked the tires over and says they are ok. monday i'll call round for an estimate and get those bearings replaced....prolly change both sides.

 

mechanic will install new bearing and seal for around 200. id like to go on and change out the other bearing as long as the rear end is apart but the bill would be 345.00! dont seem right hoping this will stop the shimmy and if not, i'll do the front end next month.

thanks for all yall's insight!

 

Whether or not that seems right depends on whether or not that includes parts. Replacing both bearings will add less than half an hour to the time required to replace one of them. But I have no idea how much he's charging you for the bearings themselves.