So I'm about to do some winter maintenance but I need some help with a few things. Here are my questions:

1: Are the front wheel bearings serviceable? ie: can they be packed?

2: It looks like I have the original shocks and I'm approaching 100k miles, should I replace them? How do i check them?

3: Besides having someone crank around on the wheel while I watch the front end for looseness, what else should I look into (in terms of suspension and steering wear items)?

4: Is tugging on the front or rear wheels to check for play an acceptable way to test the bearings?

Thanks everyone!

 

1. No they can't. The bearing and hub are sold as a whole assembly. You can get them for about $105.00 each at Napa. Napa can cross-reference the bearing from the original hub in their catalogs but then you have to take the hubs to a shop and have the old ones pressed out and the new pressed in. Much better to just replace the assembly for a more reliable repair.

2. Besides a visual inspection for leaks, you can do the bounce test on the shocks. Press down really hard on each corner of the truck. Let go. If the shock is good the truck will bounce maybe once and stop. At 100K though the shocks are probably toast. I would suggest Monroe Reflex. I have them on my Dakota and they work great. Don't use the Monroe Sensa-Trac. They are not heavy duty enough for a truck. Others have had good luck with Rancho and KYB but the Reflex is a good shock for a good price. I paid about $60 each for mine at Napa. Bilstein is the best but they are real expensive.

3. At 100K take a look at all the suspension bushings and boots on the axle for cracks and splits. Check the stabilizer bar links, A-arm bushings, tie rod ends and the ball joints. There should be no movement or slop in any of these and no rips or holes in the bushings.

4. There should be no movement or play on the spindle when you move the hub up and sown and side to side. I have heard the wheel bearings go out at around 100K. I have over 98K on mine and still doing OK. You will hear a howling type noise from the front end and feel a vibration in the steering if and when the bearings go bad.

You always want to get the alignment re-done if you have to replace any of the steering or suspension parts. Others here will have more info for you too.

Jimmy

 

4: Is tugging on the front or rear wheels to check for play an acceptable way to test the bearings?

as for just lifting up on the tire while the truck is in the air with a tire bar and just guessing by feel it's good. it's not acceptable. a dial indicator is your friend.

 

Cool, thanks a lot guys that's exactly the information I was looking for.

I changed my oil and found a little bit of light colored foamy stuff on the bottom of the oil fill cap... is this normal? At first I was alarmed thinking it was coolant (ie a head gasket) but when I drained the oil it was not milky.

I also noticed that the links for the rear sway bar are kinda sloppy... are there bushings in there that need to be replaced?

 

Anyone?

 

ummm... was it slimy, sounds like it might be a tad bit of sludge... I wouldnt worry to much about it if its minuscule beings that you have almost 100k. Just keep and eye on it every time you change the oil...

 

I've seen the white stuff in mine from time to time but not at every oil change. I've taken it to a mechanic and he says not to worry about it, so i'm not. My truck has 140K miles on it also.