so i have a few noises coming from under my truck (97 ram 1500 4x4 reg cab). clicking and squealing. truck has 150,000 miles so i expect for a few things to be wearing out on it. but how can i tell if the wheel bearings are worn out or not? I jacked the truck up, and the front wheels move about 3 inches when i pull on them. And i have about 3 inches of freeplay in my steering wheel when i turn it. Can anyone help me diagnose worn out front wheel bearings before I go buy them, they are expensive. Also I saw my u-joints had grease fittings, so i greased them and the clicking went away for a while. Should I change them or is greasing them good enough? Thanks for help in advance.

 

3 inches of travel in the steering wheel is a lot. you may be able to tighten it up by adjusting the steering box. mine had about 2 inches and it drives like a different truck w/o all that play.
https://dodgeforum.com/m_657750/tm.htm

i'm not clear on what you mean by "the wheels move 3 inches when i pull on them". do you mean in/out ? surely not...

as for u-joints. clicking and squealing is the noise they tend to make. check them like this. truck on VERY level gound, front wheels chocked, brake off, in neutral, all tension off driveline. grab the end of the drive shaft in one hand and the yoke in the other and twist/wiggle. there should be no play at all.in the joint. any movement at all is bad. also inspect the dust caps. they should be intact. check both ends front and rear.

 

when i lifted the truck, I grab the top and bottom of the wheel and it moves in and out. Also when i took the wheel off, the brake disc wobbles around. im not a mechanic, but i dont think thats normal, but not sure what causes that. Thanks for the info on adjusting the steering. Ill have to do that tomorrow. Ill check the u-joints also, im just really concerned about the wheel bearings, thats what i have came to the conclusion of by reading previous posts, but im not completely sure. thanks a lot man, I always knew I could count on a Georgia fan. I lived in GA until about 3 years ago.

 

this is not good. are both sides this worn out or just one side. there should be very very minimal/no movement pulling on top/bottom. i recommend you park it till you get it fixed. this can be a hard job - big nut in on very tight 140#, and the bearing gets rusted into the knukle. this is one of those things where one thing leads to another. bearings -> axle u-joints -> axles seals inside diff/cad. watch out, its common that removal/insert of axles will destroy the seals. see 2 or 3 articles here for bearing, hub, seals.
http://www.pavementsucks.com/tech/hub.php

where in ga ?

 

Yes it may be the bearing, but it could very well be the ball joints. The steering slop could also be thetie rod ends or track bar.......

 

Ok, thanks for all the help and info. I will stop by the parts store tomorrow after work I guess. I will keep everyone posted on the progress. Thanks again. I grew up in Stockbridge, Henry County.

 

im hoping you were wiggling side to side if do your tye rod ends are mostly worn out or steering box is in serious need of adjustment or both, to see which tye rod end get a buddy to move the steering wheel right to left and see where there is movement on one bar but not the other momentarely, you will see "slop" in the bad tye rod end(s) if you can wiggle top to bottom ball joints or wheel barrings are to blame and if you can pull the wheel straight out then its the wheel barrings, you should also look for worn sway bar and track bar as they can also cause front end noise/ loosness

 

Thanks for all the help. After 5 trips to the parts store to get the right tools for the job, i replaced the wheel bearings. Once i had all the tools, it was very simple. Noise is gone and wheel does not wobble now. Now i just have to replace the U-joints. i can hear them clicking. thanks for all the help.

 

never thought of it before but here is a DIY on the wheel barrings, if its the front axle u-joints you need to change you should have dont them at the same time since you are allredy there

 

thanks. yeah i thought about doing that. but at the cost they are, i really cant afford that right now. Military pay isnt the best.