I've got what feels like a new front end vibration so I went and got my fairly new tires rebalanced/ rotated, and the shake is still there. Today I jacked my drivers side up, grabbed the top and bottom of the wheel and rocked it but didn't notice and clunk or movement. Then I checked my ball joints and tie-rod which felt tight, but then grabbed the tire and rocked it back and forth in a forward/ reverse motion and noticed there is about a 1/2-3/4" (measured from where my hand is on the tire) from when the tire starts to turn and then the rotor starts to turn. I jacked the passenger side up and it was tight with no delay. I don't really think it could be anything else, but I don't remember ever seeing a bearing act bad only in a spinning manner. Also no humming or noise coming from it. Any thoughts? Think of it now it probably was more like an inch - 1-1/4 movement at the tire on the delay at the rotor.

 

That's a pretty serious rock, I would suggest a wheel bearing repack. It even sounds like the wheel is coming loose from the mounting studs.

 

4X2 or 4X4?

 

Oh yeah, it's a 4wd. That changes the setup a little I suppose

 

Every single faulty wheel bearing that I've had on my Ram were easily diagnosed by rocking the tire from top and bottom.
But that's weird that tire and rotor don't turn on same phase. Is your rotor broken off from the hub?

 

Everything appeared to look normal when I put new calipers/pads on a while back. I'm gonna try to get around to taking the tire off later today and see what else is going on. Let ya'll know what else I find.

 

Yep, appears the rotor and hub have separated. I didn't get the whole thing apart (didn't feel like opening a can of worms) but all 4 bolts have apparently snapped and the only thing keeping the two from spinning completely free of each other is the broken studs are still grabbing enough hole. Looks like I'm ordering new hubs. Thanks for the input guys

Just looked at the new hubs and it looks like there hub seats up to a mating surface to keep it from spinning so my guess on the studs grabbing anything may not be right. .

 

Isn't the rotor staked to the back of the hub by the lug studs? If those have separated, then there isn't anything holding the tire on either....... if its the bolts that hold the hub to the axle, the only thing left holding it together is the axle shaft, (and rust.....) and neither are doing to last long. Do NOT drive it like that. You are in danger of losing the whole wheel/tire/hub/etc. That would really suck.

 

Ya it's the bolts holding the hub to the axle. I'm kinda surprised I haven't lost it already with some of the potholes in the highways around here. It's probably what broke them in the first place. Getting back home from the garage was a little exciting after knowing what's going on. I'll take your advice and park it till the parts get here. Gonna have to drive back to the garage to fix it though...going the slow way