Recently I replaced my wheel bearings and axle u-joints...now recently I hear a clunking sound coming from what I think is the front end. It is happening when I am moving slow, and going over bumpy road....(I have a gravel drive with is not very flat, this is what I mean by bumpy road).

I noticed today that if I am moving very slowly and jerk the steering wheel side to side I can get the front end to make the sound. I have read some posts about tie rod ends and ball joints but how do I tell what I need to replace if anything?? I looked at the tie rod ends and they look OK but I am not sure what looking OK should be...Could I have don't something wrong when I put the bearings and axles back in???? I did the work on swapping out the axle u-joints.

Any Help or suggestions would be great.

 

hows your track bar?

 

This may be a pitiful question but.....What and where is the track bar??

 

it's the long bar that bolts to the front axle the right side and to the frame on the left side. check the joints at each end of the bar for play.

 

I will check this out today...is this sometimes call a sway bar???? Thx for the help

 

no the sway bar is somthing else. your truck has both bars

 

I looked at the track bar and I don't see any play in either side.....The way I checked, crawled under the truck and just tried to wiggle/move the track bar, no movement at all...

Any other ideas?? I really don't want to have to pull the axles out again and double check my u-joints that I justed install.. I just don't understand it, everything looks tight.

 

does it make the sound when your going in reverse slowley aswell? and turnig in reverse? if so then more then likley is the trac bar... or worn out tie rod ends..does your steering have alot of play in it? is not nonresponsive? if it isnt as responsive as youd like your can notive play in the steering movement then it maybe a few problems...

 

So came home from work last night...checked the track bar (as I posted already)... Put the truck in the garage, and this morning I had my wife turned the steering wheel back and forth without moving while I was looking underneath and it didn't make a peep. Nothing looks to be moving more then normal. Just so I am looking at things correctly, the track bar should not move when I push it side to side with my hand...no other force is necessary to check this...hammer, sled, etc.

So I backed the truck out of the garage and went down the drive and still could not get it to make the sound???? I really hate problems like this. I am starting to like that maybe we didn't put the axle u-joint back together correctly.....maybe I am over examine this but, it seems to be with something that is heating up while I am moving, like the u-joints.

I realize that this is difficult to explain over the net, but I really don't want to spend the hundreds of dollars to have a shop do the work when I am more then willing to do it...

Thanks for the help...

 

Get acquainted with your front suspension, you'll be replacing lots of parts down there!

I recently put $$$$$ under the front end with a new track bar and all 4 ball joints, pitman arm seal, axle seals, and 10,000 miles later BOTH RH ball joints again! Thankfully they were lifetime warranty parts, and somehow (I'm not complaining) they even took care of the labor.