I recently installed OME 929's springs to my rig which then required me to crank my torsion bars some to level out the vehicle . I doubt there is any relationship between this but I now notice that when I grab my front wheel, I can move it back and forth a bit. Meaning I can push it towards the engine and pull it back towards me. It's the same on both sides. It's not loose lugs bolts. The truck has 193,000 and I don't believe the bearings have ever been repacked. Would that have anything to do with the movement?
Possibly. Another thing to consider is that if you raise a vehicle you need to loosen the upper and lower control arms to relocate them to the new ride height. If you don't then the rubber bushing will tear and become useless and cause your issue.
jack up your truck and shake the wheel hard. Look carefully to see if your upper control arm is moving. Shake it in ALL directions to see movement
That is generally how you can tell if your bearings need to be repacked. If you have that kind of play, you need repacking. There is a good tutorial on here for how to DIY or you can bring it to any decent tire shop and they should be able to do it.
I'm packing them this weekend. Then I'll make the adjustments and see what happens. I was planning on putting on the robust bearings and tie rods from Indie4x anyway. Just might be a little sooner than planned.
I agree, bearings don't suddenly come loose after a lift. But a different ride level will stir up some (if not all) front end demon's. Get you wallet out dude!
:lol: Tell me about it! One thing after another. Will I ever be mechanically sound all around for at least a year?
You might not have a car payment with an older vehicle, but you certainly have a parts & payment with one...I guess that's the price for riding in style.
i changed all my wore out ball joints and up graded my tie rods when i lifted mine and checked bearing preload when i lifted mine.i bought a spindle bearing nut 2 prong socket from northern tool when i did this 8) neo
Been meaning to follow up with the results for awhile now. I repacked the bearings and that solved the wheel movement. Holy Sh*t! Big improvement in steering and bearing clunk noise went away. Surprisingly the job isn't all that hard. Unfortunately I have some clunk happening up front still. Seems like its coming from the right side. I've taken to two shops and both tell me they see no wear on the bushings nor do they feel the movement you would feel if my ball joints were worn out. The easiest way to hear/feel it is going over a small bump such a a speed bump. If I go real slow over the bump, like creep over it, no noise or clunk. If I go over it at 5mph it will be noticed. I want to believe it's ball joint or joints. They have 194,000 miles on them but if it's not I don't wish to replace them. I'd rather use that money for new Indie4x4 torsion bars.
Ball joints most likely need replaced. First time doing it will be kind of a pain, but after that youll know how to do it. Go for it :wink:
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