Weird noise from Lt Frt Wheel under turning Acceleration

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72RatCamaro

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My 93 FZJ has started making an odd sound, but only in certain conditions. When I am accelerating away from a stop turning left. It makes a sound like a helicopter. Wouump wouump wouump woummp. Then when I straighten out it stops.

Any ideas as to what this may be? I pushed/pulled the tire last night and no big play but there is a click noise when I get it rocking.
 
Basically you have to break down that side of the axle to get to it

I did buy Slee's bushing lube tool.
I tried it because I did not want to break down one side of my axle
I had some low speed rumbles associated with dry spindle bushings
I used the tool and it did seem to eliminate most of the low speed rumble

Also it could be a brake issue as well
You need to investigate more
 
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Was looking at the bushing tool. This just started recently. I did a water crossing that was just over my hubs. So I am afraid that has somethign to do with it. My birfs aren't super wet though so they don't appear to be leaking gear oil moly mix

I am going to check the birf level after work today and dig a little bit deeper. How hard is a wheel bearing repack? I am not wanting to get into anything crazy as its my only vehicle and I can't afford to have it torn down without parts.
 
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Not hard to any of what you speak of
Sounds like you got some water intrusion
 
thats what I am fearing. i have access to tools but no 54mm socket lol is that going to be a neccesity to get to the wheel bearings to do a simple repack? or would I be fine to just get the grease tool from slee and pump everything up?
 
A 2 1/8 inch craftsman socket will work as well to remove the spindle nut
If you have water intrusion I would take apart to see what is going on
The choice is up to you
 
I hear that
But depending on how much water intrusion you have it could cost you more down the road
And not to mention if any other contaminents got in like dirt or sand
I should only take you a few hours to pull on side apart inspect repack with grease and put back together again
Where are you located?
Maybe some other mud members could help you out
 
Start simple (and free):

Check your lug nuts - especially with mag wheels, they can be loose for a while before anything catastrophic happens.
Check your tire pressure - not just the noisy one, low pressure on any tire could make the whole rig shimmy enough to make noise from the inside tire.
Rock the wheel - you said you did so, but didn't mention if you had jacked it off the ground. Rock it up-and-down (checking wheel bearings) and side-to-side (checking steering play)
Check the brakes - look for debris/grass/sticks/etc. around the rotor and caliper, check that the caliper isn't loose.

If all of those things check out, then you will probably have to pull the hub off and check the state of the bearings, then the spindle bushing and birf. You might want to pick up a spindle nut lock-washer before disassembly, in case the current one fatigues when you take it off, but you shouldn't need any other parts just to open it up and inspect it. The lock washer cost me <$4 at the Toyota dealer. A lot of parts stores have tool loan/rental programs, you might be able to borrow the 54mm/2-1/8" socket from them.

Good luck.
 
Yeah I work in the automotive industry as a manager. So I have access to lots of different tools. Alas no one in my shop has anything that big but one of my vendors has it in his garage and is going to loan it to me. Looks like my fun for tomorrow night.
 
How is the grease level in the knuckles? It should be maintained at about 1/2-3/4 full with moly grease. Fill through the square plug on the knuckles.
 
Tools R Us said:
How is the grease level in the knuckles? It should be maintained at about 1/2-3/4 full with moly grease. Fill through the square plug on the knuckles.
Click to expand...

....can't see into the knuckle but I would say ok....I took the cap off and stuck in a measuing device (read screwdriver) and it came back with grease on it.
 
there is a plug on top of the knuckle housing that you can liberally squirt grease into. Sometimes this may help with keeping water out of the knuckle. Unfortunately, the front axle rebuild is one of those things that has to happen occasionally to our trucks. Might want to start a savings account for just such a repair.
 
There are a couple of ways to to check grease level. The quick/easy; look at the ball, some grease weeps past the wipers so, often grease will buildup on it to about the level of the grease inside. More work method; turn the steering fully towards the side that you are working on, remove the tire, remove the fill plug, with a flashlight, look into the knuckle, If you can see the rim of the spindle bushing, it is low.

It is difficult to judge fill amount. I add in small amounts, (1/4-1/2 tube, depending on level) then drive and recheck, repeat until proper level is achieved. For good life it is important to maintain grease at the proper level, mine "use" about 1/4-1/2 tube a year.
 
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