Help me chase down a wheel wobble! (1 Viewer)

[orangefj45]

wheel studs are pressed in and should NOT be welded on!

a bent rear axle shaft can and will cause a vibration, but you'd see the tire and rim wobble.


a bent front axle shaft will not cause a vibration unless you're in 4wd.

if the u-bolts are new, then make sure you re-torque them. they have a tenancy to loosen up / stretch especially when new so i usually re-tighten tem after one day, one week and one month.

 

[ianfotheringham]

the problem with the front wheel bolts now - is that they dont seem to be firmly attached enough to the hub - such that you can relatively easily push them in and out - i figured a small spot weld might do the trick in holding them in place long enough to get the wheel on without any of them getting pushed back into their holes...bad idea? perhaps the sleeves of the bolts are too worn and are causing the problem due to slight looseness...

i have torqued down the u-bolts frequently and they have needed it frequently as well - the other day when i re-checked the alignment we tightened them again as they were a little loose - and it did make a slight difference- but i can still see the front drivers side rim and wheel wobble starting at around 80km/h...so there is still the problem - i balanced the drive shaft - it was fine - i moved the front wheel to the back - they were fine...im getting fed up with this...so you're saying there is no point in checking the axle as the wobble wasn't occuring in 4wd? thats super -one less thing to do - i just dont know what else to think of....


ill be changing all the wheel bolts and nuts this week as they should be anyway...


two months till we leave for a one year drive through africa...gotta get this fixed....

 

[FineWynsFJ40]

Replace your inner and outer wheel bearings AND races. You rebuilt the knuckle, right? Did you replace bearings AND races? I found in mine (currently performing front axle/knuckle rebuild) that the races were just as worn as the bearings. Just a thought, hope that helps.

Brian

 

[ianfotheringham]

nope - they were all new...

good thought tho...

 

[orangefj45]

if the wheel studs push thru the hub that easily then the wheel hub should be replaced. i would suspect that it's the cause of your problem. did you replace the wheel bearings or did a professional shop do the job?

if a shop did the work, then they should have noticed the wheel hub/stud issue and recomended a new hub. if they did'nt, then find a new mechanic.

 

[nov74fj40]

FOr what it's worth...

I had the death wobble after changing shackles, bearings races, etc. I did everything and what it ended up being was way too much toe-in, and loose U bolts. For good measure I went back into the hubs and retightened the bolt on the front bearings since I figured the new grease may have settled. No more wobbles.

I'd really check your toe-in, toe-out measurement between the tie rod ends and make sure they match the manual.

 

[ianfotheringham]

good thinking but i've already done the alignment which confirmed the toe in and castor angles were correct...i did tighten my u-bolts a little which helped slightly...today the hub comes off - and will be checked on a lathe to see if its untrue....and then ill be replacing all the bolts with OEM's...which incidently, are not cheap....sheesh...

 

[fj404life]

wheel studs should not be loose...probably happend from running with lug nuts super loose or something I dunno...but thats no bueno.
You will have to pound or press the new studs in. The only thing I can see making your wheel wobble up front is a tweaked hub or the wheel is bent or not seated on the hub right (if its got fresh bearings all around and proper preload). Just tossing thoughts out...

 

[johmbie]

You rebuilt the knuckles and replaced the wheel bearings recently, correct? Any chance the races weren't 100% seated?

 

[40TOYBOY]

Hi, This may help you ,I had the same problem the wobbles and what the culprit was for mine a 1975 drum brakes all around was the screw holding the drums on sticks out, and if you have aftermarket rims won't tighten flush to the rim so they will not run true, easy fix take the screw out and chuck it, fixed my one, on the factory split rims there is a recess for the screw but on the sunraiser wheels there isn't. hope that fixed the problem.
cheers

 

[ianfotheringham]

Success!!!

the wobble is gone!


thanks to all, especially orangefj45, for all the exceptional advice, it was muchly appreciated. as it turns out - it was all due to the faulty bolts - it appears to be due to the fact that drum brakes can only accommodate short bolts, as the groves for them in the hub are of a different pattern to long bolts. and long bolts are needed if using aluminum wheels...like me. therefore disc brake bolts must be used to replace them - being pressed in place to receive the grooves in the hub - hopefully holding securely [?] in place...so those are in - but i had to drive 2 hours in 40 degree celcius heat...no a/c to get new non-wheel bolt hole-groove-damaged-hubs...but now its fixed, the wobble is gone - and my a/c is even installed and working like a dream...i dare say i am close to a 'finished' 45...

 

[CruiserStuff]

Rock on! Glad you located the issue finally!

 

[orangefj45]

excellent! now post some pics of the rig!