Steering Wheel Vibration Post Front Axle Service (1 Viewer)

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Oct 5, 2018
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Southern California


Quick question for the mud gurus! So my 9680 has 205,000 miles on it and I picked it up yesterday after having a full front axle service that included the Burf rebuilds, new spindles, new wheel nut lugs, new front wheel bearings, and new OEM brake pads all around along with OEM extended brake lines for the front because of my icon phase 1 lift. Also had all of the suspension bushings replaced with OEM, so overall a significant service. As you can see from the attached short video around 45 miles an hour there is a pronounced vibration/shimmy/shake in the steering wheel that seems to feel as though it’s coming straight up through the steering box from the wheels into the steering wheel. It’s pronounced when going straight and only in a very small range of speed. The steering box was rebuilt last year and the tie rod ends were recently replaced with OEM. Any initial ideas or thoughts on the source of the vibration? Thank you as always! And yes in the photo you can see I need to remove the nut washers so that the Wits End nut huggers are functioning as the washer, they’ll be fixing that later this week!
Steering wheel video

917B3448-A54C-4D33-88A1-90FFDA2CDEAB.jpeg
 
* Wheel bearings loose
* Brake rotors improperly installed because they are "inboard" rotors and MUST be torqued in sequence or they will exhibit the look of warped rotors that you are seeing.
* Wheels not torqued properly to the hubs Need to remove the wheels and retorque properly.
* Make sure the TRE's are all tightened properly and have the cotter pins installed.

This is NOT U-Joints.
 
* Wheel bearings loose
* Brake rotors improperly installed because they are "inboard" rotors and MUST be torqued in sequence or they will exhibit the look of warped rotors that you are seeing.
* Wheels not torqued properly to the hubs Need to remove the wheels and retorque properly.
* Make sure the TRE's are all tightened properly and have the cotter pins installed.

This is NOT U-Joints.

I'd be ticking all the same boxes.
 
* Wheel bearings loose
* Brake rotors improperly installed because they are "inboard" rotors and MUST be torqued in sequence or they will exhibit the look of warped rotors that you are seeing.
* Wheels not torqued properly to the hubs Need to remove the wheels and retorque properly.
* Make sure the TRE's are all tightened properly and have the cotter pins installed.

This is NOT U-Joints.
Thank you very much for the list here, stupid question , if it was the rotors wouldn’ti feel the shake only during braking? Thank you!
 
Thank you very much for the list here, stupid question , if it was the rotors wouldn’ti feel the shake only during braking? Thank you!
No. Disc brakes still contact the rotors because of run out. The pistons push out a little. So, if the rotors are not on straight where they bolt to the hubs, the hubs attach to the wheels, and the wheels will show the wiggle at the steering wheel.

Since you apparently had trunnions, wheel bearings, rotors, brakes done, they need to check wheel bearings, torque of the rotor to the hub (which means pulling the hubs and re-doing the wheel bearings), removing and retorquing the wheels in proper order and to the proper torque (NOT with an impact wrench)

So, basically, they get to do it over. If I paid a shop to rebuild the front, I would expect them to remedy this situation completely, the RIGHT way.
 
unrelated, but aren't the tabs on the nut huggers supposed to get bent up against the nut? Otherwise they perform no function. Also worth mentioning to said repair shop
 
unrelated, but aren't the tabs on the nut huggers supposed to get bent up against the nut? Otherwise they perform no function. Also worth mentioning to said repair shop
I think it is recommended to drive 500 miles or so, then retorque the studs/nuts before bending the tabs on the nut huggers.
 
^ He already mentioned it in the first post he's having the shop fix them
He only mentioned removing the reused washer that should not be there. No note about bending the tabs... but it's mute because I was wrong anyways... no bendy bendy 'til 500 miles + retourque
 
Did they use the right lug nut type should also be a question?
If bushing were replaced on all your links I’d be under the truck making sure all the bolts and nuts are tight. If the nut or bolt has a built on washer or flange you torque the other end. So in simpler terms the end that has the washer gets tightened. Is this a Toyota shop that did it or Fred’s auto service?
I’d bet wheel bearings are too loose.
 
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Did they use the right lug nut type should also be a question?
If bushing were replaced on all your links I’d be under the truck making sure all the bolts and nuts are tight. If the nut or bolt has a built on washer or flange you torque the other end. So in simpler terms the end that has the washer gets tightened. Is this a Toyota shop that did it or Fred’s auto service?
I’d bet wheel bearings are too loose.
And I haven’t checked thank you for your thoughts on this, I haven’t checked the lug nut type I know with the wheel changing from steel to aluminum or aluminum to steel I was getting confused the torque setting is different I just remember that a 96 lugs need to be tightened to 76 psi. The mechanic is a local transmission specialist but he owned an 80 for many years and works on lots of Toyotas but has had trouble in recent years during Covid maintaining consistent support help after having a number of his mechanics leave the state which I’ve heard from other folks anecdotally as a problem many shops are facing these days . So it is not a Toyota specialty shop by any means. I don’t want to have to tell them how to do the job but I have debated finding the pages of I guess the FSM? Or sending them links to instructional videos on YouTube on how exactly to do this I get the impression that adjusting some of the elements associated with the front axle and wheels, and here I’m showing my inexperience with working on these, but that there is a bit of black magic involved with thingamawhatsit pre-load bearing tightness wiggle this tighten that etc. etc. that I just don’t know 😆 I probably should send them a YouTube video if anyone knows of one that walks through the bearing tightening process? Thanks again!
 
I guess you checked to make sure no wheel weights came off?
 

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