Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump...

[new62]

...So I was driving on the highway Friday in LA traffic that was finally starting to clear up, and finally able to push my new (to me, that is) '89 62 up to highway speeds (it took a few minutes, but I hit 75) and I started to notice a slight thumping and the sensation like I'm going over a bunch of small speed bumps, and my car keys are swaying so bad back and forth they're clanging off the front panel. I peer out my window at my rear-view, and my left rear tire looks like spaghetti on a merry-go-round. I pull over, and realize how bad the tread is on the outside of the tire. When I get home (after 2 more painful hours on the highway in 90 degree heat - I couldn't just walk home )

Any ideas what I'm looking at here, as a novices' novice? Bent spindle? The rear tire is straight; no bent rim. Front end was aligned within the last six months, front tires were rotated to rear about the same time (so I was told - the thing could have been driven through a minefield before I got it based on how bad the rear wobble was..)

Any help for a LC newbie, and someone who usually doesn't touch anything that's either not in the cab or under the hood? And what's it going to cost me to fix?

 

[fsusteve]

I'm kinda confused by your post. Is the tire shredded like spahgetti? The tread is bad right? It sounds to me like the steel belt in the tire let go. Take it to a tire store and get it checked, it's gonna blow eventually.

 

[swank60]

Bad tire like that will cause the wobble. If a steel belt did let go, it'll throw your tire balance off and will be noticable at higher speed. Years ago, with my old TR6 we went through hell because at 60-65, the whole damn car would shake. We replaced a couple of rims, had eveything gone over, turned out, one of the tires was out of balance. I think it wound up costing about $5 to fix it.

You'll need to get that tire replaced if you sawtread flinging around, may want to replace two of the tires just to keep everything even (unless it's cost prohibitive - then you just need to do what you've got to do)

 

[new62]

Tire isn't blown; just really wobbly to a point of ridiculousness and worn heavily to the outside. I'm getting a set of new tear tires put on today and an alignment.

The tire guy just called and said my rear axle shaft is bent on the left hand side and says I need a new one. Arrrrgggghhhhhh.

 

[fsusteve]

Was it doing this before the highway incident? Axle shafts don't just bend without cause. Axle tube seal could be bad, should be leaking fluid if it is.

 

[lovetoski]

Based on your original description if the vibration, tire balence came to mind first as the most likely thing wrong. No doubt a bent axle shaft would present the same way though - however that is much less likely, as they don't bend easily. Might be worth checking to see if the axle shaft is really bent, or if the rear axle seal and/or rear axle bearing is shot. If either of these are shot, you'd likely see rear axle oil leaking onto the drum brake housing.

 

[swank60]

Yeah, I think you need to get a second opinion on that axle.

 

[new62]

Fixed

I didn't like the call on the bent axle, so I took it home, jacked it up, took a look, and realized the PO after rotating the tires hadn't bothered to make sure the rim was flush with the axle hub, as the rim was slightly chipped/deformed and there is a slight amount of crumble due to rust on the hub - this was preventing a flush fit. I filed down the rim and now it sits flush and no more wobble.

Thanks everybody for the advice.

 

[swank60]

That was going to be my next guess!

Okay, not really.

 

[dogboy2]

good call on that repair and cheap too

gotta love it when it's easy to find and even easier to fix....

-dogboy- '87 FJ60

 

[yooper]

The tire guy just called and said my rear axle shaft is bent on the left hand side and says I need a new one. Arrrrgggghhhhhh.

Sounds like a you do need a new one...a new tire guy that is...