wobbling rear tire?

[daniel_buck]

A friend of mine following behind me yesterday told me that it looked like my passenger rear tire was wobbling a bit. I thought he was joking at first, so I moved my mirror to look at it on the road and sure enough, it's wobbling left and right just a bit. I checked the lugs, they are tight. I don't hear or feel anything, but it's doing something. The driver side is not wobbling, so it's not a loose track bar.


First thing I'm going to do when I get home tonight is jack up the rear axle and spin the tire to see if it's just the tire that's wobbling, or if it's the entire wheel itself. I can't imagine it's the entire wheel, eh? Then I'll swap it with the spare.



If it were off balance enough to visibly wobble, I would probably feel it on the freeway, right? The wheels are beadlocks, if it matters. Axle shafts are factory D44.

Any ideas?

[aw12345]

There is a good change you bend the axle shaft just outside of the wheel bearing

[daniel_buck]

I do have spares, if that's the case I could just swap it out. So if the wheel is wobbling too, then it's probably the shaft?

[aw12345]

You can try your spare tire spin the wheel with a jack stand or something similar to the sidewall of the tire and if it still wobbles then yes it's your axle shaft

[daniel_buck]

well looks like the entire wheel is wobbling too, not horrible, it wobbles probably less than 1/4", but it's wobbling for sure.

My rear axle is factory D44, which means it has no Clips, right? Just unbolt the wheel, caliper, and axle retainer, and it slides right out? I have full floating front D44 with warn hub conversion, I've remove those before to change the ball joints, but the rear is alot easier, right? I guess I'm saying, I could change the axle at night after work without taking to long?

At least I already have some replacement D44 shafts, I could still keep the slightly bent one as a spare, right? Or turn it into a lamp stand.

[aw12345]

Yes, yes and yes

[daniel_buck]

Nice

[Tumbleweed13]

But your lamp will be crooked too.

[aw12345]

You make the thing spin and it will make funny shadows

[daniel_buck]

or bend two more, and make a tree lamp

[daniel_buck]

Well I got the spare shaft in there, but the lug nut studs on the spare weren't long enough to mount the wheel!! I could only get about 2 threads engaged. So, I guess I'll buy some longer studs. How do you change the lug studs, just pound out the old ones, and seat the new ones by tightening up a nut?

I put the original shaft back in, driving on it another few days won't hurt, I'm pretty sure I drove all the way to nevada and back on the bent shaft, haha!

[Tumbleweed13]

Take the shaft and the new studs to NAPA, and have them remove the old ones, and press the new ones in. "Pressing them in" by tightening on the wheel is not a good idea. Having them pressed in the proper way, will insure they are 100% seated. The other way could stretch the studs, and they may not even be fully seated.

[daniel_buck]

oh, thanks! I'll do that

[daniel_buck]

So I'm trying to find some wheel studs to order, but I can't seem to find the specs on them, how long they are. The studs on my spare axles stick out about 1", and the studs on my factory (I assume?) axles stick out about 1 1/4" long or maybe a bit more.

Like these from Crown

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Drivetrai...pn=CRO53007463


Anyone know how long the crown studs are?

[daniel_buck]

Well, none of the Napa's around me said they can do this. I do have a 20 ton press with good arbor plates, is this something I can do myself with the press?