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Axel Issues? Alignment issues?

IceNineKills

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Susanville, CA
So for the longest time, I had this whining coming from the front end, more like a light whistle. I only heard it at low speeds with the windows down. My brother and i figured out that it was a front hub/bearing on the passenger side, but since the local parts store wanted $200 something for a new one and I really didn't want to go cheap on it, I waited til I had the money. Then after a very rough winter living at a friends house up in the woods with a crazy rough drive way, the jeep developed a wobble at around 55mph. It was pretty bad, like death wobble. So I started checking things out, like ball joints, and such under the front end. Everything checked out. I replaced my brakes, got the rotors turned, all that good stuff. It didn't fix it. Then I replaced the hub. Made it a little better, but still didn't fix it. I even put some better tires on. Didn't change it. The shimmy comes every once in a while. Not every time. But always at 55mph. On a side note, Ever since i've bought the jeep, it has had this weird slight grinding noise everytime I come to a stop, even at a slow stop. It doesn't sound like brakes grinding, it just sounds kinda like gears grinding. Another side note, My steering shaft, the part just under the brake master cylinder that looks like it just slips in, has play in it, like it isn't a tight fit because when you are driving it has a bit of give to it. (Kinda freaky when you are driving the thing for the first time)

So my question is what does anyone think? Is it an alignment issue? Is my axle just messed up or bent? Should I just set it on fire and roll it down a hill? LOL

This thing is my daily driver and the problem is just annoying. Any help or advice is much appreciated.

Oh yeah and it is a 1992 laredo with 4.0l and aw4, and i believe it has a D30 in the front.

JT
 
Last edited:
The whine and DW are probably not related.

Check the tightness of the bolts on your suspension, namely your trac bar.
Have a full alignment done, poor toe and camber can cause DW.
Oh, unless you have been crazy, your axle prob. isn't bent.
 
Slide under the front and have someone crank when steering wheel side-side which you look at and feel all the joints. In particular check the track bar joints as they wear out and cause DW. This is also noticeable as slop in the steering wheel and wandering.

You can check the toe-in yourself with a tape measure. Castor and camber aren't adjustable without using offset balljoints or bending the axle.

Many would claim replacing the steering stabilizer is a bandaid, but if everything still looks tight and the toe-in is set correctly then replacing the stablizer might fix the problem.
 
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