when i reach highway speeds, i'd say anything above 50, i get a vibration in the front right. my passenger feels it more than i do. when i turn right, it gets worse, when i turn left, it goes away and it rides smooth again. i don't feel a vibration in the steering wheel, like the title says it feels like a bad wheel bearing.

but when i jacked up the front axle, there is no play when rocking the wheel back and forth on both sides. on the driver side the axle u-joint has a slight play and i'm also wondering if that could cause this. passenger side u-joints is solid, ball joints are also tight (tried prying from under the tire, no movement)

so i'm wondering if a wheel bearing can be on its way out without having any play in it? or does it sound more like the u-joint?

 

u could just remove and replace the axle u-joints both sides, but might as well just do the hubs and ball joints(if questionable) then be a piece of mind at rest... But then again a jeep can always use something... Parts R cheap though!!!

 

A wheel bearing will usually be a whir or grind, where a knuckle U joint will be a wheel-speed (comparatively slow) tick or a pop/gravely sound when turning. Unitized wheel bearings like the XJ uses won't always have slop by the time they start making noise - best bet is to jack it up and see if you can detect a noise, and if so, what kind of noise from where, while spinning the wheel by hand.

 

^ Spot on Alex V.

Don't rule out tires and wheels. A broken or separated belt on the inboard portion of tread could cause what you are describing, especially at those speeds.

A bad wheel bearing usually will make excessive heat. Can use an infra-red temperature gun to aid in diagnoses.

 

yeah depends on what you define cheap! i could go to my local napa and get a single joint for maybe 50 bucks (the napa brand, they don't carry anything else) or i get it from rockauto for 30 bucks. it's a no brainer, i'm buying it on rockauto, but shipping for a 30$ joint is 20$, so now instead of buying only 1 joint i'll be getting 2 for the front and 2 for the driveshaft. so in the end this cost me 130$ for joints only, I hope that does it.

yeah what is throwing me off is that the sound goes away when turning left at high speed, which means that when weight on the left side is relieved, the sound dissapears. and i have a loose u joint on the left axle shaft...

drove to work this morning, the sound appears between 60 and 70mph, under and over it's fine. basically the way i can best describe it is if i have a passenger, we can't hear ourselves speak because it's so loud in the front end. but no vibration can be felt through the steering wheel.

at slow speeds i don't hear or feel the loose u joint. only when going over bumps sometimes

good call on the ir gun i'll try that tonight.

thanks guys

 

ordered new timken hubs and spicer joints, gonna replace everything but the ball joints

i always had this done by my mechanic but since he's no longer in business this is gonna be my first time. do i put anti seize on the hub bolts? axle nut? bearing surface?

 

That definitely sounds like the hub. I've been there before. Sounds like a roar when when you're driving. Once you get everything peeled away and get the 3 bolts through the hub out then the fun starts. If you google, you;ll find a method to put a socket on the stop bolt and then use the power steering to push out the hub by turning it all the way to the side with the stop bolt. I did not have luck with that and used a drywall mud knife to get in between the hub and steering knuckle. Once you get a little space it will start coming out. they can get seized in there pretty well. I clean up the steering knuckle and then use a lot of antiseize around the hole/mating surface. I put antizeize on the hub bolts as well. Not sure if that has helped since I have not had to take the replacement hubs out yet. I also used Timken. Have held up for 5 years or so now.

 

It is possible to hit the hub flange with a hammer at several points to work it out - at that point the hub is junk but that's why you're trying to get it out, anyway. An air hammer or slide hammer can also do the trick, it just depends how badly it's seized. They're a slip fit so it's possible it will come out with minimal struggle.

You'll need a big socket (36 MM or equivalent, if memory serves?) and a torque wrench with upwards if 200 ft.-lb. capability for removal and proper re-installation of the axle shaft nut.

 

thanks for the detailed info, from what i read i'll first try to pry on the tire against the knuckle while the 3 hub bolts and the axle nut are loosened to get the bearing off. if that doesn't work I'll try the socket

it's the second time I'm replacing them since I have the jeep, and like I said the previous times were by my mechanic so i'm pretty sure he anti seized them and it shouldn't be too much of a problem. been about 2 years since I had them replaced.


so glad i didn't cheap out on my torque wrench when i bought it. goes to 250 so I should be fine. i need to get cotter pins though, only thing i can think of that I don't have.