Rear Wheel Wobble

Rear Wheel Wobble
Hedgehog

Hedgehog

Always Off-Roading Jeeper
Posts
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Location
Tucson/Marana Arizona
Vehicle(s)
-1975 Jeep CJ5, 360 V8, Headers, Duel Exhaust,T15 transmission, D-20 Transfer case, Twin Stick Conversion, Warn 8274 Winch
-1951 Willys Wagon, 4 cylinder, "F" head, little rust, very close to stock
Yes it's supposed to be spelled "Wobble".

Usual specs. '75 CJ5 - 44 rear end. I plead complete ignorance here. I've done a lot of jeep and other vehicle stuff, but when it comes to rear drive train I'm a complete no-nothing. So, I needed to see my rear wheels spin on my Jeep project. So I jacked her up put blocks all around on the front wheels, and dropped her down on a set of jack stands. At first I scared myself half to death. The Jeep made some VERY bad sounds when it started in gear. When I shut her down the engine kept turning over. The starter solenoid was stuck (need a new one now). Then the starter acted up by not engaging, probably need one of those too. But when she did start the horrible noise was gone. Then I stared watching the wheels spin, well actually wobble. The wheels are brand new so they aren't bent, the tires are also new and balanced properly. The wobble is definitely coming from the axle hub. Both sides wobble, but the drivers side is much worse than the passenger side. Your thoughts are welcome. Am I looking at things all wrong, can bent axles be straightened. I admit total ignorance here.
 
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Hedgehog said:
Then I stared watching the wheels spin, well actually wobble. The wheels are brand new so they aren't bent, the tires are also new and balanced properly. The wobble is definitely coming from the axle hub. Both sides wobble, but the drivers side is much worse than the passenger side. Your thoughts are welcome. Am I looking at things all wrong, can bent axles be straightened. I admit total ignorance here.
Click to expand...
If I were you I'd take the wheels and brake drums off and use a dial indicator on the hub to see how bad they run out. (Just incase there is something else going on)
Can axles be straightened? to some degree depends on how good the guy doing it is. But new or used axles would be a better idea IMO.
 
Could t be something simple like bad bearings? They don't make noise, but would they?
 
Those flanged axles are easy to pull out. remove and inspect. if bent I vote to replace. you could always have a tire store check runout on wheel and tire. been doing some airborn wheeling lately? lol:) mike
 
bearings should not cause wheel wobble, a bent shaft flange bent wheels and tires not seated well would cause that. Like the guys posted above use a dial indicator to check runout of the shafts, I would also check the runout of the rims to be sure that they are indeed straight you never know til you check, also while you have the indicator out you can use it to check the bearings to see if they are worn :chug: by the time your done the dial indicator should have paid for itself:chug:
 
yes, this sounds like the axle shaft is bent at the hub. You say the wheels are new, you can verify it's not the wheels by swapping with the front. If the problem stays on the same rear corner then it's the axle.
 
Hedgehog said:
Both sides wobble, but the drivers side is much worse than the passenger side.
Click to expand...
I know you said the wheels are new, but I would simply swap tires and test again. If you still have the same results I would suggest your shafts are bent.

Edit: Dave beat me too it.
 
With the rear end up on stands I could look real close and the wobble appeared to come straight from the center or axle flange. Granted it could have been an illusion. Swapping the wheels is easy enough. I suppose since the Jeep is on stands I could just as easily remove the wheels, tighten the lug nuts down to hold the brake drum or remove the drum for that matter. and check for a wobble then.

I hate to spend the better part of $600 on new Dana 44 axles.....

mstar - No I haven't done any airborne antics with this Jeep, as a matter of fact I've driven this Jeep very little, it's been an ongoing project since it hit the driveway. The few times it's been around the neighborhood it's been a squirrely critter. The first drive was on a big lift and 35” tires. The thing wanted to swap ends every time you took your foot off the gas. The tires and tall shackles went away and the thing drove better but still had it’s difficulties. The PO very likely caught some air with it. From the repairs done so far it is obvious that he wasn’t kind or gentle with the Jeep.
 
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pull the drums and look at the axle hubs. I am thinking the first thing to check would be if the hubs are seated properly then the rims to hubs. A dial indicator would be nice but just anything to be a reference for straight would work. :D
 
The Jeep is setting solidly with no noticeable vibrations that I can detect.

Gert - Not a bad price, but when you add in the bearings, seals and all the other components the price goes up, but not as much as I quoted. HAve yo got any experience with this manufacturer/Seller?
 
Here's my "any chance" question:

Any chance the new wheels didn't get seated against the hubs properly, or the lug nuts got tightened in a circular pattern instead of torqued in a cross pattern? Wouldn't it be nice if it were that simple.........
 
Yeah it would and your right it's not that simple ....... or is it. I only used 3 of 5 lug nuts. Why not, I'll lock her down properly tonight.
 
I recall once wheeling with a TJ Rubicon, which has the Dana 44 , that got a rock wedged in between the frame and wheel which bent the axle. So this stuff happens
 
Funny you mentioned a JT Rubicon, a customer who has one slid into a curb and bent the shaft. I swapped out the shaft for him and he's on his way. 10 months later calls me back and says he bent his shaft again. This time he didn't offer an explanations but I'm guessing he slid into another curb being he doesn't take it off road.

Ruby shafts are expensive.
 
Hedgehog said:
Yes it's supposed to be spelled "Wobble".

Usual specs. '75 CJ5 - 44 rear end. I plead complete ignorance here. I've done a lot of jeep and other vehicle stuff, but when it comes to rear drive train I'm a complete no-nothing. So, I needed to see my rear wheels spin on my Jeep project. So I jacked her up put blocks all around on the front wheels, and dropped her down on a set of jack stands. At first I scared myself half to death. The Jeep made some VERY bad sounds when it started in gear. When I shut her down the engine kept turning over. The starter solenoid was stuck (need a new one now). Then the starter acted up by not engaging, probably need one of those too. But when she did start the horrible noise was gone. Then I stared watching the wheels spin, well actually wobble. The wheels are brand new so they aren't bent, the tires are also new and balanced properly. The wobble is definitely coming from the axle hub. Both sides wobble, but the drivers side is much worse than the passenger side. Your thoughts are welcome. Am I looking at things all wrong, can bent axles be straightened. I admit total ignorance here.
Click to expand...

The odds of both shafts being bent seem slim.

What kind of tires? Not all tires are as round as you would think when manufactured. Aggressive tires like Super Swamper LTBs for example are more oval shaped than round. They won't rotate in a perfect circle even when brand new. These will still balance, although that doesn't necessarily mean they will be smooth at high speed.
 
I'm ignoring the tires and watching the rim and the wheel center. The wobble on the drivers side is the one I'm concerned about, the other one has movement, but not much. In reality I'm probably making a mountain out of a mole hill. We have all seen Semi wheels wobble more agressively. However if I were to change one, I'd change both sides.
 
Ahhhh the power of a good moderator :) thanks
 
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