Front End Wobble

Cacti_Ken · Post by **Cacti_Ken** » Sat May 25, 2013 7:17 pm

It was a nice day to take a spin and it happened to me today. I was doing about 10mph, left front wheel contacted a bad spot in the road as I was coming out of a shallow turn to the right. Applied the brakes to get it to straighten out. I did about 20 miles rolling on various smooth and rough roads without it occuring again. I guess I hit it just right when it happened.

Completely restored front end about 5,500 miles ago. I haven't jacked it up yet to check any loose parts. Only thing that has play as far I know is the worm shaft/sector gear. Anyway, it sure surprised me when it happened.

Ken

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Sat May 25, 2013 7:41 pm

Mine does it every time I hit a certain hole in my driveway and on one road. My kingpins/bearings, tie rod ends, drag link, and steering gear are new or rebuilt. I have some play in my bellcrank - have a kit for it and an NOS pitman arm, just have to install them! Found my rear pinion seal had puked a puddle on the shop floor yesterday, so that will probably be addressed first.

skyjeep50 · Post by **skyjeep50** » Sun May 26, 2013 3:58 am

Have you checked steering knuckle king pin bearing pre-load?

Rotorhead · Post by **Rotorhead** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:41 am

I put new original-spec tires on and now have the 'wobble'. King pin bearings and/or steering box? I have the parts for the steering box - it's in rough shape with lots of play, so I'll start there first. But is there a way to positively check the king pin bearings without disassembly? Everything else in the front-end is new. Interesting that the old farm-type square-profile tires did not exhibit this wobble - ever.

skyjeep50 · Post by **skyjeep50** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 11:16 am

You can check to see if there is free play in the wheels by jacking up each wheel and rocking the tire back and forth side to side and vertically. But you will not know just where the looseness is from without taking things apart. Wheel bearings, steering linkage, steering box, king pin bearings, etc., etc. Check everything for wear. Plus, by taking the front end apart you can clean, de-rust, repaint and repack bearings. All good things to do to make sure there are no more problems down the road.

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:32 pm

It sounds like an imposing job by reading about it and looking at pictures, but it is a really straight forward, fairly easy job to do. I'm sure you will find that all of the lubricant inside is hard too!

Cacti_Ken · Post by **Cacti_Ken** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:32 pm

I haven't been able to jack the front end up yet. Other things around here are taking priority.

But while we are talking front end looseness. What do you all think about Walcks "TightSteer" adapter for the steering box.

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:35 pm

It sounds like an imposing job by reading about it and looking at pictures, but it is a really straight forward, fairly easy job to do. I'm sure you will find that all of the lubricant inside is hard too!

RICKG · Post by **RICKG** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:41 pm

Cacti_Ken wrote: What do you all think about Walcks "TightSteer" adapter for the steering box.

Ken, i remember we all hashed it over here.
http://willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules.php? ... ght=walcks

skyjeep50 · Post by **skyjeep50** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:45 pm

I don't think it targets the right problem with a solution in my opinion. I own a M38, a M38A1 and had a CJ2A-M38 hybrid. I rebuilt the steering gears of each and went through the front knuckles and axles cleaning them out and installed new brakes, lines, hoses, bearings, seals and adjusted everything to the proper specs. It's a dirty, greasy, messy, time consuming job but there is no substitute if you want the jeep to run right. On these jeeps, the steering system tends to be one of the most neglected systems.

Rotorhead · Post by **Rotorhead** » Tue Jun 04, 2013 11:56 am

OK. Thank you for the info. I'm going to do both - steering box and king pin bearings. Any special tools required for either job - like a hub-puller? Any tips/tricks? And can anyone point me in the right direction for a good vendor that sells a complete kit (ie. king pins bearings, knuckle seals, wheel bearings, spindle/pinion seals, etc) - I'd like to change everything while I'm in there - once!!! RFP, perhaps?

Post by **wesk** » Tue Jun 04, 2013 12:10 pm

Take a look at my reply here:
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... pic&t=8067

skyjeep50 · Post by **skyjeep50** » Tue Jun 04, 2013 12:15 pm

The only special tool needed will be a small hand held spring scale like is used to weigh fish - it is used to measure king bearing pre-load. Perhaps a gear puller. You can research the maintenance manuals on this site in the "Downloads" section for procedures and parts. There are a number of suppliers for parts - Midwest Military www.midwestmil.com would be one source. E-bay, too. You might need to take everything apart, clean, and then evaluate what to replace and what is still serviceable. If you get stuck or have questions, check back in with this webpage.

Front End Wobble

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