Possible swivel problem?

• When low speed coasting (clutch in, no accelerator, either brake or no brake) to a standstill i.e. at a junction, you can hear and feel a repeating clunk, its not loud violent but you can hear it and feel it. It almost feels like the wheels are hexagonal!
• It moves about, and does not always do it, but between 52-60mph there is a wobble in the wheel, the truck still drives straight and true, has no effect on handling. its not a violent wobble and can easily be stopped with light grip on the steering wheel.
• Half way through a trip on Saturday started hearing this howl (almost sounded like air intake sound) between 40-50mph. Later inspection shows that the front passenger tyre is worn unevenly on the outside (gutter side) edge. There is slight (1mm'ish) play in the wheel at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock position when jacked and no movement at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock position.

tottot said:

Fine to remove a shim to set pre load. How to on you tube. Repeating clunk in drive line can be a tight [seizing ] UJ, a wheel bearing problem [ may be cause of tyre wear] and or a slightly dragging hand brake.
Balls only need replacement if corroded, swivel bearings can be replaced. One side at a time is fine.
Your wobble is likely the lack of preload.

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Al2O3 said:

Also, have a look at the condition of your brake discs. You can get uneven wear or a rust patch (these are thicker relative to a shiny bit of disc) and this can cause a repeated clunking or pulsed sound that you can also feel through the vehicle and steering.
Have you tried for any movement in the road wheel between the 9 O'Clock and 3 O'Clock positions? It might be worth checking your wheel bearing adjustment. It's an initial easier option than taking a shim out of the swivel bearings if you haven't done it before. Worn wheel bearings can sound like you have a second world war bomber flying just above you.
Something as simple as normal tyre wear can give you wheel imbalance and, therefore, wobble.
The wobble could also be initial symptoms of panhard rod bush wear. When this wear is advanced it's like driving a bucking bronco, so don't worry, you're not at that stage yet if it's those bushes.

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19_Hue_95 said:

Thanks gents, that's given me some confidence. I think I am fairly happy with what I am doing, I am just a bit nervous!



I have wheel wobble at 12 and 6, so my first look is at the preload. I have bought a shim and pin kit so will probably replace the pins too.

While its all in pieces I will be checking and probably replacing the wheel bearing too as that is something I am happy doing. I know a friend / mechanic did tighten it up just before Christmas, so that might be a sign that it needs replacing anyway - although no play in the 3 and 9 position.



My first thought before all this shenanigans with bearings and preload was the disc (EDIT: or the hand brake). There is nothing wrong with it, but has seen better days. Its one of the reasons I have ignored the clunking for a while as I simply assumed it was that. I will give it a good inspection at the weekend.

There is no play at the 3 and 9 position and it rotates freely without any grinding. But the wheel bearing was tightened by a friend / mechanic before Christmas, which could be a sign its on its way out. Its certainly been a few years since I have replaced it so I will probably replace at the same time.

I have ruled out tie rods etc. as they are pretty much brand new and all Gwyn Lewis and are as tight as anything. Panard is a possibility, there is no movement, but that was only by hand - I will try with a bar at the weekend.

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19_Hue_95 said:

So a little update. I started with what I knew which was the wheel bearings - the passenger side one had certainly seen better days and although still working it was very rough on rotation. With that replaced (along with the drivers side as I like doing things in pairs) the play in the wheel had gone entirely.

I had full intention of looking at the swivel preload, but changing the wheel bearing has made (touch wood) the problem go away. Craddocks, naturally, stitched me up trying to get hold of the shim / pin kit so I have not actually looked at it. I am going away to Scotland soon so not desperate to start messing with things this close to the trip.

I also replaced the front brake calipers which seem to have helped with the slight steering wobble. Although I have not had a long test drive yet so it remains to be seen on the 6 hours up to Scotland!

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