1997 EB Suspension woes.

[AksoBruce]

I've been out for a minute or ten, but like that creepy cousin who shows up asking for money I have come back.

FYI, we still love this truck. 1997 Eddie Bauer 4x4.

Recently we have noticed a creaking noise coming from the front axle, we think. It is a rotational type noise meaning it only makes noise while it is rolling. I can't duplicate the noise with the vehicle raised. I has to be on the ground and rolling. It is a constant 'creakcreakcreakcreak...' we can hear at lower speeds. It's pretty loud.

For everyone thinking worn brakes, it's not worn brakes. If it were a brake noise, it would change tone when the brakes are applied. The tone of this noise stays constant with brake application, but it does slow down. 'creak...creak...creak...creak...' I had a tire off a few weeks ago to fix a flat and noticed my brakes were getting a little thin. Not on the squealers yet, but thin enough to take notice. I replaced the front pads and rotors a week ago and the creak is still there. At the same time I did a tire rotation thinking if it were a wheel making the noise it would change position.

The noise did not change position. The same noise coming from the front axle, we think. 'creakcreakcreakcreak...'

I think it may either be a front hub bearing or CV shaft, but the usual indicators are not present.

A bad hub bearing will typically roar and get louder as speed increases. We can't hear the noise above 30 mph. Maybe a hub bearing fault I've never been faced with? Possibly.

A bad CV joint will usually pop in a turn or the boot may tear and all the grease comes out. There is no popping noise and all four boots are in good condition.

Both a hub bearing noise and a bad CV joint noise would be there all the time, but the noise we hear comes and goes. First thing in the morning when all the components are cold, there is no noise. As soon as heat builds up from friction - 'creakcreakcreakcreak...' If I splash through a water puddle and everything cools off, it goes away for a short period, then comes back. 'creakcreakcreakcreak...'

The noise has been going on for about two weeks. It isn't getting any louder nor has it changed in tone.

Today I made the decision to remove my CV shafts and see if the sound changes. If the noise remains, it's a hub bearing. If it goes away, it's more than likely a CV shaft. It could also be a CV shaft rubbing against an inner hub seal. I pulled the truck into the shop and started to disassemble the driver's side front hub. My tool box is on the driver's side. Seemed like a good thing being closer to the tool box.

When I got to the point of separating a control arm from the knuckle to get the CV shaft out, I notice the lower ball joint on the driver's side was "a little" worn. Sarcasm. The "a little" worn is an easy 3/16 up and down play at the ball end of the stud.

Deep sigh. Head in hands. Shake head back and forth.

OK. This is not what is causing the creaking noise, but it is an issue that needs to be attended to ASAP. I have known the control arm bushings were getting dry rotted and was planning buying parts after income tax comes in. Well, as the poem goes...The best laid plans of mice and men are often going ugly.

Luckily for me, the shop I work on gets a serious discount from NAPA and everything should be here Wednesday.

At least I know what I will be doing this weekend.

P.S. - I have a short video I will post when I figure out how.

 

[AksoBruce]

In my post above I mentioned having a flat tire. I thought it would be cool for everyone to see what was in my tire.

To everyone I've shown this to, the general thought is that it is a push rod for a big truck engine. I do work in a commercial vehicle repair shop, but out parking lot and the area around the shop are clean. The boss doesn't like debris just laying around. Stuff like this would happen.

I had gone out to lunch and heard the tire leaking when I got back. I thought I could just put a plug in, but after I saw the size of the thing I knew it was a job for a tire shop.

$20 and an hour later, I had the tire back on.

 

[AksoBruce]

Ok, the repair of the front end did not happen in the earlier part of the month...Things occur that are outside of the human span of control. That is another story for another forum.

The repair DID happen on Wednesday, December 24 and Friday, December 26. I did the left side on Wednesday and the right side Friday. The shop I work in has been closed since Tuesday, December 23, but everyone was at work still working on things left over from the previous week or so. We have two engine jobs in works, three more for January, multiple jobs in work and scheduled for aftertreatment issues, suspension work, always brakes to do...Lots of work in the big truck world. Our local MAC Tool distributor is one of the engine jobs. Cummins 6.7 with over 300K worn out like a $2 *****.

Back to our story...

The job replacing the suspension on my truck was pretty daunting when I looked at it from the outside. It is a lot of work, but it turned out to be SOOOO simple. The hardest part was the lower ball joints. I had originally wanted to replace both lower control arms, but my local NAPA couldn't seem to get the correct parts in. They sent me the 2WD control arms TWICE then said the 4WD control arms were no longer available and I would have to convert it to 2WD. BOLOGNA!!! Just my local NAPA not knowing what TF they are doing.

Time was getting short, so I just did the lower ball joints, which they got right the first time. Go figure.

FYI, all four ball joints were worn like the previously mentioned, low rent, special service provider.

Tear down time per side was about an hour. Reassembly could be done in about 2 hours per side, but I took my time. It wasn't a paying job and I had nothing else scheduled.

One thing I did figure out on my truck, which may or not be true on other trucks, is re-tensioning the torsion arms did not require a special tool to press the torsion arm key back into position. I was able to release all tension without taking the bolt all the way out. I had plenty of play to be able to get the lower control arms out and back in.

When doing the uppers, I set the eccentric bolts in the center of the slots and torqued them down. After I got her back on the road, the steering wheel was centered and there was no pulling left or right and she handles like a new truck. I will still schedule an alignment just to ensure all the angles are good.

As too the 'creakcreakcreakcreak" we had been hearing, it turned out to be the left wheel hub bearing. I noticed when I had that side apart the knuckle had some nasty wear marks where the dust seal should have been, kinda like sometime in the past a wheel bearing came apart and wore down the bore for the seal. We have owned the truck for maybe 6 or 7 years (?) and I have never had a problem with it, so the knuckle is still serviceable except for the fact there is no dust seal. I'll get a knuckle eventually and replace it so I can put a new seal in. Not worried about it right now.

The system here wouldn't let me drop all the pics in one post, so I split them up into a few posts.

 

[AksoBruce]

More pics.

 

[AksoBruce]

2WD lower control arm against 4WD lower control arm.

I got on the NAPA website and found the correct control arms. I'll get those ordered after income tax comes in.

 

[AksoBruce]

New lower ball joint and the only thing I forgot to do before reassembly.

I noticed after I had the right side put together I had neglected to put the grease zert in. Let me tell you, boys and girls, this is the reason women like mechanics, because our fingers can get in and work in tight places without a line of sight to get the job done.

Poke me with a fork, 'cause I'm done.

 

[jr1under]

New lower ball joint and the only thing I forgot to do before reassembly.

I noticed after I had the right side put together I had neglected to put the grease zert in. Let me tell you, boys and girls, this is the reason women like mechanics, because our fingers can get in and work in tight places without a line of sight to get the job done.

Poke me with a fork, 'cause I'm done.

I replaced LBJ's about ten years ago and still remember how cool it was that they were built for a grease fitting and how hard it was to get that bastage squarely threaded.