I hope ther's not a limit on dumb questions, wheel bearing/kingpin issue...

Thanks to all who posted a reply to my shackle / lift identification. I sincerely appreciate it. Now, I am tunnel visioned on the front end to the point where I dream about it. This cant be normal......
One thing seems to lead to another, and while examing the front end of my recent aquisition..,..1965 cj...I thought I'd check the wheel bearings. The FSM calls for checking the bearings by trying to wiggle the wheel on the 3 and 9 oclock positions. No wobble there...however....grasping the wheel at 6 and 12 oclock yields about a 1/4 of movement in the tire. Would this be steering knuckle/kingpin bearings starting to fail? If so, when rebuilding the knuckles...is it advisable to change the races along with the bearings as a pair?
Wow...and to think I still am at the front of the vehicle and am already in panic mode...whats going to happen if/when I get past the radiator?

R)
Listen fellers....I might not know much about jeeps...but I am a whiz in the construction business....commercial tennant finish to be exact...and while I might not be able to contribute much technical assistance to anyone here concerning these fine old vehicles....maybe I can help there....
Wished I could reciprocate the willingness to help that all of you guys have shown me. I think I am starting to understand "It's a jeep thing" better and better.

Mike in KC

 

Assuming you have the tire in question off the ground, I would think that it could be a kingpin issue. Or possibly loose knuckle bolts. Can't offer much about kingpin races, but if it were me and I had it apart I think I would replace the races while in there.

Oh, and I can't speak for everyone, but I'm sure most would agree that it is a pleasure to help out where we can. I enjoy it.....

 

it's worth it to just replace the races at the same time unless they are really good. chances are that if the bearings are shot the race is as well.

if you search for kingpin on here you'll find some of the hints. it's not too bad a job. i spread it out over a few days but some here have done the job in about 4 hours i think.

on this site there truly is no such thing as dumb questionl. everyone here remembers being at the beginning at some point. that's the great part about the folks here. everyone is here to help and be helped if they need/want it.

heh as far as dreaming about it.... well... i was out of town and wound up having a dream about the HEI conversion i was going to start when i returned (about a week later).... normal? depends on where you hang out i guess. unfortunately you found a cj and then came here. so my guess is that yeah... it's normal R) might as well enjoy it. there are certainly worse things.

 

Classic jeep stuff!

This sounds a lot like kingpin bearings. If they wear enough, the front end shimmy can become an unstoppable 'death wobble' when you hit a bump at speed. (A steering damper can disguise this condition.)

I've seen the roller bearings wear vertical ridges across the races, making proper adjustment impossible. I'd replace the races unless they seem perfect. Search the forum for threads on this.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Pete

 

I saved a copy of the Dr. Vern write up on the knuckles. Send me a PM if you want me to e-mail it to you.

 

i almost wrecked my car driving to work thinking bout how i would start painting this summer. wew i need helpR) R) R)

 

I could be a variety of the things. Go ahead and place that axle on a jackstand, remove the wheel, and do some "Inspector Clouseau". Have plenty of shop rags around & a camera to take bunches of pictures in case you forget how everything goes back together.

 

I can't speak to the possible kingpin issue - never seen a bad (wore out) one. I would say that 1/4" movement may not mean much.

Dreaming of your Jeep - that's perfectly normal.

If it's an old vehicle (65 qualifies) and new to you by all means pull those hubs off and inspect those bearings. They don't cost much and you may just want to go ahead and change them. At least inspect and repack with grease. And, take a real good look at those brakes.

 

I have finally had time to check my front end, albiet at 4am, so the wife won't complain that I spend more time with my 67 then her!

Anyways the races on the king pins are bad and I want to replace them... how do you get them out? Also how do you install them?

Thanks,

-Mark

 

When I got my "find" home, and put it on the jack stands, I found about an inch or more play at 12-6 o'clock!! I found the remains of the upper king pin bearing mixed in the lube-water-soil mix that occupied my joint. Glad I did not try to drive it home....

 

as adam said. Gently at first and from the non-race side (from the back through the hole) tap the inside edge of the race moving around the edges until it falls out.

i saved the best of the old races (smooth lip/edge) to use to carefully tap the new races in place. place the old one cup side facing the cup side edge and tap evenly and gently.