lexluthier72 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Hey all....so, I never real nailed down my steering clunk (from previous post) I had the passenger side front wheel up in the air today and grabbed at 12 and 6 and gave it a shake, and again at 9 and 3 and did the same. Light clunk in both directions....I did not have a helper. Visually I could not see any flex in the ball joints, or the tie rod end. I did notice the brake rotor moving slightly....Could my hub be loose? (and causing the clunk) Anybody know off hand what size socket the front hub nut is? 2.5L 2WD..... -Erin p.s.- Any other thoughts welcome, and yes, I will try it again with a helper tomorrow evening..... Edit: The wheel bearings do not sound bad when the wheel is rotated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepcoma Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 If you can visibly see your brake rotor moving around... that's not good. The rotor is torqued up against the wheel, so if you're really seeing the rotor floating around then you should also see the same movement with the wheel (which could also explain some suspension issues you've been having?). The rotor is held in place on one side by the hub (and technically the pressed in studs), and clamped from the other by the wheel/lug nuts. First things first, are your lug nuts all good and tight? If so, remove the wheel and repeat your test, it should be pretty easy to see what's going on. Start taking things off in order to drill down, it's a pretty simple system to diagnose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexluthier72 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 Thanks Jeepcoma. I assume the hub nut can to a certain extent snug up the hub/rotor? I have not seen an exploded view of how it goes together. I'll report what I find tomorrow, if my helper shows up. -E. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexluthier72 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 So, correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like my hub/wheel bearings are either out of adjustment, or the wheel bearings, even though not making any noise, are probably shot. I just took a look at the Chilton manual on how it goes together. I will check the hub/nut adjustment, and check the wheel bearings. -E. I need to know the socket size for the hub nut....anyone? I don't have anything that big.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
64 Cheyenne Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I had an elusive "clunk", turned out to be a loose trackbar to frame mount. My fix was to tighten the bolts, then tackweld the bracket to the frame....clunk is now gone. The sound was hard to find, I found it from the telltale marks around the mounting mounts that can be seen from looking up on the underside of the frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexluthier72 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 64cheyenne....that is on my list of things to replace. :D Edit: Is Axle hub nut 36mm on a 2wd?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepcoma Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I don't believe there's any difference in hubs between the 2wd and 4wd. http://www.myjeepxj.com/cherokee-repair ... eplacement Good point about the trackbar, I was thinking (possibly incorrectly) from your other threads that you'd solved all the rod end issues and whatnot. If those have any slop though, you will be able to wiggle the wheel (attached to the rotor, attached to the hub) back and forth, because with loose ends the two wheels aren't controlled 100%. In other words, the steering is connected to the right wheel with one end, then the left wheel is connected to the right wheel through two more ends. If either of those have play, the wheels can steer independently (major cause of death wobble too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexluthier72 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 Nope. I have not solved any of the steering issues. (having trouble getting my mechanic buddy over here as my helper) I will re-assess the tie rod ends/ball joints as well. I'm off to pick up the hub socket. (just in case) Thanks so much. The good news is, Napa carries the "hub assembly" for the 2wd for $50 if that is the issue..... -E. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I believe 90 was the cross over year from a rebuildable spindle to a hub assembly like the 91+ axles used (2wd and d30). If you have the hub assembly piece, an impact wrench will become your best friend getting that axle nut off. If it does come to that, you should go ahead and replace the ball joints. I am sure they are worn out. I was amazed how 'tight' my TJ felt after doing ball joints, any they were only 7 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexluthier72 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 Here's a photo with the wheel off. It looks like a "serviceable" hub :dunno: I have a 1" breaker bar, and a long cheater, and heat! And from the rear (best I could do) The ball joints feel Solid! The play is definitely in the brake rotor (the only thing that moves)Am I correct that this is the "serviceable" hub/rotor assembly? Any thoughts would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexluthier72 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 Update: The "hub nut" is NOT 36mm. It is 27mm. (1990 2wd) I pulled off the hub nut cover, took off the cotter pin. the nut was barely hand tight. I snugged it up until the play/clunk was gone, and re-assembled. The wheel bearings feel fine, and she rode fine. Still have to find the source of my steering clunk, but at least this hub issue is solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepcoma Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Thank God for cotter pins :eek: :bowdown: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Good to hear. I reviewed the FSM and it indicated the 2wd axle nut is only torqued to 12 ft-lbs. This was quite surprising to me as the 4wd axle nut is torqued to 175 ft-lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexluthier72 Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 Yep...Cotter pin saved my Hinney. :D On to the next battle....steering, and beer. Edit: In case no one caught it, I did not use a wrench to remove the nut...Yikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexluthier72 Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 A long overdue update....I believe I have solved my supposed steering clunk. I was changing the starter today. (quite a long time from this post!) and...we happened to notice a fairly large bolt laying in the driveway. Turns out, it is the bolt that holds the transmission to the cross member. I have not taken it out for more than a few minutes since re-installing it, but I noticed as I pulled into the driveway, that there was no clunk as I turned the hard corner into the driveway..... :banana: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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