I have been getting a vibration lately around 35-45 mph. I dont know much on suspension and steering so you guys are going to have to take it easy on me. Tie rod ends are solid but I can move the drag link I believe (comes off of pitman arm) back and forth quite a bit, should it be solid? When I jack the blazer up I can move the drivers front tire holding it top and bottom toward and away from me. Is that a wheel bearing? Lugnuts are all tight tire pressure is fine. If you think it is anything please tell me how to replace as well.


Thanks as always

Mike

Yeah, sounds like you need to service your bearings....... and yeah that arm probably shouldn't move that much......

Wheel bearings? Are the ball joints on these?

Yeah.... but I'd check and make sure your bearings are good and adjusted properly first....

How?

take the hubs apart and clean everything up, grease the bearing up and put it back together

white lithium correct?

Hi temp axle grease......

wheel bearings will have play up and down,left and right, all over. the ball joints will have play up and down. to test for sure. when wheel is up, one guy pry wheel up and down with a bar while other guy looks at ball joints for play

The other side is tight though and has no play. Should the drag link move easily by hand whether jacked up or not?

define what you mean by move. wobble and wiggle, play in the ends?

With one hand on top and one on bottom of tire (think 12 and 6) I can move the tire back and forth maybe an 1/8 inch, when the truck is supported on jack stands.

that sounds like ball joints. if it will move the same 3 and 9, then the bearings are loose. the tie rod ends would be the big rod going across. with wheels on ground if you can see play in it trying to move it, an end is worn

No it doesn't really move at 3 and 9. Yeah the tie rod ends are good, does your drag link move at all by hand?

the one off the pitman arm? ya it will twist around, but if you can grab it and make the ends move up and down, their worn.

Ok it twists up not up and down so thats good. Thanks everyone for the help!

you can do ball joints yourself but you pretty much need access to a press to get them in and out and a special socket to set preload on the top one. the bottom ones usually wear first, but you have to get the top one out to get the bottom one out. because of this, most people change both. then you need an alignment after

I just went out there and they look fine no movement in the joint even with a prybar, the rubber actually looks great like recently replaced. I do see a few screws missing on the locking hub though, i bet some dirt or water got in there and could have messed some things up.

then take them apart, clean them and lube with light oil. you should repack and tighten the bearings, you'll need the special socket for the axle nut

light oil? Like bar oil for my chainsaw (wow im redneck)?

motor oil, don't use grease, the hubs end up sticking

motor oil, don't use grease, the hubs end up sticking

On the hubs.......... use hi temp axle grease on the bearings......

yea just ask me how grease makes hubs stick. damn crap stuck my auto garbage hubs from locking when i was stuck. so then i got rammy reved the nuts out of the engine and they locked, all that speed went somewhere and it wasnt the tires. popped a u joint. so put oil in them even though they are manual hubs.

Speaking of U-joints, did you check them yet. That's a common cause of vibration at certain speeds

like others have said dont use grease on hubs only on bearings i too did a mistake once and used grease on my lockouts wow what a mistake it was. in the winter i could not lock my hubs in it would not turn. what i used on my hubs was antisize and had no problems

Speaking of U-joints, did you check them yet. That's a common cause of vibration at certain speeds

U joints are perfect no movement at all, I am now hearing a squeaking metal on metal sound from the rear though.

that can be a ujoint going or brakes. the rear end usually growls. drive it a while. get under, feel the ujoints, a hot one is going

Jacked it up and let in run in drive while i listened underneath the squeaking is definelty coming from the driveshaft so it must be u joints.

i've dropped the driveshaft due to vibration , checked all the ujoints and all seemed tight and fine. 2 weeks later one blows. the heat test will usually show you which one is burning out

Alright I'll just replace them both and see what happens its not like they will break the bank. I have a press so its not to big of a deal.

vice and sockets works easier than a press sometimes. hammer and sockets if your on the road

So I pulled one out and it was completely destroyed on one of the posts almost worn all the way through. Previous owner must have used some weird grease because it was completely hardened not allowing new grease to be pumped in by the zirc fitting. and it was made in japan....

good job. i can tell you from expierence, its better to find now then when your driveshaft starts banging on the road and the frame

Yeah that happened to my dad in his old ramcharger, it was a rebuild and the frame was never fixed quite right so you replaced u joints about every oil change. One time the transfer case side one failed and the whole vehicle pole vaulted. It was a front wheeled drive ramcharger for a while haha.