CV Axle Play - possible cause of vibrations?

HTML:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/v1eS28Ie_B8

https://youtube.com/shorts/v1eS28Ie_B8?si=JzGiiAJaHT5aq9mr

Is this amount of play normal on a CV Axle? There is play up and down, and side to side. More than the standard 0.001 in. More play on the driver's side. Trying to find the culprit behind vibrations at high speeds (60-75mph) that are coming from front wheel base area, no vibrations upon braking. Seems like vibrations go away when turning, but when wheel is straight it is worse. Haven't tested it on 4Hi recently.

2012 TRD Off Road, no lift, 141k miles

Other checks done:
Alignment, wheel balancing and rotations done several times since noticing symptoms
Drive shaft has no dents, u-joints seem good
Tie rod ends are tight
Suspension is good
No torn boots

 

Have you lifted the front end with the wheels and tires still on and given the wheels a shake to check your wheel bearings?

That video shows WAY more play than I would think acceptable.

 

Might be time for ECGS bushing. I think the test is to drive straight with the vibration and turn on 4wd and see if it goes away. I'd do some searching here on TW for more information on ECGS bushing.

 

That amount of play might be a bit much..

But I'd check for a bad wheel bearing which is much more common. Your vibes going away when turning is suspect for a wheel bearing

The shake test at 12 and 6 o'clock will show you if its completely hammered but a better test is to...
Lift the front wheels off the ground and simply spin the wheel while holding the steering knuckle with your hand. It should be whisper quiet and smooth. Any roughness or growl heard and/or felt through the knuckle is a bad bearing. Don't worry about the brakes rubbing, you actually won't feel that.
Compare side to side. If one side is quiet and the other side is just a touch louder or rougher sounding in any way, I can almost guarantee you the louder side is the bad bearing. Trust me it works

They only get floppy when they get really bad, and usually they're howling by that point. But long before they get loose and loud they can get dry and cause various symptoms

The right front bearing one my truck (2015 w/ 181k miles) is going and all it does is make a subtle scraping noise at the last 1-2 mph coming to a stop. Sounds like a quiet brake scraping but its not brakes.

If its dry it could be causing a vibration. U-joints in driveshafts do the same thing

 

Yup - wheel bearings were fine, no play in wheels when jacked up. And no noticeable noise or vibration on long sweepers. Thanks!

 

Yeah that's what I've been reading. That in addition to needle bearings. Will have to do the 4wd test- thanks

 

I'll have to try that - thanks. Turned the wheels themselves but didn't touch the steering wheel when it was lifted off the ground.

 

Spin the wheel and tire down at the ground, not the steering wheel. The knuckle is the part behind the wheel that holds the brake caliper and has the bearing inside of it. And the control arms attach to it

And notice I said looking for a bad bearing. Don't throw 2 wheel bearings at it because some guy in the internet said the word wheel bearing in a sentence

 

On 4x4s checking for front bearing play can be tough because you are fighting friction from the brake pads and CV shafts. The engaging-4x4 test will rule out the needle bearing. If vibrations persist, that leaves a possible bad ujoint, center bearing (if so equipped) or bad bearing.

 

In my opinion, this kinda rules out anything in the front drive axles, differential or really the entire drivetrain. That stuff should all work the same regardless of how you're turning the steering wheel

A wheel bearing on the other hand can behave differently when you weight one side of the vehicle, or take weight away.. like turning vs going straight.

Try rotating the tires