Video: Slight lateral play in front right wheel. What can this mean?

I jacked up both of my lower control arms today to check for any ball joint play. I noticed the driver side wheel has a slight lateral play in it, but no up down play. The passenger side one has no play what so ever. Here is a quick vid i took:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNAqFduuZpg&feature=player_profilepage

Could this be the lower ball joint? tie rod? wheel bearing? like i said. the right one doesn't wiggle like that at all.

I need to drive to vermont in a couple days with a small u-haul. should i get it fixed before that? how much might it cost?

Thanks in advance.

 

That's usually wheel-bearing, but can be any of the items you mentioned. The ball joints are all external and easy to check. If they look good, intact boots, etc., you're prolly due for a wheel bearing.

 

It's probabbly the tie rods.

 

Have someone do exactly what you did on the video, except you crawl under the truck and start feelin around while they wiggle it. I'm bettin tie rod...probably inner. Take the bellow off the rack to check it while they shake the tire. Good luck!

 

damn. i need to leave in 2-3 days and tomorrow is my gfs bday so i cant do much tomorrow.... You guys think its a serious issue or it can wait? My trip will probably be about 3500 miles. half of which with a uhaul but it shouldn't be too much weight. just some tools, my dirt bike, some tables and chairs my dad needs at his new house. Or maybe i could get it done up north?

 

If it's a tie rod, that's a fast fix with the right tools. 30 minutes or so.

if it's a wheel bearing, that's a bit of a bigger job.

As far as it being safe to drive, that depends on how worn the component is...if a tie rod goes while you're on the interstate, you're in deep shit. If the bearing is bad, it'll just keep eating itself, potentially damaging the hub if you let it go long enough.

 

wreck it, turn it in for insurance

 

Y axis play is wheel bearing.... x axis play is tie rods.... Simple as that. Now since it's x axis you need to find out whether it's the outer or inner tie rod.... quickest way is to put your finger right at the joint of the outer tie rod and have them shake it back and forth..... If you feel play in it then you know it's the outer.... if you don't feel play then you know it's inner.

 

Zackly what I was thinking, "if" it were a bearing there would play in all directions, so rod end/ends.

 

Bad wheel bearing can cause play in any direction, depending how many bearings are damaged in the race and where they are in the hub (6 o clock, 3 o clock, etc.)

If it's *rotational* play, i.e. you can push the front of the tire in and pull the rear out, or vice versa, then it's almost certainly tie rod.

I couldn't tell from the video exactly which he had.

 

WHAT??? lol.... no.... a wheel bearing can not cause bad x axis play unless the bearing is beyond destroyed... Sorry man but that just made me laugh.... The wheel as you can see is moving side to side when he moves it on the x axis (grabs the tire on the left and right side) meaning it is a tie rod....

 

I think you're not understanding me...how to put this...a bad wheel bearing can cause play in any direction from the center of the hub out towards the circumference of the tire.

If the play of the tire allows you to toe the tire in and out, it's 99% a tie rod.

If the play is axial along the CV axle...i.e. if the hub seems to be sliding in and out of the fenderwell...that's a whole other can of worms.

I'm not sure if that's any clearer.

Anyway, the video's a little hard for me to tell if the wheel is toeing or sliding foreward/backward, but it looks like it's toeing as best I can tell, now that I watch it again.

As far as axes of rotation, you'll need to define your reference points for that to have much meaning for me.

 

Okay so once I do that how do I fix it?

 

??? 30 minutes??? You must live in one of those rust-free zones. It took me the better part of a day to change out my right side inner and outer, and I still needed an alignment after that.

I'm thinking it's tie-rod as well, I had the same exact thing last year. It failed inspection due to that wiggle but I don't think it's something you absolutely have to fix right away. Have you noticed any shaking during braking? That was my first clue I had an issue. Like I said, if you live in a rusty place you should probably figure on it taking a full day to do, but the good thing is it is relatively easy once all the parts are free and de-rusted.

 

Pb blaster on the threads. Break the nuts loose first then unscrew the tie rod's bolt that goes to the inner. Hitt the steering knuckle hard with a 2lbs hammer. This will loosen the taper fitting, and the ball joint or tie rod will drop right out. Don't miss.
One of these days i'll make a vid of it on a ball joint. It makes my method easy to see.

 

I live in the south, so yes, I typically work on no/low rust vehicles.

YMMV I suppose.

This is the best kept secret of front suspension work on these trucks - everyone thinks you need a pitman puller or pickle fork to get tapers loose. Just get after the spindle with a hammer for a few good blows and they'll drop right out.

 

so i had someone wiggle the tire while i look at it. the outer tie rod (the cheap one) didn't seem to move at all. But i think i saw some play coming from inside the boot that houses the inner tie rod.... Im between getting the inner tie-rod myself and bringing it to a guy that my dad usually has his stuff done, or just bringing it to the stealership....

 

Alright. I think i know what im gonna do. The dealership wanted to charge me 170 for the inner tie-road, then 160 for alignment + install. But i found the inner tie-rods made by MOOG for 50 bucks at advance auto and a place my dad always goes too said they'll put it in and do an alignment for 125. I did a search on MOOG parts here and chris4x4 said they are quality parts so that's good enough for me. Plus i think they might be greasable, where the OE ones aren't.