OFFICIAL 2nd gen 4x4 front differential bearing vibration thread

Yeah mine is intermitent. It comes and goes from 35-40mph now. 40-45 is pretty smooth. Better than before thats for sure but I think I might have a bad bushing from ecgs. It didn't take up any slop out of the axel comparred to the needle bearing.

 

Hello everyone. New to the form and just have been doing a lot of great reading.
I have recently noticed a vibration and checked my axles at the front diff. Left side has a lot of play with 35500 miles. All stock wheels and tires and no lift. It sounds like ECGS bushing is the way to go. I really don't want to go back to the dealer. How many miles have been put on these bushings. Thanks

 

I'm not sure of exact numbers; but there are some examples of very high miles on the bushings here.

 

Thanks uncleArt I think that's the way I'll go.

 

Member qnyla replaced his CV axle at high mileage, the bushing had 54k on it and no noticeable wear.

 

im really wondering if this will cause an issue if I keep driving it. what causes the vibration?

 

Read above post If need quick answer, machined parts > cast parts..spider gear loose in carrier allowing it to move and carrier bearing allows CV to move some as well..

 

yeah thats what I figure. The cast parts have a lot of slop compared to say a dana 30 that is machined. I bet the ecgs bushing cured a huge part of the vibration etc and the rest is the slop from castings.

Thanks everyone for the help and info.

 

Did this last Thursday, Friday and this Monday (I put in all new LCA's and OME lift). The ECGS bushing took up a lot of play on the driver's side CV axle. Feels good, BUT….I was getting an intermittent rough/grinding feel like when I had before I replaced the needle bearing.

Put it on the lift and ran it in 4H while using an automotive stethoscope. Wheel bearings nice and quiet, brake calipers kinda had a noise on both sides, but could definitely hear the shitty needle bearing on the passenger side when I put it on the diff there near the CV axle.

I'm not about to crack open my diff to get to that needle bearing, and I'm not going to drop 1k or more on an ARB locker (although that would be cool). I'll just keep using this diff until it blows up, and then I'll deal with it then. For now, I'm done chasing phantom noises, and satisfied with the fix I have in place now.

 

^^ Agent Smith and typeone, wow , I'm beginning to wonder whether problems with the right side needle bearing are more common than I have believed.

If you have read through this giant thread...yea right....you will see several posts of mine stating that I replaced the right side too because the needle bearing ruined the running surface on the stub shaft.

You do not have to crack the differental to get to the needle bearing on the right but you do have to remove the ADD tube. There are a series of relatively recent posts here by me that address this, they are probably within the last 6 pages or so.

 

I'll go back and look, I'm interested now.

 

I read your posts and studied the factory diagram. Did you swap out your needle bearing on the passenger side with the ECGS bushing? If you did, did it cure that rough, gritty feeling we are all familiar with? And most importantly, is the bushing compatible with a passenger side repair?

I guess I have to make a decision on how badly I want this cured vs. time/downtime/$$$ to take it apart.

To be fair, I actually went up an inch on my lift vs. previous to this repair. (1" spacer before, 2" lift now with OME 884 springs). Perhaps this brought out the weakness of the passenger side, either that or it was doing it all along and the driver's side roughness was more noticeable.

The right and left CV's are nice and tight now with no real play, before the driver's side was very sloppy.

 

Did any of you guys have issues with the snap ring when pulling the axle or reinstalling? I assume most of you guys just reused the one that was on there?

 

No issues at all, it stayed put when pulling it out. The C clip didn't come off, I think it would be very hard to take off even if you wanted to. Before you reinstall, use heavy grease like Red N' Tacky, to keep the C clip centered and not cocked on the groove of the CV axle. Make sure you have the C clip facing down towards the ground when you pop it back in.

I sweated this job until I actually did it, it was easier than I thought.

 

Received my fix, then my wheel bearing went out..... because my axle wasn't torqued correctly, silly me! new wheel bearing and now my ride is smooth!!!! no more vibes!!!! i really can't believe how long I've been living with those damn vibes, and for a few bucks its fixed. WTF. Thanks ecgs!!! btw, torque your axles to 173 FT/LBS!!!

 

Yea I figured it'd go fairly easy just wasn't sure on the clip til I read a bit more. Doing the bushing and my lift tomorrow can't wait!

 

To be honest it was the bad condition of the left side on mine that got me thinking about the right side.

At the time mine was a bone stock truck with very low miles. The slop in the left CV was unbelievable, but I never had the vibes, so I can't comment on that. It was just very visible droop and anyone could look at it and tell that something was seriously wrong with the left.

After seeing what a POS that needle bearing is I started wondering what the right side might look like because the same needle bearing is used there. But the operating conditions are entirely different so initially I debated whether to look see. As stated earlier, on mine I found that the stub shaft had been hammering against needle bearing and ruined the running surface of the shaft.*

In the end, on the right I replaced both the ball bearing where the CV shaft enters the ADD tube and the needle bearing, and the ruined stub shaft.

As far as equivalent parts right to left:

Left Needle Bearing = Right Needle Bearing (identical part no.)
Therefore, the Left Side ECGS Bushing = Right Side ECGS Bushing

So I have the ECGS bushing on both sides.

*Footnote. Why the hammering look on the right side? IDK but I do use the 4lo Trac mod a lot. Perhaps shock loading through the diff. as the brakes are activated in Trac?

 

my right cv is nice and tight. Not nearly the amount of play my drivers side has. Still have a slight vibe between 35-40 mph or so but I can live with it I guess. People tell me it won't hurt anything so Im good with that.

 

yeah, I called ecgs and they said it won't hurt anything what so ever so as long as it stays the same im ok.

 

So I have had the ECGS bushing installed for about 4k miles. Right after install the CV was nice and snug with little movement. I was under the truck today and the CV has a lot more movement now...Is this common? My vibes have not returned, I just found this interesting that the play in the CV is back!?!?