steering jerk - bad wheel bearing??

LowDownZ28

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Apr 10, 2002, 8:07:23 PM4/10/02

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My 91 K1500 is decided it wants to have slightly jerky steering
intermittantly....I can recall several months back, after changing the
driver side wheel bearing/hub assembly, that the right one had some lateral
slop...but I didn't touch it at the time.

Driving straight down a smooth road, the truck tracks well...but
intermittantly its like someone grabs the wheel and jerks it to the
right....turning sharply to the left yeilds almost rhythmic jerking to the
right...

I get the feeling the bearing is going to seize soon, and its "grabbing",
pulling the wheel to the right. Does this sound plausible, or should I be
looking closer at the front end?

b

Martin Riddle

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Apr 10, 2002, 10:49:40 PM4/10/02

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Sounds like your front end is going into oscillations. This can happen with
large tires and a lift. I saw one Blazer exibit this problem and it looks
very violent! ( I felt safe after he passed me) It'll only happen at
certain speeds. And can be tamed with a steering stabilizer.

Your bearings will squeal and grind if they were a problem. They cant
produce enough bind to cause a sudden 'jerk', and it's unlikely they would
if they failed alltogether. (but they would cause a pull)

Cheers
Martin

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Jim West

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Apr 10, 2002, 11:26:07 PM4/10/02

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Your problem could be worm tie rod ends.. When they go bad you can get a
bad back anf forth jerk in the steering, usually does not quit until you
either slow down or jerk the whee back and fouth yourself.

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LowDownZ28

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Apr 11, 2002, 7:52:13 PM4/11/02

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> Sounds like your front end is going into oscillations. This can happen
with
> large tires and a lift. I saw one Blazer exibit this problem and it looks
> very violent! ( I felt safe after he passed me) It'll only happen at
> certain speeds. And can be tamed with a steering stabilizer.

Actually, the jerks are very random in nature and always pull to the right.
The truck has a minimal lift and 265-75-16 bush tires (hardly big) for as
long as I've owned it...the problem just crept up yesterday.

> Your bearings will squeal and grind if they were a problem. They cant
> produce enough bind to cause a sudden 'jerk', and it's unlikely they would
> if they failed alltogether. (but they would cause a pull)

Yeah, i was told they would make a hell of a racket...but my mechanic said
when it quits completely, it will almost surely trie and lock up the
wheel....

> Cheers
> Martin

brian

LowDownZ28

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Apr 11, 2002, 7:53:25 PM4/11/02

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I get the feeling there will be some front end parts involved with a 280,000
KM truck...not a big deal, cause I'm slowly piecing away at the wearing
items and will soon have a truck thats better than new! :) :) Not
quite...but its nice to know that you've tightened up the front end with
fresh parts....

will let you know what turns out to be worn.

b

LowDownZ28

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Apr 13, 2002, 9:14:14 PM4/13/02

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Looks like the culprit(s) were a loose idler arm and upper ball joint on the
left. Also unrelated (but related to another thread), the "thud" I was
getting upon acceleration is gone as well...two for one!
b

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musql...@reallybigfoot.com

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Apr 16, 2002, 4:23:08 PM4/16/02

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EVO Sensor. It is starting to go bad. For some reason it manifests
itself in the right hand turns but not the left. That is its MO.

Dan

Dan Dunphy

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Apr 16, 2002, 6:02:43 PM4/16/02

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This happened to me, accompanied by a chirp. It Was a front wheel
bearing, spinning momentarily in the hup. By the time I figured it
out, the race was quite loose in the hub. 67 Camaro.
Dan
Colorado Springs, CO
My advice may be worth what you paid for it.