tc

Whoa there fella! Wheel bearings will be MAYBE $100 if it's a normal bearing job ... might be a couple hundred if you screwed up the spindle (which is unlikely) - just a drop in the bucket compared to a SAS...

and it's EASY:
http://www.off-road.com/trucks4x4/ar....jsp?id=186138

you're kinda stuck now - as it wouldn't be real smart to drive the truck anywhere behaving like that.

HOWEVER, I don't think it's wheel bearings. One, they give A LOT of warning before they go out, and they would have to be pretty much completely gone for it to be as bad as you say. I'm going with balljoint. Lower one in particular.

You need to perform the test 4Crawler described for us to help you much further.

88Yota4runner

hah alright i dont have a jack high enough to actually get my tires off the ground at the moment tho, so im just kinda screwed either way right now.

tc

Put the jack under the a-arm, out near the tire ... your tires aren't THAT big.

88Yota4runner

UPDATE ok well i DID get it jacked up high enough,, ok now i was facing the wheel dead on and gave it a spin and theres no wobble there, BUT there IS a definite grinding sound, i then proceeded to try grabbing the tire from the side with one hand on top and one on the bottom and it DEFINITELY MOVES IN AND OUT ABOUT 2 inches @_a yes it wobbles up and down AND side to side... the lug nuts are tight, and it lookes like the part where the brake pad is supposed to close down on is even moving when i wiggle the wheel... i think i was lucky to have it not fly off on me while driving down the road...

CJM

Def bad wheel bearing and more than likely balljoints.

88Yota4runner

how do i find out if its a balljoint now?

CJM

Well its hard to say, but usually if the wheel has up and down play its the balljoint iirc. You could jack it up and put a prybar under the BJ and see if it moves too.

Honestly if you have no idea when they were replaced, replace them just to be safe.

88Yota4runner

wait wait wait hah, ok i meant the wheel/tire itself wobbles in and OUT in every direction, there is no "actual" vertical play at all, the balljoint is fine *i think* and everything including the brake rotor is wobbling...

CJM

Okay sounds to me like something is seriously wrong! I wish I could see it, but not being able to the best thing I say is take it to a qualified shop and have them look at it. It sounds as if the entire axle isnt being held in place?

88Yota4runner

there isnt an actual axel its all ifs still.

CJM

Yes there is an axle, a CV axle, if something broke in there its possible for your situation but not likely. It sounds to me like the entire assembly-tire, rotor, brake, hub is all loose.

bigt

get those pickys up!
got a cell phone for pix?

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Pull the front hub and have a look at the wheel bearing on that side:
- http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/front_end/

If you can see/feel play, then look at what is moving and what is not and the stuff between what is moving and what is not is where the problem lies. If the ball joint were bad, you would see motion in the ball joint. But since you mention grinding when you spin the wheel, a ball joint would not make noise like that.

And note that the brake rotor is attached to the wheel hub and all that rides on the wheel bearings. So it is likely the wheel bearings that went south, or the spindle on which they ride.

88Yota4runner

well i KNOW theres the cv`s but when i think of an AXEL i think of like an actual SaS`d toyota axel

24Runna

Yes there is an axle per say, BUT it is not necessary, meaning if your CV went bad, your whole wheels wouldn't be flying around like that.

tc

x2

If it wobbles at both 12/6 and 3/9 o'clock, definitely wheel bearings.

Also x2 for 4Crawler's post. Time to take the wheel off and look around. Grab the brake rotor and wobble it, see if it just wobbles on the spindle, or if something else is moving too.

88Yota4runner

thanks guys ive learned alot now