I've been getting a wobble and kind of grinding noise (noise described in the next paragraph) coming from my rearend for a couple days now, and a hard wobble noticeable from about 25km/h and faster. I know I have a bent rim, and it has been re-balanced since it was bent, however I assumed the wobbling was due to the bent rim until the noise started 2 or 3 days ago. I jacked up the rear of the truck, put axle stands upder it, popped the tires off and ran the truck in gear..

I saw that the passenger side rear drum (while bolted to the axle) was wobbling.. This grind noise was making a sound like shhhh....shhhhhh...shhhhh...shhhhh and went perfectly with the rotation of the tire. I can also feel this in the brake pedal. I took off the drum and saw that everything within the brakes is fine.

Does this sound more symptomatic of a wheel bearing, or a bent/twisted axle?

I was reading my Haynes Manual, as well as searching on YT, ( https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...ration-188657/ ) and I see that the rear wheel bearings are pressed into the backing plate, and that the axle is pressed into the bearing? Can I remove an axle shaft in my driveway without needing a special puller or a press to get it back in?

I don't want to start tearing apart my rearend without being able to get everything back together in my driveway.

 

Did you see anything shiny in there? Drum or backing plate?

 

I had to replace the rear axle bearings in my 86 4Runner a few months ago, they were so bad that you could wiggle them a 1/4'' in any direction. you can unbolt the axles and pull them out, its easy to do, remove the brake drum and remove four nuts from the backing plate and pull the axle out, take the axles and new bearing to a local machine shop and have the old bearing removed and the new ones pressed on, also replace the axle seals while you have it a part.

 

You'll also want to take the brake line off the wheel cylinders and remove the e-brake cable from the lever in the backing plate if you need to pull the axles.

 

And its smart to have the bearing pressed in from a shop. they dont go in easily!

You can use the old inner seal to press the new inner in. it works quite well.

(just did a bearing / seal job on my rear pass side.

 

I will pull the axles this weekend and check for a warped axle or bearing play, and replace whats necessary..

I think my axle is twisted/bent somehow.. there is a lot of consistent wobble... this will all have to wait until I replace my idler pulley.. lotta play in that bearing, will definately let go tomorrow..