toyotatom93

It has been pulling to the right for a while and turns I have some loose parts in the front end...long story short one shop said ball joints and idler arm, took it to the shop that did my ball joints last year and they say wheel bearings, but ball joints and idler arms are fine. I have yet to take it to my real mechanic and just ask him to look at the front end with no heads up on anything.

So I ordered a new set of bearings because I also have to do some brake stuff to the front and rear.

My big question is what else should I consider replacing on the front end? Should I be worried about the CV's or anything else since I put a whack of miles on it with the alignment off? Unfortunately I cant afford to replace everything at the moment, so just looking for some advise on what to do while I do the front pads.

thook

You're wheel bearings may not be bad and just need to be repacked. I would try that first. If you don't need the new ones, take them back. You will at least need new inner seals when you repack them, though.

A pull to the right sounds like an idler arm or tie rod end to me.

How did they inspect the IA? You can do this for yourself real easily. Jack the front end up high enough so that the tires clear. Use some jack stands! Then, yank on the IA itself. If you have any play, the bushings are shot. You can replace it or rebuild it. Rebuilding them is very cheap....like around $15. But, if the connecting link (that mates to the steering relay rod) feels dry or incredibly loose (should move around with a fair amount of resistance, albeit smoothly) then it's toast and you'll just need to buy a new unit. Those can't be rebuilt.

Also, check the tie rod ends in the same way you checked the connecting link for the idler arm.

I wouldn't worry about anything being damaged except the tires. Rotate them often until you can fix the loose front end. That will help a little.

anotherjeff

Are BC trucks eligible for the Special Service Campaign (Relay Rod Replacement)?
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...8-t100s-66901/

toyotatom93

From what I remember they used a pry bar on the IA and tie rod, there was not much movement, but there was some for sure. They also moved one wheel to see how the other mirrors it, there was a little play but they said it was acceptable. So would worn bushings cause the truck to drift?

When they wiggled the wheel around you could see the bearing moving quite a bit.
They also used the bar on the wheel to test the ball joint. Now at the previous shop when they said the BJ was bad they moved the wheel back and forth a lot at showed me the ball joint moving (they also did not use a pry bar). At the second shop after the BJ checked out with the pry bar test I told him it moved while it was shaken. The guy held a finger on the (I forgot what, a screw or something on the ball joint) and while they moved the wheel and the thing moved with the ball joint, proving the BJ was not loose.

I never got to move the stuff my self while it was up so I cant say how loose anything felt. I will try to test the IA and TRE tomorrow if I can find some time and jack stands, if not, this weekend for sure.

Also I am not 100% sure because it happend a while ago, and my memory sucks, but I think it went out of alignment when I was mudding and found a bad line in a rut with parking curb like rock at the end of it...Again I am not sure thats what started it, so lets say hypothetically if I ran over a curb with my wheels turned to the right a little and it hit both tires. Could that damage the bearing or would that screw up my IA or TRE?

toyotatom93

Yes, but looks like tho PO did the recall.

thook

You may not have broken anything, but you could knock the control arm out of adjustment. That's why people get kickers and/or rear IFS trusses to prevent that. On the other hand, hit a curb or something similar hard enough and yes...you could break something.

If the one shop said the play in the IA was acceptable, then it may be. Repack or replace (whatever they need) those wheel bearings and see where that gets you. The tie rod ends should have taken care of under the relay rod recall service. In order for the dealership to complete the service, they have to align.....which they can't/won't do if any of them are bad. That includes the idler arm, too.

I forgot about the recall. Thanks for pointing that out, anotherjeff.

drew303

I'm gonna skip the mass of reading above and just reply to the original post.

wheel bearings have little to do with a drift to the right or any alignment issue. I worked on a friends celica front end that had perfectly fine balljoints but the shop said they were bad. Correct me if im wrong but if a balljoint has zero play in it (other than rotating like a balljoint should!), under any load, it's fine! Some places will makeup excuses to make more $...

Idler Arms will bend, the bushings can rot or crack. If it's loose at all, then you should replace it. But if its bent or the bushings a lil greasy I wouldnt worry about it.

'play' or tolerance is built into the IFS steering system. With 4 balljoints connecting the whole linkage together you cant have a rigid perfect system. Each balljoint has its own tolerance for excess movement which leads to some lag and freeplay in the whole steering linkage.


I hate shops who pull bs out of their anus's to make a buck. always second guess what some joe shmoe mechanic says. They're just as human as you and I so don't forget that. Get second opinions if theres any shadow of a doubt.

Having said all this I'd say, feel the idler arm for yourself, get under there and move the steering linkage by hand, if you can actually budge it (a lot) by hand, you may have some worn out balljoints. Check the upper and lower A-arm balljoints for play as well (do this with the truck jacked up on stands) ... at the same time you should be able to tell if the wheel bearings are shot (wiggle the tire, left rightm top bottom all around) ... it shouldnt move at all!

thook

I'm going to skip the rest of the post and reply to this.....

If this is true about wheel bearings, then why when I've gone to alignment shop where I know the fellow and he won't rip me off does he say wheel bearings can and will if they are bad?

As well, just because there's play in the bearings doesn't mean they're bad. I've had lots of play in the front wheel bearings and got some new ones expecting them to be shot. But, when I pulled everything apart they looked pristine except for the grease. Repacked them and now they're top notch.

Okay......I'll reply some more...

There can be some play in an idler arm and not cause the vehicle to drift.(Still a good idea to replace/rebuild, though....not debating that) But, it's hard as hell to tell anyone anything over the internet and be completely accurate on what to say about a given condition. Good advice for him to feel the idler arm play himself. I would and do and even suggested it. I've been to an alignment shop that couldn't figure out why the hell they couldn't get the alignment correct. Later, I discover...duh....the idler arm is bad. How'd they miss that?

toyotatom93

OK, I got my truck up on jackstands and tried to move stuff around.
I can get a little play out of the tie rod ends by moving the tie rods themselves, like smaller then a 1/4 inch.
When I move the wheel by hand there is maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch play in the tie rods. Maybe about the same in the wheel as well.
It seems to me from the info given that maybe my bushings are on the way out.
But I was wondering if it was just the tie rods or bushings that were loose if the wheel would also have a little play, or does the wheel movement mean the bearings?

Hophead

I just replaced all this junk today so it is still fresh in my mind....

TO check for play in the steering linkage (tie-rods, Idle arm etc.) get someone to wiggle the steering wheel back and forth - while they continue to do this crawl under the front of your truck. Place a finger or fingers vertically across the joint of your tie rods, Idler arm and pitman arm- if you feel any horizantal play between the two surfaces you have wear.
To check ball joints - lift the front of your truck off the ground suspending one wheel at a time. Get a long pry bar and place the tip under the lifted tire and lift up the tire and wheel- have a look at you ball joints for any movement- if they move they have wear. To check wheel bearings perform the above- if you have movement but can not see it at your ball joints it is probably in your wheel bearings- to confirm this have someone step on the brakes while you lift the wheel- if the movement goes away when the brakes are applied it is your wheel bearings.

Hope this helps.