Bad wheel bearing, Bad CV, or Bad LBJ?

[T4RNightHawk]

I can shake my passenger side wheel when its jacked up which is a classic sign of a bad wheel bearing. However when I was looking in the FSM it said wheel shudder (which I experience at highway speeds on hills) is a symptom of a bad CV axle. I just recently rebuilt the cv axle on that side and found that there was almost no grease in the inner boot. The tripod bearings didn't look worn and neither did the outers (no metal in the cup or anything). I put new grease in and didn't think twice about it. I can't remember when the shuddering started but I wanna say it was around that time. However recently it has gotten a bit worse.

Then again it could also be a worn LBJ (which I have replacements for since those boots are torn) or wheel bearing according to the FSM.

Bottom line is what do y'all think it is? I'm praying its a bearing because I can't afford another OEM axle and the o'reilly axle I bought a while back was horrible (tripod joint didn't pivot).

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I've noticed that factory CVs don't seem to have as much grease in them as you would think, even the new packages of grease for the newer 5th Gens and Tacomas don't seem as much as you would think.

Do you mean you can grab the wheel at 12 & 6 o'clock and wiggle it? That would indicate a bad wheel bearing. If you can grab it at 3 & 9 and wiggle it slightly before turning the wheel, the inner tie rod is probably worn.

When you did your CV Axle, did you tighten down the axle nut properly and verify that the CV shaft was seated completely before pinning it?

 

[T4RNightHawk]

I've noticed that factory CVs don't seem to have as much grease in them as you would think, even the new packages of grease for the newer 5th Gens and Tacomas don't seem as much as you would think.

Do you mean you can grab the wheel at 12 & 6 o'clock and wiggle it? That would indicate a bad wheel bearing. If you can grab it at 3 & 9 and wiggle it slightly before turning the wheel, the inner tie rod is probably worn.

When you did your CV Axle, did you tighten down the axle nut properly and verify that the CV shaft was seated completely before pinning it?

I haven't paid attention to where I grabbed but I'm pretty sure my tie rod is shot since I can see it moving and the one on the other side doesn't so it's not the rack. And yes the nut is torqued to like 150 or whatever and the axle is seated.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I haven't paid attention to where I grabbed but I'm pretty sure my tie rod is shot since I can see it moving and the one on the other side doesn't so it's not the rack. And yes the nut is torqued to like 150 or whatever and the axle is seated.

Well as I said before, if it you grab it from the 12 & 6 o'clock positions and it wiggles that's a wheel bearing. Inner tie-rod could be shot and that's what lightly wiggling it at the 3 & 9 o'clock positions will help determine.