Rear wheel wobble
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iAlex684
New member
Thanks for the reply! But
-There is no build up inside the rim it got cleaned over the weekend.
-I don't think the wheel is bent since they're brand new (has about 3000 miles on them)
-Maybe it could be out of balance
-Lug nuts are tight
I don't know about the last three... Nothing seems out of place looking under and behind. I have a 3 inch Toytec lift and I possibly need a Panhard bar to re align the rear axle because it sticks out further on the passenger side.
the tire is bad or the wheel weights fell off both are very common failures. move tire to front then you will know if it the wheel or axle.
iAlex684
New member
If I took my wheel to the shop and checked if it was balance would you confirm there is something wrong within the axle and not the wheel/tire? Or should I just swap?
just swap tire save time . if it moves to front then the tire shop will fix it I hope warranty on 3K tires/bal job..
if still at rear axle then that maybe something else.. bearing/caliper/brake pads etc..
Sometimes a seperation is visible as a bubble or bump but not always. Pull it off, put on your spare and see if it's the tire. If all's well with the spare bring the tire back to where you bought it and get a pro-rated replacement.
TechWrench
Senior Member
Lots of good suggestions so far. But to be sure we are trying to diagnose the correct issue, a few questions. You use the term 'wobble', Do you mean that you can actually see the wheel/tire moving side to side while it is turning, or are you describing a vibration feeling when driving?
If you are not sure, an easy way to check for side to side movement in either the wheel or tire tread is to have someone else drive the vehicle slowly while you follow in another vehicle and watch how the wheel turns. If both the wheel and tire move side to side, then the possible causes are a bent wheel, a bent axle (which isn't common), or the wheel wasn't mounted properly on the hub. if just the tire moves, but the wheel turns true, then you probably have a broken belt in the tire. If the wheel and tire appear to turn normally, with no side to side movement, and you are feeling a vibration, then you most likely have a balance problem.
iAlex684
New member
Thanks for tips. It's a side to side movement while I am driving I was able to confirm that because I angled my side mirror to watch the wheel and my girlfriend told me when she was driving behind me yesterday. Today I swapped the wheel to the front and brought the front to the rear and saw the same result. I made sure if it was mounted correctly by taking off the center caps.
So I guess it could be a bent axle?
gm350reratliff
New member
Now it sounds like the axle flange is bent. Slide into any curbs lately? Feeling any pulsating in the brakes?
iAlex684
New member
Haven't slid into curbs and no pulsating brakes. This sides been acting up lately I had to resurface the rotor about a onto month ago because it got warped and yesterday I notice that the last brake job before I started owning it someone put in a incorrect brake pad because I can move it up and down.
TechWrench
Senior Member
It is possible that the axle could have been bent by an accident with the previous owner, but I would think you would have noticed the wobble earlier. It would take a pretty hard hit to bend the axle. About how much side to side movement does the wheel make when turning?
You mentioned you did the rear brakes, and had the rotor turned. One possibility could be that some debris, like rust scale, has gotten between the axle flange and the rotor when you reinstalled it, which can cause the rotor to not sit square on the flange. If this is the case, this would then cause the wheel to also not mount square to the axle, and wobble. This could also cause a vibration in the rear brake system at that wheel.
I would suggest taking a close look at the rear braking caliper and rotor.
Also, it is not unusual for both the front and rear wheels to bent in a side impact incident, so make sure that the front wheel is actually turning true after you swapped them, it would not surprise me if both are bent.
Bent flange/shaft/bad wheel bearing?
Hey guys, new to the forum, but I've been scouring it for a solution to my rear drivers side wobble. I took some advice I found here and took the wheel and drum off to see if the hub/flange had any wobble to it. Here is what I found.
https://youtu.be/85SQEDup_hk
Can someone shed some light on my best course of action, or if this could even be the cause of what I'm feeling at higher speeds?
I'm wondering if it's the bearing, or the flange/axle shaft, and what to do about it. I plan on keeping this thing for a long time. Thanks in advance!
Hey guys, new to the forum, but I've been scouring it for a solution to my rear drivers side wobble. I took some advice I found here and took the wheel and drum off to see if the hub/flange had any wobble to it. Here is what I found.
https://youtu.be/85SQEDup_hk
Can someone shed some light on my best course of action, or if this could even be the cause of what I'm feeling at higher speeds?
I'm wondering if it's the bearing, or the flange/axle shaft, and what to do about it. I plan on keeping this thing for a long time. Thanks in advance!
TechWrench
Senior Member
Looked at your video, and do not see anything unusual that would cause a wobble. The slight difference in the outer edge of the hub does not mean anything, it is just a variance between the original part casting, and the final machining of the center hub and placement of the lug bolt holes. If you watch carefully, there is no discernible variation in either the center hub or the lug bolts when the axle turns. These two items, the center hub and lug bolts determine the turning center of the wheel. From what I can see, if the wobble is coming from this area, it has to be either a bent wheel, or a deformed tire.
flange looks good but it looks like the bearing is worn but hard to say it is from my location.. if that flange secure no movement lateral ? if so probably not a problem . if it was some how bent slightly you would feel this wobble at all speeds. tires do fail .. the belts can break and the tire is not round ..will do it. placing a measuring device on the frame and rotate the hub by hand see if the measurement changes compare to the other side. also check that the rims are not bent .. possible..
benztech82
Member
I would try to check for wheel bearing play- when your wheel is tight, try to move a tire side to side and bottom up ( not turning your tire)see if there is any movement in comparison to other side's. Also if you are able to jack up your vehicle and keep it in gear freespining your tires in the air. Use a stethoscope or a large screwdriver as close as possible to a wheel bearing. If noise is louder on wobbly side that on the other, I would fault that wheel bearing. Oh and use common sense in regards of safety with vehicle jacked and with tires spinning.
Hope this helps.
Sent from my Redmi 4 using Tapatalk
Thanks for helping out so fast. I should have noted that I swapped my front right with left rear wheels, and the wobble stayed in the left rear. I did notice the problem when I bumped up to 32" tires on some aftermarket 17" FJ steelies last month, but I had them balanced 3 different times at 3 different shops (That was a fun couple of weeks). Two out of round wheels were replaced for free, and here we are! I'm determined to get this fixed, and I'll definitely try the methods you recommended tomorrow night.
Anything else you can think of that might be causing the wobble, if not the axle/flange? It definitely starts happening at higher speeds, and is there most of the time, but not all.
It used to happen pretty badly on the right side. I replaced the shocks, which fixed the right side wobble, but now something is wonky on the left. I put the old "good" shock back on that side, and it minimizes the wobble some, but it's still there for sure. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills at this point.
There is a tiny bit of lateral flange movement on both sides, but my local mechanic says it's normal? Video of that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztQh7W0rC1Y
:ybrick:
Anything else you can think of that might be causing the wobble, if not the axle/flange? It definitely starts happening at higher speeds, and is there most of the time, but not all.
It used to happen pretty badly on the right side. I replaced the shocks, which fixed the right side wobble, but now something is wonky on the left. I put the old "good" shock back on that side, and it minimizes the wobble some, but it's still there for sure. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills at this point.
There is a tiny bit of lateral flange movement on both sides, but my local mechanic says it's normal? Video of that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztQh7W0rC1Y
:ybrick:
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You'll probably find the problem pretty quick with the right tool... a dial indicator for run out.
AGCO Automotive Repair Service - Baton Rouge, LA - Detailed Auto Topics - Buying and Using a Dial Indicator
AGCO Automotive Repair Service - Baton Rouge, LA - Detailed Auto Topics - Buying and Using a Dial Indicator
