darrengee

Should there be any play in the front wheel hub/bearings? I have a vibration in the front end and in the steering wheel between 50-60mph. I started to put my spare tire on the front left to see if it was a tire balance issue. I jacked it up off the ground and grabbed the front wheels at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock position and noticed that I could feel a little play in the bearings. Not much at all (less than 1/16"). Both sides have about the same amount of play.
Is this normal?? The bearings are quiet and roll smooth.

darrengee

Oh, it's a 2008 thats probably never seen off road with 82,000 miles

ronjenx

There should be no play in the front hub bearings. They are preloaded when manufactured. The tragic thing is, they can not be adjusted.

Go to this thread to see how they are made, if you haven't already seen it:
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...-Bearing-Study

darrengee

Thanks for the reply. That's what i thought, too. Do you think that just a slight amount of play would cause a vibration in the front end and cause the steering wheel to shimmy a little?

ronjenx

It could cause all that. Look for other causes, too. Tire balance comes to mind.
A small amount of play indicates the hub is on its way out. Probably no reason to replace immediately if your symptoms aren't too bad yet. Start looking for a new hub. I have found the Timken Hub, (Timken in name only), has a lifetime warranty, and was less than $100, a year ago. I found them at VIP Auto Parts, which is a New England store.

Jarodbeg

have you checked your ball joints? i was getting a shimmy and replaced my ball joints with 37k miles. now it's all better.

ronjenx

That's a good point, if he hasn't actually seen where the play is.

mkjeep

X2 on this, have someone else shake the tire and look at your ball joints (or just stick your head around) before you buy new hubs.

darrengee

I can see and feel the movement on the back side (inside) the hub when I wiggle it. Plus I don't think its the ball joints since the steering nuckle doesn't move when I wiggle the rotor (I have wheel spacers).