Anyone seeing this.........?

[CaptnKirk]

I installed OEM 20's and OEM tires sizes and I am now chasing an "issue". As I was under the truck with the non-dealer shop, everything to the component is tight as heck except the axle shafts that the u-joints are on. The passenger side axle shaft (farthest from the pumpkin) can be moved by hand as much as a 1/4" - and this is not end play. It's flat out able to be wobbled. The driver side closest to the pumpkin moves much less by hand. BOTH move more than I would expect from any shaft with roller bearings.

The stealership said it's normal! How can that be? I run out of warranty in December so I need to know what I need to know to go in and get this resolved if there is something to be resolved.

Thanks for your comments and help in advance guys!

[PGreenSVT]

The u joints are shot. Make them fix it.

[CaptnKirk]

Originally Posted by PGreenSVT

The u joints are shot. Make them fix it.

After personally installing a Bilstein 5100 steering stabilizer (the OEM had a definite dead spot in the stroke), the condition is far better when driving.

However, I just got the rig back from the dealer and they are telling me the shaft movement is normal.

To be clear, the u-joint assy is tight. There is no slop in the actual u-joint itself. If I wrap my hand around the u-joint assy, I can move the shaft/u-joint assy about 3/16" (not end play) in any direction 90 degrees to the axis of axle rotation. The shaft end that dissappears into the hub is what is moving, not the actual u-joint assy itself.

The dealer seems stymied about this but I think I am correct that the hub has a sealed bearing in it that the shaft (outboard of the joint) sits in. If that end of the shaft is able to move, that must mean the bearing is bad in the hub, right?

I really need someone else to put a glove on and go out to their truck on the passenger side and grab the u-joint assy and see if theirs is able to move around.

Any takers? I could sure use some help here given I am out of warranty in 891 miles!