dieseltwitch

I'm needing to replace my front cv half shafts and wheel bearing.

However I'm not sure what half shafts I need to get? There seams to be a 45 and 33 spline version of them.

I have a 04' fx4 4wd, is there any vin decoding that can be done? I have to order and send them to where my truck is, I'm not around it right now?

jamie930

On the 4wd you need to get the wheel hub assbly as the bearings are sealed.

The half shaft splines would have to match the IWE splines cause the other end is a flange. If your half shafts are bad I would be replacing the IWE also

http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1...9%20205-04.pdf

dieseltwitch

Yeah I was planning on replacing all that. I'm ordering everything on rockauto.com but I'm still not sure what hub and what half shaft to got. None of the hub assemblies shows a spline count.

By IWE do you mean hub assembly or something else?

cfeick333

The IWE is that clever little collar that your shaft goes to with the vacuum lines running to it to lock your hubs. They can be a nuisance with 4wd engaging, so may be a good time to switch them out if youre going to have that all apart anyway.

jamie930

The IWE and wheel hub are separate parts.

Why do you need to replace your half shafts?

dieseltwitch

I'm not actually sure the problem is my cv's now what I'm learning about the IWE I'm thinking it might be that. I'm getting a horrible thin metal grinding sound front the front axle. I can feel it in the seat too. It defiantly drive train as it speeds up and slows down with my speed. I cleaned really well with a steam cleaner and I've notice a small patch of grease on the lower a arm that is coming from the outer cv boot. Now learning that the axle disconnects from the hub at the hub I'm wondering if the IWE hasn't gone bad. Any thoughts? My truck as 115k on it

Additional question - should the front axle spin freely when 4x4 is NOT engaged?

Bubba Sides

I would check the vacuum lines first . I had a loud grinding noise after doing my header and had broken one of the vacuum lines in the wheel well. Easy fix

cfeick333

If 4wd is not engaged, the front shafts should not be moving as the transfer case should not be sending power to them. If you jack up the front end and find that when in 2wd that yiur front shafts are rotating with the wheel then the problem is more than likely the IWE or the vacuum valve itself under the hood. Hubs do go bad but not as frequently as the IWEs. Search the topic, I have seen some very good diagnostic write ups to target the issue in better words than I can convey.

Dirttracker18

Could be a couple of things but does not sound like CVs. If the boots are not torn, CVs rarely go bad.

IWE or both or could be a wheel bearing. Do not run out and buy parts.

I would not change the IWEs if they are not bad. That's a waste of money.

Do some diagnosis and replace only what is bad or worn.

Diagnosis of bad bearings or IWE is pretty simple. You'll need and vacuum tester with gauge and pump to check the IWE and related system. They can be borrowed from a parts store that has a loan a tool program.

dieseltwitch

Where do I need to hook up to test the IWE's I see the two lines coming off. They seam to be intact.

One problem toward diagnosing them is I'm having to drop the truck about 150 miles from where I live. So I need to try to figure out what's wrong before I leave in a few days and get what I need to repair in before I return in 2 weeks. I can lift the wheels off the ground and I can feel no play in the wheel. So I'm guessing the bearings are still good.