Hello all. I need a little help.
I have recently completed some maintenance work on my 1990 f150. It’s a 4.9, 4WD, 48k miles. I have only put roughly two thousand miles on it since I have owned it. About a year and a half.
The first task was putting on new rotors and pads. As you all know I had to pull the hubs to change the rotors. Everything went smoothly. As well as master cylinder. It now has great brakes.
Secondly, I changed both u joints in the driveshaft. Had some difficulty as this was my first time. However, I was finally able to get the u joints in. They worked smoothly. And checked the needles in the cap prior to installing. I marked and reindexed the shaft properly. I don’t believe I bent any tangs or lost a weight.
I then took it for a short drive. The squeak was gone and drove as it should.
Last night I changed the inner tie rods. They were completely shot. When removing I took great care to remember the amount of turns it took to remove. And then replaced with the same amount of turns.
I drove it this morning and noticed a low speed vibration. In fact within two rotations of the tires I can feel it and hear it.
Thinking it would be impossible for it to be the tie rods I went back to the driveshaft. I have since, changed the indexing 180 degrees both front and back. Every combo possible. Still the vibration persists. And now have them back to their original position. The u joints move freely and smooth. Also rechecked to be certain a needle had not fallen. All good.
So I checked the tie rods, which I still have doubts it could be, but rechecked everything. All is tight and still in place. I did, however, check the measurements of the threads exposed on the tie rod. The right side measures 1.25 and the left is .75 inches. Again these were set as they were before removing by counting threads.
I also noticed along with the vibration tire “slapping”. The front tires slap more than usual.
The steering wheel is about 3 degrees to the left to maintain a straight course. (The truck has been this way since I have owned it. Long before any parts replaced.)
Is it possible that the front end is so out of alignment that it could cause this issue? To me, I don’t believe so. But I have been wrong before. Lol.
I guess it’s possible that I missed the vibration after the initial test ride after u joint replacement, but I don’t think so. It’s very noticeable. I don’t believe it is a wheel bearing. They looked great when I took the hub apart, and also repacked them.
Greased both tie rods and u joints before use.
Again this is a very low speed vibration. I can feel it at every turn of the tire at low speed. When I get to 10 mph or so I don’t feel it or hear it other than the tire slap.
Also all the mounts are tight. This is something I have done but just can’t figure it out.
I’m completely stumped.
I could use some input.
Thanks guys.

 

Are you sure you don't have a bubble on the tread surface of one of your tires? You wouldn't necessarily hear this but you would certainly feel it at very slow speeds. Of course this wouldn't be related to the work you just did, just a coincidence.

 

You should put ALL the truck's details & history into your signature as this page explains:

(click this text)
No, how would we all know anything about your truck? You should always assume we know nothing about your truck's history & condition, which is another reason to keep your signature updated.That's an excellent way to get the toe close enough to drive to an alignment shop to have it checked, but it is NOT good enough to be sure that the toe is correct.I've been a mechanic for decades, and I've never heard that expression. What do you mean? Have you ever had the tires' road force (radial runout/out-of-round) measured? Read this page & the NEXT 2:

(click this text)
Which mounts, and how exactly did you check them?

 

I spoke to a mechanic. He suggested checking the toe. Long story short, I did a backyard alignment. The vibration is barely noticeable now as well as the tire noise. Off to the shop now for a real alignment.
Thanks all.

 

Thanks 88xlt. I checked that, with no luck, before I started messing with the adjustment.
I appreciate the advice.

 

Thanks for the help. I will update my signature.