Front axle problem

[CROM]

Alright...I just put 33" x 12.5 tires on, and everything has been going great....until tonight. After a little mudding adventure, i was driving down the highway and just about lost control of the truck! The front tires just seazed up and about threw me off the road. Before this happened, I noticed a little squeeking comming from what i though was the right front tire. After I skidded into the ditch, I was unable to move....it was almost as if the front tires were chauked. After some shifting and nudging it back and forth, I was finally able to move again, but after 15-20 feet and about 10mph, it happened again. I am assuming i knocked something loose while off-roading earlier in the day, but a freeway at 10pm isn't a great place to start troubleshooting.

Any suggestions on what i may have done? As i sit here, my beloved M1009 is spending the night on a lonely Iowa highway Please help!!!

 

[gimpyrobb]

Sounds like a brake is dragging. Loosen a bleeder and see if fluid sprays out like its under force. I had that happen once. The brakes drag and build heat, the fluid gets hot and expands putting more force on the brakes.

 

[MuleMac01]

but would't he be smelling break smell?

 

[CROM]

Thanks for the quick reply...I'll add that to my list. Can the breaks just engage by themselves like that, though?

 

[gimpyrobb]

Yes the brakes should smell hot, sometimes offroading masks the smell. A quick opening of the bleeder will tell you if its the culprit or not. Just one step to figure out whats wrong.

Are your hubs unlocked? Maybe something is wrong in the gears.

 

[kassim503]

You probably should be smelling a brake smell, but if they have 0 grease in them there is no smell to make. Are your hubs locked? You may have snapped a u joint from the extra stress on a going bad joint

 

[gimpyrobb]

Thanks for the quick reply...I'll add that to my list. Can the breaks just engage by themselves like that, though?

Shouldn't, but if crap got in the master, it could. I don't know enough about cucvs to say "oh that has happened to me, and this was the problem". Sorry.

 

[CROM]

Every little bit helps. Yes my hubs are locked, and the tires did skid like the brakes were on....i was able to jack up the driver side and spin the tire, but the passenger side was on too much of a slant and the truck kept slidding.....the one time i was able to balance it up on the jack, though, it did seem locked...not completely seazed up...it would turn maybe and inch or so in either direction

 

[gimpyrobb]

With that info, I'm leaning toward a busted U-joint. If it were the brakes, they both should be locked or both should be free.

 

[CROM]

Would it move, then seaze again with a busted U joint? Or make that light squealing sound?

 

[gimpyrobb]

Busted u-joints do goofy things. I wish I knew more about cucvs to be able to help.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Can you unlock the hubs and see if it turns?

 

[CROM]

I am building my plan of attack as we type. I know i need new ball joints, so it makes sense that the u joints crapped...after reading several threads here regarding u joints, it sounds like it's a common issue....i'm not much of a auto mechanic, but have the army T.O. ...or service manuals for the truck....i'm able to follow tech data for fighter aircraft pretty well (no jets down in 7 years), so i'm not afraid to dig in!

 

[Flyingvan911]

How about the wheel bearing? I don't know alot about CUCV's either but it couldn't hurt to check.

 

[CROM]

What ever happend most likely occured while hitting some mud holes at 15-20mph....quite a bit of bouncing. Can the stock u joints slip off/break that easily? Nothing looked outwardly bend/broken/hanging, but, like i said; it was dark and on the highway and i really couldn't get that great of a look. And if it's a u joint or bearing, would i be able to drive at very low speed with it? ....then have the trouble happen again when i move faster?

 

[wikallen]

If you busted a U-Joint, you should be able to drive just fine with the hubs unlocked. You can easily see if the u-joint is busted. Makes all kinds of noises and popping when it goes, and if you are unlucky, the ears on the shafts get broken.

 

[CROM]

I'll check it in daylight tomorrow. When a u joint goes, will the tires just stop, though?

 

[CROM]

TIRE...actually...it seems like only the pass front is stuck

 

[akonitony]

I would guess it is the caliper piston sticking. They get a little rusty inside the chammber the are sitting in and then start sticking, especially when they get hot. The good new is they are very cheap to buy rebuilt from any of the parts houses like Advanced, NAPA or O'Reilly's. I think the last pair I bought was something like $40 for both. A good sign it is the caliper piston sticking is sometimes they will come unstack once they cool down, but not always. I would plan on putting in a new pair of them and brake pads and turning the front rotors if I were planning on keeping the truck.

 

[CROM]

When i put the new tires on...last week....the breaks/pads/rotors looked good. Dirty, but had life left. I'm unfamiliar with the caliper piston, but will do some research and check it out. Thanks for the input!