Truck Problem...Pls Help

[StuntManMike]

Hello I have a really important question for you guys and any help will be most appreciated!
Ok so i got back from Afghanistan and drove my truck for like a week off road and on road, Everything was fine.
On day coming back from base my trucks right front tire area sounded like scraping aluminum (almost like nails on a chalk board).
It then got worse i had my buddy jog beside the truck to see if he could pinpoint it because it tended to do it more around 10-20 mph.
At first i thought is was something in side my locking hubs but the sound seemed like it was external so we thought we pin pointed it ao something between the rotor and the metal shroud behind it scraping on the shroud. after that test drive the sound would come and go. The sound was not constant so i was gonna wait till this weekend to pull of the rotor and shroud and get the object the was in there. But tonight i was driving back from my buddys house with no noise then all of a sudden the scratching sound happened for like 10 seconds then i got more of a thumping sound that i could feel in my feet. I pulled over and did a quick look but couldn't see anything external. i then proceeded home just to get it there so i could work on it but as i was going down the road at a slow speed (20-30 mph to be safe) the thumping continued and i got a jerk to the right and then my steering seemed jacked up. i took it to a parking lot and did some turns and turning left was not a problem even tho i still had the thump but turning right was all jacked up! It thumped and scratched like heck and i felt it bad! Im going to rip into it tomorrow so any info or help would be alsome! It is my only form of transportation so im in a very bad situation right now because there's no way im going to drive it.
Thank you,
Michael Felker

[Blazin]

Sounds like a frozen axle joint maybe. Well now it sound like it might be a broken joint / axle!

[Irish_Alley]

You have auto or manual hubs? I had a hub fail once just backing up and it locked up the wheel. If you can swap hubs with left to right and right to left see if the problem change sides Also do a visual check between the two. Were you driving it in 4x4 after the mud trip?

[Grim 82]

Welcome back. Sticky caliper, or a scrubbed wheel bearing?

[Lt.Del]

my mom called me one day as she was broke down on side of the interstate.  Her front wheel was making some weird metal noise.  I looked at the front wheel and saw right way, one of the two bolts holding the brake caliper had fallen off and wedged between the caliper and rotor, grinding away.  Jacked it up, put the bolt back in place, and drove it back no problem.

[StuntManMike]

ok so i jacked the truck up today and found out both wheel bearings seized and exploded inside the hub/rotor assy! the hub was full of dirt... i picked out all of the outboard bearing and most of the inner. I got down to pulling the special nut that holds the rotor on and loosened it but was unable to pull the nut off (seemed seized from dirt) . But as well as that problem the rotor wont even move to where the nut is its being hung by...something is in the way but im not sure what...could be some shards of the inner bearing but i don't see any left...I left the axle shaft in because i heard you didn't need to take it out...Any help is yet again appreciated! And thanks for the help so far!

[Grim 82]

After you remove the first locknut, there will be a flat lock ring, with another of those special locknuts behind it. When you have those out the whole assembly should slide off.

[Irish_Alley]

if the axle nut is being a pain you can take a punch and hammer to the nut and slowly work it out

[beastie_3]

Axle nut socket is only about $15 and it can save so much headache.

[Irish_Alley]

thought they were cheaper but i was more concerned about shearing the ears off one of them if hes having that much of a problem getting it off

[beastie_3]

They could be cheaper, I dont remember. That would be a problem if the ears sheared off, but I think the socket from o'rileys has a lifetime warranty, so no biggie there. When I took mine off, I had to use a breaker bar because it was a little rusted. Didnt break the socket, i think they are heat treated.

I would use high pressure air or brake cleaner to clean out the threads a bit if there is something blocking the nut. Also you can try to tighten it a bit then loosen it. Sometimes that works too.

[Blazin]

I have used an impact on axle nut sockets before on stubborn nuts. It didn't break. The chunks probably messed up the threads on the spindle. Best bet is to use a socket and wind it off. It should restore the threads for the most part. If it doesn't then they probably wouldn't have been salvageable anyway. You will need to get a new spindle, and nuts etc.
 Not sure what you mean by left the axle in. The rotor, hub assembly, and the spindle need to come off before the axle can come out.

[beastie_3]

Well, isnt the spindle attatched to the axle shaft via u joint?

[VileZambonie]

Well, isnt the spindle attatched to the axle shaft via u joint?

I assume we're talking about a 4x4 front axle shaft? The spindle is bolted to the knuckle. The axle is attached to the hub.

[beastie_3]

Dont know why I didnt recall that, I just rebuilt it 2 months ago.