Steering knuckle

[Rick C]

I jacked up the front end to adjust the brakes Saturday. I noticed that I could wiggle wthe wheel up and down slightly and the movement was coming from the steering knuckle area. Is this normal or should I think about a rebuild???
Rick

[powerwagontim]

Rick,
There are shims that can be removed to get that slop out, but while you are doing it you should inspect the trunnon bearing and bronze cone and replace if needed. Some folks eliminate the bronze cone and go with bearings top and bottom, but that will change the preload spec when you are playing with the shims. The manual has very good detail on this process. (not the double bearing conversion)
Tim

[MSeriesRebuild]

I jacked up the front end to adjust the brakes Saturday. I noticed that I could wiggle wthe wheel up and down slightly and the movement was coming from the steering knuckle area. Is this normal or should I think about a rebuild???
Rick

Pulling it down for a complete clean up & rebuild is the smart solution. Adjustments are only for correct set up when doing the initial build. Pulling shims out in a effort to tighten the assembly really isn't a good maintenance procedure.

[topellis]

When I started doing my disc brake upgrade I jacked it up and found I had a good bit of play. I decided it would be an good chance to go through the knuckles too. When I got one side off the bearing and cage were in terrible shape all pitted and rusty. When I took the other side off the bearing fell to pieces in the floor. I replaced the bottom bearing and upper bushing combo with a bearing top and bottom but as mentioned the procedure for preload is a little different. I ended up replacing the inner and outer bushings on mine. That area gets filled up with mud/water if not maintained and inspected every once in a while. A slurry of mudd and grease eats those bushings up.

Good Luck
Mark