Lrdchaos

Like the title says, how do I check the front u joint to see if it's bad, I have a little steering shimmy, after some research I believe it's the problem.

nickg

u-joint wont cause steering wheel shimmy, U-joints if bad enough will cause clunking and binding.and a vibration if on the drv shaft

any rust colored dust near end caps is 100% a failed u-joint even if it appears tight.

any play in the joint is a failed joint. jack up one side of truck rock the wheel thats in the air back and forth, watching joint at the same time, if its bad you will see play in it.(to check axel joints)

Lrdchaos

Ok thanks for the heads up. Looks like I need to start looking elsewhere.

Lrdchaos

I guess I should describe my shimmy, it feels as though the 4 wheel drive is engage and your trying to turn. The truck doesn't bind like it does in 4 wheel, but the steering wheel jerks the same way.

torquefan

Also, to check for a seized joint, jack up the front of the truck and spin the front wheel by hand, while it is in the straight ahead position. The wheel should spin with no resistance. Now cycle the steering all the way to one side and try to spin the wheel. There should still be very low resistance as you spin the wheel a full 360 degrees. If the u-joint is partially seized, you will have trouble spinning the wheel and it will want to bind up part way through the circle.

nickg

^^^ another good tip

Lrdchaos

It was the u joints, thanks for the help guys