H3 Oh Great, random front end clunk

[fowlken8]

Out of nowhere, my perfect running H3 decides to make strange noises in the front end. It seems as if with each rotation of the wheel, there's a "thud" or "clunk". I can feel it in the steering wheel/pedals. It's annoying me.

Nothing is loose down there, cv axle boots look fine. It's from take off mostly, when I'm at speed I can't feel it much.

Any quick things to check? I don't want to just buy an axle if it's fine.

 

[H3Hummer]

What about the front hubs, bearings ? CV also the U joints ?
Look for grease leaks around CV's, lift your wheel and shake it up down, left right to check the hub bearings .
Try to move the front driveshafts and look for too much play

 

[alrock]

You could have a loose brake caliper with a mounting bolt backing out or missing. Loose shocks happen (usually top mount), though that's less likely. Could be missing sway bar bushings or worn out end links.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Wait ...you said 'each rotation of the wheel'? Then it's very likely a wheel bearing.

Did you take the weight off the tire and put your hands at the 12 & 6:00 positions and wiggle (for movement)? There shouldn't be any (none). If there is, even a little, then it's the bearing hub assembly. And even if there isn't any movement, it could still be the bearings inside giving up the ghost, or the inner bearing spacer being chewed up.

Wheel bearings can be in a state of failure for literally a couple years ..till they grenade. Another test you could do if she feels tights is put the front of the vehicle up on jackstands and lift the rear pumpkin off the ground. Start and put in gear. Use a long wooden stick (like a broom handle) and put it close to the bearing/hub assembly and the other end of the stick to your ear (press against your ear) and while the wheel is rotating you will be able to literally hear the bearings roll around inside. If you hear some cracking and grinding, there you have it. Try both wheels and also the front diff.

If you really want to get down to it, disconnect the upper ball joints (and tie rod ends) and pull back the CV axles (you can leave the lower b/j in place). Then rotate the hubs by hand and also feel the CVs for 'freeplay' and roughness. And remove the drive shaft too and rotate the front diff by hand. Check the driveshaft u-joints and splines ..just in case you have a rusted up U-joint. Make sure the front diff bushings are good.

More than likely it's a wheel bearing/hub that's binding inside ...and that crunching of bearings is transmitting through the tie rod end back through your steering. But if the hubs feel fine, then look at the diff & gears. They aren't known as being super-tough.

 

[fowlken8]

I’m annoyed. All feels tight. It happens at take off and when I turn abruptly to the right.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Ball joints??? Have you checked them?

 

[fowlken8]

No sir. Very basic checking. No leaks or obviously loose parts. Need to do some in depth looking. It’s happening about 80% of the time. Feels like a grinding of sorts. I’ll report back soon. Don’t want to keep complaining without looking into it. Thank you for the tips.

 

[Jeepwalker]

H3Hummer (Post #2 is probably right). Look up on youtube how to check ball joints. Upper ball joints as you know are a real weak area on H3's.

Essentially you have a highly polished ball pressed inside a bore with nylon inserts top and bottom. Non-greasable. So the ball and nylon ARE the friction points in your upper ball joint. The short-term design is good. However, over time the grease dries, and/or moisture gets in and the grease becomes 'cakey' (not a real word but you get the point). That breaks down the lube which can, and does, lead to corrosion of the stud. Once it becomes rough-textured it tears up the nylon and then you have 'freeplay' and a worn-out ball joint. Yer lucky if you get 60k out of the upper ball joints and some guys have a lot sooner failures. But the upper control arm is fortunately really easy to replace and not that expensive. Most guys say the replacement AC Delco's are the way to go for stock replacement. You can re-align things with simple instruments or even your phone (for setting Caster & Camber) ..do a youtube search. You can set tow with a tape measure ..or something like my low-tech DIY gauge below.

The lower ball joints are much more robust and last longer but our H3's now are at the age where anything can be worn. Definitely check them. You could go through several upper ball joints an still have the original lower ball joints, so don't condemn them w/o checking. My trucks has almost 200k on the original lower ball joints. I bought new and was going to replace, but the lowers were still very tight.

One thing a guy can do to extend the life of the ball joints is, anytime you have the UCA or axle out, rotate your truck's spindle (i.e. lower ball joint) throughout it's entire range as much as possible while pressing down on the boot (to work some grease into the joint). This applies to all the press-in studs be they tie rod ends or upper ball joints.

 

[fowlken8]

I'll definitely check. I'm not good at diagnosing things that are not obvious, but I'm good with a wrench. My impatient side wants to just buy a CV axle lol I have realized that the popping sort of stops after 30mph. And will always happen when I turn right, not left.

Maybe I'll call in tomorrow to check things out. Hard to find time, but I hate annoying sounds!

maybe this ChrisFix video can help me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62bVn7E8gyk

I have pulled on the tire and there is no play so far. Visual inspections look ok too for the ball joints and CV. Just so random. Came out of nowhere!

worst part is, it doesn't happen 100% of the time. Just went for a drive and it was ok.

 

[fowlken8]

Alright it’s a wheel bearing hub…had to really yank on it, then it “broke loose”

left to right it wiggles a ton. Happy my tire didn’t fall off.

why are good brand wheel bearing hubs cheap online, but $300 locally?

 

[Jeepwalker]

Don't buy a cheapie. Buy an AC Delco. They're made by AAM, the same as original. RockAuto or Amazon. Great quality. I bought an OReilly's in a pinch and the hubface was 'off' by .005 out of the box! That's a defective part. My wheel would have been wobbling going down the road and you'd never get the rotor to run true. I was glad I checked it.

Glad you found your problem.

 

[fowlken8]

I got one on Amazon. Somehow oreilly and autozone are upward of $289….much better brands are half that on Amazon.


had no 12/6 play but 3/9 was wobbling, what seemed like 1/4” and clunking. No other suspension or components were moving behind the tire, just the tire and wheel.

just found out I have Michigan metal works upper control arms. That’s pretty cool!

 

[Jeepwalker]

It's probably a china unit, but maybe you'll get lucky. Most of the feedback on the imports for Hummers hasn't been good. Larger tires puts a strain on them, so you need a good quality unit. Put a dial indicator on the hub face and check run-out if you have one. Tip to get the old one off: Put something solid beneath the lower ball joint onto the concrete so when ya beat on it with a maul, you're getting a good, solid whack and the lower a-arm isn't bouncing all over the place. Makes a big difference. Piece of 2" square tube (or pipe) that slips over the ball joint works great.

Hopefully it'll come off with a few good whacks. What else do you need while you're at it? Might want to lift up the wheel and the lift up on the outer CV for play. If it's got a fair amount of play (entirely possible), now would be a good time to kill two birds with one stone (new outer bearing/seal).

Good luck!

 

[fowlken8]

Well. I been pb blasting the wheel bearing hub forever, bashing it with a hammer….it won’t come off lol I’ve watched some videos and apparently that’s all you can really do. I’m pissed haha. Any advice? Heat? Remove the knuckle and pound it out reverse. YouTube tells me to use a large nut and bolt to walk it off of the axle splines.

what do you mean when checking for cv play? Aren’t the axles supposed to move around freely? Sorry for the basic questions. I’ve changed multiple cv axles but that’s post boot tear with grease everywhere. My brain tells me it’s fine if the rubber looks new and there’s not crazy axle noises

and outer bearing/seal, that’s regarding the hub bearing right? I got an entire assembly.

 

[Jeepwalker]

No, don't use any heat. It would take a lot and weaken the knuckles.

What's worked real well for me is to lower the A-arm onto a piece of 2" diameter pipe or square tube about 12" long (or so) that's standing (upright) on the concrete. The balljoint will fit right inside the pipe. That way the lower A-arm will be good and rock-solid when you beat the old hub with a sledge hammer. Supporting the A-arm with a floor jack doesn't work very well, and blocks of wood are better, but not as good. If you don't have some pipe, go get some at a buddys. Then, you gotta use something heavy duty like a splitting maul or a 6-8 lb maul with a long handle. It might be difficult to not damage the brake rotor dust shield. If you do, you can probably hammer it back into shape once you get the hub off, or buy a new one (like $26 ea). I was going to advise buying a new brake dust shield too, ...but nobody usually listens to me anyway lol ...so...

Repeat: You gotta get the lower a-arm rock solid and get mean with your BFH on the old hub. I've done lots this way (supporting with a piece of tube on the concrete) and it works the best IMO.

Be careful on those Youtube videos. I see guys trying to use their steering to pry a hub loose. Don't do that ..it's just screw up your ball joints or steering. There's a lot of bad ideas on youtube. Once you get it to start coming loose it doesn't take much from there. Yeah, you'll get a good cardio work-out before you get it off!! I did a couple last summer on my H3 and a rusty old Jeep ...on a really humid July day and the sweat was just streaming down my face and the mosquitos were all over me. It sucked ..but I got in my week's workout w/o having to run on a treadmill!! lol. Get the A-arm supported 'solid' and then your hammer whacks will mean something and it'll come off a lot easier.

You did remove the center nut and tap the axle loose, right? Don't beat it hard, just tap it loose.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I was saying grab the outer CV's on each side and lift up/down checking for 'slop' at the bearings. The diff bearings that support the outer axles. Not uncommon for the driver's side to have some excessive play in it. Check both sides and compare. Hopefully your axles are tight. But worth checking. You gotta block the rear wheels and raise up a F wheel to unload the axles before you can check. Either way, don't worry about it now, you can come back and do any CV/bearing work later if your rig needs any work there. Hubs won't need to come off for that. Right now worry about the hub.

 

[4speedfunk]

Hub puller. Most AutoZone stores will loan or rent one. It’s basically a giant slide hammer that attaches to the wheel studs.

 

[fowlken8]

Autozone puller was a no go. My god. I’ve beat the **** out of it. Soaked it multiple times.

what else guys? Take off the knuckle?

 

[H3Hummer]

Autozone puller was a no go. My god. I’ve beat the **** out of it. Soaked it multiple times.

what else guys? Take off the knuckle?

Mi hubs were rusted and like baked on all the rest when i changed them. I've purchased the entire kit hubs+bearings and ABS cable.
To remove mi old hubs, put LOTS LOTS of Rust blaster and WD40. Wait few hours !!!!!
Then with a 2.5kg hammer, hit the hub from behind left,rigt, left, right .......... and they came out.
if you have more truble, put some old 19mm bolts on the hub and hit them from behind left rigt , up down.
It took me like half an hour each side but the hub came out without any damage around.
The new ones put them in with heavy duty grease

 

[H3Hummer]

here they go old basterds



new hubs

 

[H3Hummer]

On the first pic if you zoom in, you can se the hammer hits on the sidewall of the hubs

 

[fowlken8]

I think I’m going to remove my knuckle. I’ve gone through a while can of rust spray and murdered it with a hammer. I’m a big strong guy haha I got my ass kicked by a hub.

I feel defeated hahaha

 

[H3Hummer]

I think I’m going to remove my knuckle. I’ve gone through a while can of rust spray and murdered it with a hammer. I’m a big strong guy haha I got my ass kicked by a hub.

I feel defeated hahaha

:shamek big guy don't give up so far, if you have a solid steel bar and drill 2-3 hols in it to fit on your hub, you can bolt the bar on and hammer all out, i'm sure you can :thumbs:

 

[fowlken8]

I am not giving up. I just hate that I never fall into easy jobs like changing brakes. It’s always some crap that is stuck for days haha

 

[H3Hummer]

I am not giving up. I just hate that I never fall into easy jobs like changing brakes. It’s always some crap that is stuck for days haha

Yep that's the challenge dude, and like most of timem at the end you say.....yeah :horns: I did it, men wins, rust fails :wink: