5 lug swap problem
 

hey all, i just got done doing a 5 lug swap about a week ago, and something that has come to my attention is that after doing the swap... the rear end seems to wonder around, like it pulls from side to side?!? so when i jacked up the car, me wheels, rotor, brake and hub assembly seem to be wobbling alot. like there is way to much play. my only guess is that i was not able to tighten down the nut on the half shaft enough so get it seated all the way down?!? is there any way that i can tell how tight it is supposed to be? and what do yall think. my struts are in good shape, and i dont think it is the dtts? any and all help is greatly appreciated. thanks alot

according to the haynes manual its 174 to 231 ft-lbs of torque. thats alot of damn touque. i just put the half shaft in my car and what i did was got a beaker bar and tighten it as much as i could.i figure this will work till i get it to speacialist /mechanic.as far as the problem with it wandering i have never heard of this but i am curious myself. what ever it is get it fixed! 9 times out of ten its some dumb shit (missing washer to many washers,bad ground,ect ). good luck!

thanks alot man, i really appreciate it. well i swapped out some struts yesterday and it helped alot. but it still does it everytime i get on it! if you dont mind me asking, but after you got done with your half shaft swap, how loose is the wheel? like when you jack the car up, does it wobble alot or is this hardly and play at all? and how is it supposed to be according to the manual? thanks again and anyone else please chime in aswell

From what you describe the control arms on the differential may not be stable/tightened/etc. That's a good thing to check. Or If you're getting a wobble in the wheel you may not have tightened down the bearings that seat against the rotor correctly. You should not be able to wobble it by hand side to side.

well my wheels are definatly wobbling! so what would yall recommend that i do? the wheels have about a 1/4 inch of play in all directions.

If your toe is off in the rear it would make the rear wonder. However, if you can move the wheel with your hands there are other problems.

Try to pinpoint where it is moving.

Is the spindle moving on the hub, or is the hub moving on the control arm?

...or is the control arm itself moving?

I would say that you verify that your control arms are indeed secured. remember that they may "look" secured, but they're also under the strain of weight and torque when driving. Sometimes they get fucked up either in their bushings or something else goes wrong. Check every bolt that secures your diff to the carraige.

then I'd check the wheel barings next....

could be bad wheel bearings too.

Yup, check that, if you used old wheel bearings, that might be the first thing to check, good luck, aight peace

when we messed around with it last night, it looks like the entire hub assembly is moving. and it actually doesnt move that bad until you put the wheel and tire back on, then it is easy to move. so i guess i am just gonna park it until i get some money to take it to my friends shop. he has done a couple of swaps and will beable to help me out. so thank you all so very much for the quick responses. have a great day to all of yall

just wanted to say that i figured out why i had the wobble problem.... yes i am a dumbass and i forgot to get the bearings from the other car! doooohhh! but all is well now

You forgot the bearings all together?!

no i forgot to get the bearings from my 5 lug donor... i'm not that dumb lol