king pin help wanted

There is a bearing on the bottom of the axle, and shims on the top of the axle. If you pry up on the wheel you are checking the bearing and shim. If you put the bar threw the rim and lift you are checking the king pin, and bearing play put your finger on the gap between the brake drum and the backing plate that is the bearing play. to check the steering linkage, have someone gently shake the steering wheel back and forth. Put you finger on the joints any movement is not a good thing. When you get home from a job feel the shock if it is warm to hot it is good if it is cold it is junk. Hope this helps.

 

Yes, steering ball joints will swivel by hand. You just don't want the socket to have play. Like JohnP3 says, have the truck back on the ground, engine off, and just have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth. If the ball joints have play you will see it. Normal spec range of caster on trucks is 3 to 6 degrees. Any higher and it will be hard to turn, it will really snap back center after a turn and you will feel every bump in the road through the steering wheel. Too little caster and the truck will wonder on the highway, be real lazy returning to center after a turn and still feel bumps in the road through steering wheel with more of a shimmy. Caster does make the wheel tilt in or out during a turn which will make the shoulder of the tire dig into the road more than the rest of tire, but you will not see tire wear unless you are doing figure 8's 99% of the time.

 

# earthmover,sounds like your leaf spring pins to me,if you really look at the suspension,the spring,conects to the axle,solid or hollow.take it to a shop and have your spring ping bushings checked,if bad,replace the upper bracket with new pins and the lower bushing and pin for the spring,good luck.

 

hey guys i have left light duty wrenches to heavy wrenches,i love the field,but,lately seeing a lot of problems with frozen set bolts in king pins.seems to me these guys are working to hard,lol,heating,beating,even drilling for hours,gotta be a better way.any help,thanks,oh yeah these are front end axel king pins,internationals,and vovlo.

 

next time you are going through st.louis,check out brahlers truck supply,ask for tony,smallest in the shop cant mess me,lol

 

some of these bushes are welded in,so, you wont see the play in the spring,good luck