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  #1  
Old 11-30-2008, 01:48 AM
beans
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Default Will a new wheel assembly kit fix a "wobble"/non- smooth riding 2002 Ford Ranger?

My bf's 2002 Ranger wasnt riding smoothly, so he brought it to a local shop, they told him it was the "wheel assembly kit" and that the truck will not wobble AS BAD but still will... I'm just trying to figure out if he just got ripped off and if so what would you do about it?? (complain your word against someone who supposedly knows what they're doing??) Just wanted to get some opinions!!
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Old 11-30-2008, 01:49 AM
Steve F
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Be careful with shops. I don't trust many. Definitely not Sears - they have a reputation of being dishonest. My Dad worked there and they traded parts to get owners to try and replace things. They and other shops will also try to scare you into replacing something by either overreacting or jiggling something. Go to a shop you trust, one where you konw they are honest and are not trying to take your money to get rich off of you. My mother-in-law took her Saturn to a shop and they put a $175 starter on it for her. Well, the first thing is that a starter is probably less than $100 at Advance Auto or Auto Zone, and takes two bolts to remove, and it didn't fix the problem. She needed a new battery. Maybe that's what happened to your bf. He took it in for a different problem and they "identified" this one?

The best thing you can do is educate yourself. If you jack up the truck on that side, and turn the wheel, do you see any movement if you eye the top of the wheel as you turn it? Does the wheel/rim have any movement so that it looks out of round? Or if it's smooth, does the tire look out of round? Tires are famous for getting bubbles on them, and you'll be able to see that when you turn the tire by hand. There's also issues with bent rims/wheels that can cause a shake at certain speeds. If you balance the tires, a good tire shop can verify that for you. It could be just a balance issue. The shops put little lead weight on one side of the rim/wheel to get it to rotate smoothly. If there's something wrong with the "wheel assembly", e.g., the rotor and bearings, that's another possible, although less likely problem. It could also be alignment or even suspension/struts. You can ID those by the way the tires are wearing. Outside wear on the tire is probably alignment, uneven wear I understand is suspension. Try to find out more regarding the *reason* it's wobbling. Another thing you could try doing is have someone drive another car on a four-lane with your bf's truck and look at all four tires while he's driving and it's wobbling/rattling/shaking and see if you see one wheel/tire that's moving in an odd way more than the others.
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Old 11-30-2008, 01:49 AM
woodsmaster99
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I would try maybe making sure it had matching tires on it and try balancing them first. If that didn't work it probably is tie rods or constant velocity joints and steering arms.
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Old 11-15-2009, 02:19 AM
94Woodhauler 94Woodhauler is offline
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With over 30 years working on cars and trucks, I do not know what a "wheel assembly kit" is!
Tires are the biggest cause of "wobbles".
Rotate them and see if the problem is different, ie; comes from a different corner, from the back, front, different.
Try to drive along next to the truck in a big parking lot, watching the tires and wheels. Get some help to do this safely. Can you see or hear anything odd.
You might find a broken belt in a tire from a chuckhole or curb, or a bent wheel.
Not so obvious would be warped rotors. you would feel those in the brake pedal and/or the steering wheel as a pulse or wiggle.
It would help you to know which one.
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Old 11-15-2009, 08:22 AM
Jay FX4 Jay FX4 is offline
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I would guess hub assembly is what she meant.

This thread is a year old, BTW.
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  #6  
Old 02-07-2010, 10:52 AM
tyler3 tyler3 is offline
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i have bad wheel shake to and i have wanting to rebuild my front end. what exactlly is a wheel assembly kit? how do you rebuild the front end? I replaced the hubs a few months back because they snaped on me so i figured that would eliminate the shake but it didnt

thanks
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  #7  
Old 02-07-2010, 11:46 AM
Grrranger Grrranger is offline
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The "wheel assembly kit" sounds like a line into your wallet. 94Woodhauler's post makes a LOT more sense (cents?)
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