red and tacky is really not that thick

 

computer is dying. yeah shims on the top, yes red grease. but no, just into the top, no need to finger it and it sounds about right re: the abs sensor etc. Bit of a pain, but the shims themselves are just trial and error. and feel, depending on how thick the first one is, unless you have a fish scale.

Pics or it didnt happen right?

 

LOL I'll take pics when I do it then. Good call on the fish scale, I don't know where I'd get one though. I have a micrometer so I could measure shim thickness, but that wouldn't help me calculate preload.

Should I pop the tie rods to check preload? I figured I'd just remove one shim at a time, then reinstall the wheel and check play at 12 & 6 until it matches the feel of the right wheel, then test drive. But if there are problems with that method I'll pop the tie rod ends.

 

I think you need all steering linkage crap off the wheels so it's just the pre load on the wheel. I.e tie rods etc otherwise you won't get an accurate reading on your pre load from the drag. Don't worry about measuring the thickness. It's by feel. Bit the fish scale should come from dicks. But pt schram says do it by feel.

 

First and foremost, never replace a steering damper to "fix" death wobble. It's like replacing a to fix a broken spring on your axle.

Removing a shim is ok if money is tight, or you don't have time for a complete rebuild, but know you'll still need to do the rebuild sooner than later.
However, if the swivel pins are so bad that they allow the wheel to be loose, then you need to rebuild the swivels, not remove shims.

 

Well I do have an adequate emergency fund, I don't want to do it so cheaply as to do it wrong.

What does rebuilding the swivels entail? New gaskets & seals, new swivel bearings? Are new swivel pins required also? Will the bearings need to be pressed in or do they just sit in place? Is there a compelling reason to do both sides, or can I just redo the one side that's giving me issues?

PS I bought a fish scale for $5. Maybe not the best, but should be more accurate than guessing on the preload.

 

Oh and I do have the time, I will just have to do it a few hours here and a few hours there. But I'll just drive my Ranger until the Rover's back on it's feet, er, wheels. The only real hurry to fix it is so I can get back out on the trails.

 

Rebuilding the swivels? Idk. But I am pretty sure that the bearings just sit in there. I'm anxious to see your write up skills if you go after this because I feel like my front end stuff is the last thing I need to do a PM on before the whole truck is on routine and known maintenance. Right now I have NO idea what's going on inside my swivel *****.

 

Yeah I'm a bit intimidated by the schematics and exploded views of the swivels in the RAVE. It's hard to believe they have that many parts in there...

 

That's why I'm glad you're going first