Old new guy here. I don,t have no fancy named shocks or those big old mud dobber tires just a plain 1990 Ford Ranger 4 wd Automatic rig with a serious front end shake. First off I have a constant pull to the right(tires inflated to 35 all around). at about 40 it starts the steering whell will shake and gets progressively worse till the arthritis has to slow me down. If you let loose of the wheel to reduce pain in your hands from the vibes you shoot off the road.. It has done this since I got it used 35000 miles ago but geting progressively worse. Today I removed the front drivers wheel the hub cover stuck to the rim and exposed all those misterious jam nuts (They were Loose) so I snugged up the inner with a pin punch and a ball pein hammer. Then jammed the outer up snug. Road check proved to be the same. Tires are moderately worn on the inside. I swear when I,m driving 55 it sounds like the front right is actually skipping down the road. When you idle drive from the red light the steering wheel goes moves on its own back and forth with a favor to the right.The left tire looks pretty much the same. So if there is anyone out there who has a similar vehicle and maybe some advice that you think I can interept well PLEASE reply Thank You Old Jim

 

Is it possible the rim is bent? Try rotating tires just eliminate rims and tires as a possible cause of this!

 

Hey Jim,

I posted this link in your introduction thread:
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech...lebearing.html

It sounds like you may have a hub stuck engaged while the other side is free, causing the constant pull. I say that because that would make the front differential rotate in 2wd, causing the shake. I suspect that your shake is from a seized up u-joint on that same side's front axle shaft. The U-joint close to the tire is prone to that from dis-use. That's about the only explanantion I can come up with based on your description of the steering wheel shake at low speed.

The way to check is to jackstand the front end and spin the tires by hand, watching what happens. Your front axles from the diff to the hub should NOT be turning and I suspect you will find the right one is turning. I also suspect your right front hub's bearings are shot.