Radial Play Specifications

[400Rogue]

Hi all! Happy Friday. I'm chasing a vibration/drone in what feels like the rear at 50mph. As speed increases above this the resonance frequency does as well and is less noticeable. 96 k1500 Z71 with a 5.3 swap. Original 4L60. 10 bolt rear end. The entire front suspension (except shocks) has been redone. All bushings, ball joints, tie rods, etc. The moment I drop under about 48 MPH it goes away.

Dial indicator on the drive shaft shows 0.022" of run-out. This doesn't seem that excessive to me and the weights are all still there. There is no center support bearing.

I also checked run-out of both axle flanges as well. Neither are bad. Surprisingly good actually with maybe .005". There is some wear on the axle bearing surfaces which I believe to be the cause. One axle has 0 radial play. The drivers axle has .010" of radial play (up and down). This seems like a lot to me considering the passenger has 0. Wheel bearings are pretty new and I will say the passenger side did not want to easily slide in place when the wheel bearings were replaced. It needed some gentle tapping with a dead blow. No turning resistance when installed. My guess is the damage on the axle surfaces are the culprit here but could use a sanity check.

I have a PDF of the factory service manual but I don't believe it to be complete. I cannot find anywhere the specifications for radial play. Does anyone have this information? I did a quick search on here but wasn't able to find what I was looking for. I have not had the drums tested for balance but I am not convinced they are the source of the issue.

 

[Frank Enstein]

Sounds like time for a repair bearing or axle shaft to me!

 

[Schurkey]

96 k1500 Z71 with a 5.3 swap. Original 4L60. 10 bolt rear end.

10-bolt axle isn't worth the time, money, effort, or enthusiasm to fix.

Find a light-duty K2500 with a 6-lug 9.5" "14-bolt" axle of the correct gear ratio. Scrap your rear axle, refresh the brakes on the 9.5" axle, new gear lube, four U-bolts and a conversion U-joint, and have fun.

 

[Erik the Awful]

A 10-bolt is just fine depending on the purpose of the truck. I have 10-bolt in WCJr and it's just fine for light-duty towing. If you're going to be doing any serious towing, racing, or off-roading you'll want a larger axle.

Runout won't tell you if a bearing in the pumpkin is going out. I rebuilt my Mustang's diff because while changing the outer wheel bearings did reduce the noise, it still had significant bearing noises.

 

[400Rogue]

10-bolt axle isn't worth the time, money, effort, or enthusiasm to fix.

Find a light-duty K2500 with a 6-lug 9.5" "14-bolt" axle of the correct gear ratio. Scrap your rear axle, refresh the brakes on the 9.5" axle, new gear lube, four U-bolts and a conversion U-joint, and have fun.

I already have a 14 bolt FF with 6 lug hubs. However I am not in a rush to build that axle. Shock mounts, leaf spring perches all need moved. And it needs a new ring and pinion, wheel bearings, etc. Entire axle is being gone through over time. To swap all that in with 4.10 gears would require changing the front ring and pinion as well. Time and cost here doesn't make sense to do all this just yet when I can repair my 10 bolt for relatively cheap in comparison and keep using my truck for light towing and day to day use.

 

[Schurkey]

Is there such a thing as a full-float axle with 6-lug hubs? I'd have expected a 9.5" semi-float with 6-lugs.

Get a "14-bolt", 9.5" 6-lug semi-float axle of the correct gear ratio FROM A 4WD GMT400, and it drops right in with four U-bolts and a conversion U-joint.

Choose your donor vehicle wisely, and all you need are freshened brakes, and fresh gear lube/cover gasket. MAYBE axle seals.

No welding, no ring 'n' pinion, no screwing around. You gain an axle that's as strong as the vehicle you have, better brakes, and with a little luck it costs less than screwing with your craptastic 10-bolt.