Sometimes in 2-wheel drive I get a jerk in the steering, which turns into a constant wobble?

1994 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN
177,000 MILES • 5.7L • V8 • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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ASHES33
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  • 2 POSTS
Sometimes in 2-wheel drive I get a jerk in the steering; it slowly gets worse to be a constant wobble that is pretty violent. If I pull over and engage the 4x4 and immediately disengage it fixes the problem. It will happen again randomly, maybe 20 miles, maybe 60.
Feb 19, 2024 at 4:24 PM
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STRAILER
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I have seen the front CV axle go out and cause this problem. here is a video on a similar vehicle that shows the job being done. Also, I have included the instructions on how to fix the problem on your car in the images below.

https://youtu.be/XeqT-_fwVQg?si=dXW3PNR8jm2D0F2T

What happens is the CV joint wears out and tries to lock up. When you put it in 4wd it forces the joint into a new position which resets it, so the problem goes away for a while until it slips back into its worn-out spot in the joint. Check out the images (below). Please upload pictures or videos in your response to the problem so we can see what's going on.



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Feb 20, 2024 at 12:06 PM
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ASHES33
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Thank you, that makes sense.
Feb 20, 2024 at 4:07 PM
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STRAILER
  • AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
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You are welcome, please use 2CarPros anytime we are here to help.
Feb 22, 2024 at 11:31 AM