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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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.



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
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 54,832 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
You are welcome, please use 2CarPros anytime we are here to help.
Feb 22, 2024 at 11:31 AM
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