Chevy & GMC Vans

Yup, beat the tire off and then you can expect the drum to come off harder. When you put it back together, never seize the hubs and next time it'll fall off. I also never seize the back of the wheel where it makes contact with the drums and rotors.

The rotating hub on the opposite side in the opposite direction is normal for an open diff like yours.

Thanks, that is all I wanted to know.

The vibration was a seized front U-joint, and the rear tires had some bulges on them. They are being replaced while I type. I still have to do the rear brakes, and will hopefully get to that next week.

To loosen a stuck wheel, remove lug nuts, spray a small amount of PB Blaster in lug seats so that it runs behind the wheel, replace the lugs, but only torque to 35lbs or so, take a short drive, low speed, stops and turns being mindful that your wheel is loose. This has worked for me, but keep aware of what you're doing so you don't loose a wheel.

edit: nevermind, missed the last posts

I don't mind the hints, even if I don't need them right now. Picked up the van, and no rumble any more. The problem with seized U-joints is you can't see it without taking the drive-shaft off. Now back to the other stuff I need to do on the van.

Rileysowner wrote:The vibration was a seized front U-joint, and the rear tires had some bulges on them. They are being replaced while I type. I still have to do the rear brakes, and will hopefully get to that next week.

I'm dealing with vibration problems at about 65-75mph. My U-Joints are original, but with 174k on them. When I grab the drive shaft and twist, it doesn't move at all. This means my joints are still good, correct?

BTW, mine is not a low freq rumble, but a violate shake the can't be felt until it starts at 65, no bad sounds at all.

What you are describing is classic symptoms of a u-joint gone bad.

The only proper way to check a u-joint is to be able to freely move it in all directions. You'll have to pull the drive shaft to find out.

They seem perfect, but for what they cost and such an easy repair, I should just swap them. Damn, I should have done it when I did the rear tranny seal this past Thursday!

Another friend mentioned the rear ranny bearing, in the tail shaft. Not sure what that even is, no replacement bearing found online at autozone.com. Do you know this part?

The tail shaft only has a bushing and seal. If you moved the u-joints through the range of motion with them being smooth, no sense in spending good cash on replacing them. I don't remember, but have you checked the tires for bulging/damage as well as balance?

This reminds me, I need to do that seal at the back of the transmission. It has been slowly dripping for a while.

Rileysowner wrote:This reminds me, I need to do that seal at the back of the transmission. It has been slowly dripping for a while.

Don't put it off, so cheap and easy. You'll feel better you did.