Near Deadly Unit Bearing Carnage

[Husker6.5]

This occured Friday on my daughter's 2002 Dodge Dakota 2wd. She said she heard a loud screetching sound followed by a sudden lurch to the left as the left front end dropped and it headed into the curb of the median. She was able to keep it fairly straight and brought it to a stop from 45 mph on four lane divided US 34 in west Lincoln. The wrecker driver said he had to use a bottle jack under the lower control arm to raise it up enough to get the tire/rim back up into the wheel well so he could get his lift under the front end. He said the tire was pretty much making a 90° left turn and was folded under the control arm. The only thing keeping the rotor/hub/rim/tire "on" her truck was the rotor was caught in the caliper (it popper the outer pad out of the caliper and snapped the upper pin). I'm heading up to Omaha in a few minutes to U Pull It-South (and possibly North location) to try and find a used knuckle/hub assembly. Their on-line vehicle inventory shows a 2004 Dakota at South and 2 2001's at North, as well as a couple of 2003 Durangos at North and a 2001 at South. Problem I ran into yesterday was all six correct year Durangos for interchange at U Pull It-Lincoln were 4WD, as their computer system doesn't list if 2 or 4WD, damn! Here's hoping that the 2004 at South is 2wd AND has a complete knuckle/hub assembly! $30 if they do! It will get her by for going to her summer job until I can get a pair of new unit hubs to put on weekend after next. What really sucks was we (father/daughter project) were going to put new upper and lower ball joints and end links on this weekend. Guess now I'll be teaching her how to do hubs, too!

 

[FellowTraveler]

This occured Friday on my daughter's 2002 Dodge Dakota 2wd. She said she heard a loud screetching sound followed by a sudden lurch to the left as the left front end dropped and it headed into the curb of the median. She was able to keep it fairly straight and brought it to a stop from 45 mph on four lane divided US 34 in west Lincoln. The wrecker driver said he had to use a bottle jack under the lower control arm to raise it up enough to get the tire/rim back up into the wheel well so he could get his lift under the front end. He said the tire was pretty much making a 90° left turn and was folded under the control arm. The only thing keeping the rotor/hub/rim/tire "on" her truck was the rotor was caught in the caliper (it popper the outer pad out of the caliper and snapped the upper pin). I'm heading up to Omaha in a few minutes to U Pull It-South (and possibly North location) to try and find a used knuckle/hub assembly. Their on-line vehicle inventory shows a 2004 Dakota at South and 2 2001's at North, as well as a couple of 2003 Durangos at North and a 2001 at South. Problem I ran into yesterday was all six correct year Durangos for interchange at U Pull It-Lincoln were 4WD, as their computer system doesn't list if 2 or 4WD, damn! Here's hoping that the 2004 at South is 2wd AND has a complete knuckle/hub assembly! $30 if they do! It will get her by for going to her summer job until I can get a pair of new unit hubs to put on weekend after next. What really sucks was we (father/daughter project) were going to put new upper and lower ball noints and end links on this weekend. Guess now I'll be teaching her how to do hubs, too!

Thankfully, your daughter is OK the truck can always be replaced....

 

[Husker6.5]

Oh yes, and the water on the ground? Just about the time I got the rim off the rotor using my air impact (tossed my 1 1/2 gal 1hp compressor that I use for trim nailers, hose, assorted tools and my 585 lb/ft 1/2" impact wrench in my trunk and headed over to her mother's house where she lives) it started to torrentially rain (like radar indicated 3-4" per hour from a band 30 miles wide moving 15mph!) so I dashed to my car and grabbed my emergency poncho I keep in the car and then got the rotor extricated from the caliper I had wiggled off the other bent caliper pin. Shoved the rotor under the pickup and tossed the rim in the bed and called it beer-thirty! So today, no grilling out, going parts hunting for my daughter. The things dads do for their kids!

 

[NVW]

Dad taught her to drive too it seems, glad she didn't get hurt.

 

[FellowTraveler]

Oh yes, and the water on the ground? Just about the time I got the rim off the rotor using my air impact (tossed my 1 1/2 gal 1hp compressor that I use for trim nailers, hose, assorted tools and my 585 lb/ft 1/2" impact wrench in my trunk and headed over to her mother's house where she lives) it started to torrentially rain (like radar indicated 3-4" per hour from a band 30 miles wide moving 15mph!) so I dashed to my car and grabbed my emergency poncho I keep in the car and then got the rotor extricated from the caliper I had wiggled off the other bent caliper pin. Shoved the rotor under the pickup and tossed the rim in the bed and called it beer-thirty! So today, no grilling out, going parts hunting for my daughter. The things dads do for their kids!

"It's the BLOODLINE."

 

[Husker6.5]

She's fine, the Dakota's fixable, just need to get that used knuckle assembly and put it on today! Off I go on a 100 mile round trip parts hunt! U Pull It is open 364 days a year, they only close Christmas Day. Summer hours are 7-7, Winter hours 8-5!

 

[Husker6.5]

Got the spindle and hub assembly at U Wrench It (U Pull It's competitor located a 1/4 mile south) after the only compatible Dakota in their yard was of course missing its LEFT spindle and hub assembly! So on a lark, before driving halfway across Omaha, I drove to the competitor next door and got the assembly for the same price! Now, an hour drive back to her mom's house and an hour to swap and restore while she's at a friend's graduation party (next year for her, then off to college. Damn they grow up fast!) and a driveable pickup when she gets home!

 

[Husker6.5]

Dad taught her to drive too it seems, glad she didn't get hurt.

Dad learned to drive at age five sitting on his dad's lap in the Sprint Car as my dad was taking test laps around Eagle Raceway (Home of the 1/3 Mile National Championships) during the week between events when the crew was dialing in changes to the car with him working the gas pedal, clutch and shifter as I steered. Probably going a whopping 10 or 15 MPH, no drifting the high bank clay turns!

 

[Big T]

Great story. I know the feeling after rescuing son after he had a rollover accident in the '95 K2500 Suburban 6.5 when he hit black ice in Southern Utah. Drop everything at Big Bear and 7 hour drive to rescue son, daughter in law and their dog. Also grabbed the Buddy Tune and the $900 rear bumper with tire rack. The insurance company moved the wreck from Panguitch, Utah to Las Vegas, which is 4 hours closer to us. Son negotiated $5K settlement for the Suburban and then bought back the wreck for $400. He used the neighbor's toy hauler to get it home and it sat in my back yard for 3+ years where we harvested and transfered or sold everything. Final items harvested were the engine, transmission and transfer case, rear axle and front differential. Then we sold the hull for scrap and got $450. In between, I found and bough his '94 Suburban K2500 6.5 from a seller on this site in Salt Lake City for $3,400. It had 242K miles on it and yesterday hit 280K miles. We transferred $2,500 retail value worth of parts to the '94, sold another bunch of parts and interior for like $800, and still have the engine, trans, transfer case, front diff and rear axle. It's not the most ideal way to buy a new car, but it sure was cheap.

 

[GM Guy]

now to get rid of the Dakota and get a 6.5L....

 

[Husker6.5]

I'd thought about dropping a 50hp N/A Cat skid steer diesel into it, drop a turbo on it, crank the fuel up so it's around 150 hp and 300 lb/ft and put a 5-speed behind it.