rear wheel wobble

smittykid

smittykid

Senior Member
I had a guy pull up next to me at a stop light & inform me I had a rear wheel wobbling. The Wife & I noticed nothing while driving the car. So I pulled into the closest parking lot & had the Wife drive it slowly while I watched from the rear. Sure enough, there was a slight wobble on the rt. rear wheel. Went straight home & checked all lug nuts. That didn't help. I jacked the car up and swapped rear wheels to see if it was the wheel or possibly a bent axle or hub. It wobbled on the left rear side as it did on the rt. rear side. There is no noticeable unusual tire wear on the rubber. Oh I forgot to mention it's a 29 w/21" wheels. I've asked a couple of local Model A guys about it and basically they told me not to worry too much about it if there is no noticeable wobble in the car while driving or any unusual tire wear.
What are your thoughts? Now that I know about it, it's driving me nuts. There is a fellow close to me that has a wheel straightener, but I'm curious what everyone on the Barn thinks. Thanks, Smitty
 
smittykid said:
I had a guy pull up next to me at a stop light & inform me I had a rear wheel wobbling. The Wife & I noticed nothing while driving the car. So I pulled into the closest parking lot & had the Wife drive it slowly while I watched from the rear. Sure enough, there was a slight wobble on the rt. rear wheel. Went straight home & checked all lug nuts. That didn't help. I jacked the car up and swapped rear wheels to see if it was the wheel or possibly a bent axle or hub. It wobbled on the left rear side as it did on the rt. rear side. There is no noticeable unusual tire wear on the rubber. Oh I forgot to mention it's a 29 w/21" wheels. I've asked a couple of local Model A guys about it and basically they told me not to worry too much about it if there is no noticeable wobble in the car while driving or any unusual tire wear.
What are your thoughts? Now that I know about it, it's driving me nuts. There is a fellow close to me that has a wheel straightener, but I'm curious what everyone on the Barn thinks. Thanks, Smitty
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Bent wheel. I would have it straightened and also check the others while at it. You are probably used to the feel of the car but should notice a smoother ride.
 
If further convincing is desired ..... and/or .... if you would want to verify & report back with wobble amount?

1. Jack up wheel; place a "fixed" wood block(s) adjacent to circumference of the metal rim & rotate wheel.

2. While rotating the wheel, verify "exactly" the distance from where the wheel is farthest out-bound & farthest in bound.

3. If curious, you can try all four (4) while at it.

4. Usually 1/8" max in & out is recommended ..... many 86+ year old Model A wheels exceed this amount ........ & many Model A owners don't care & never care to verify.

5. If tested, you will be unique! LOL
 
Smitty,
Could it possibly be an AR wheel, on a later HUB/DRUM?
I "think" lots of cracked centers are caused by AR wheels on the later drums.
I have 5, ready to go, AR WHEELS/TIRES/HUB CAPS, that I CAN'T use on Vermin!
Bill Misfit
 
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Hi Smitty,
I am with Bill. After quite a few poeple stopped to tell me about the wobble in a rear wheel, I found that I had one AR wheel. I now have the AR wheel as a spare untill I can find a replacement.
Regards
Chris
Cape Town
 
common sense prevails, do not drive until it is fixed. Mine was a bent rim with 2 broken spokes. Wayne
 
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Check to see if your hub is loose on the axle. If you have stripped or boogered threads at the end of your axle, the hub can back off the taper and wobble while driving.

Just put a floor jack under the axle and lift the car so the wheel is just off the ground, then try to force the wheel to wiggle by moving it fore and aft without turning it.
 
Just talking out loud here but could a wobbly wheel put the axle in unnatural forces and that can lead to the axle breaking? Kinda like "bending" it back and forth as the wheel pushes and pulls.
 
If it wobbled on both sides I would replace the wheel with a straight one. Did your left wheel wobble when it was put on the right side?
 
Tom F OHIO said:
If it wobbled on both sides I would replace the wheel with a straight one. Did your left wheel wobble when it was put on the right side?
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I had a guy pull up next to me at a stop light & inform me I had a rear wheel wobbling. The Wife & I noticed nothing while driving the car. So I pulled into the closest parking lot & had the Wife drive it slowly while I watched from the rear. Sure enough, there was a slight wobble on the rt. rear wheel. Went straight home & checked all lug nuts. That didn't help. I jacked the car up and swapped rear wheels to see if it was the wheel or possibly a bent axle or hub. It wobbled on the left rear side as it did on the rt. rear side. There is no noticeable unusual tire wear on the rubber. Oh I forgot to mention it's a 29 w/21" wheels. I've asked a couple of local Model A guys about it and basically they told me not to worry too much about it if there is no noticeable wobble in the car while driving or any unusual tire wear.
What are your thoughts? Now that I know about it, it's driving me nuts. There is a fellow close to me that has a wheel straightener, but I'm curious what everyone on the Barn thinks. Thanks, Smitty

He said it did in his original post.
 
Before getting wheel straightened try this:

Remove wheel from the hub and turn wheel around, then look at back of the wheel at the part which contacts the Hub. This is the part that usually wears a ring in the paint on the hub.

Sometimes when wheels are powder coated ... the PC melts and drips to the lowest spot. This glob of PC can be quite large and thick and WILL cause wheel to wobble unless removed so that wheel can seat up against the hub surface.

I have several P Coated wheels right now with this problem ... My first thought was to use a razor blade to remove extra PC. I wonder if this might break the PC loose from the edge of the wheel and start it to peel.

Maybe wait until it cures and then use a Dremel tool.
 
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SeaSlugs said:
Just talking out loud here but could a wobbly wheel put the axle in unnatural forces and that can lead to the axle breaking? Kinda like "bending" it back and forth as the wheel pushes and pulls.
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The wheel is still balanced, it just looks like it is going in and out.

Anyway, if you have matching wobbly wheels on each side the forces will cancel each other out and the ride will be smooth ... more wobbly wheels needed.
 
my drivers side rear wheel has been wobbling for over 35 years(21inch) don't feel it don't care,tire wears fine.
 
rocket1 said:
my drivers side rear wheel has been wobbling for over 35 years(21inch) don't feel it don't care,tire wears fine.
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I've had a wobbly wheel for not quite that long but many thousands of miles. Can't see leaving it is going to cause any problem - hasn't yet!:D
 
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