Stupid LC newbie steering ball joint thingy oil leak Q

[jlbuk]

Hi guys,

now before we even start, i have done a search ! I've read so much about re-packing birfields and green and grey soup that my brain will melt...

But you ever been in that situation when you know so little about something, you don't even understand the information you're being given ? - that'll be me then. So I'm no mechanic, but I'm quite practical, and I hate paying people huge wads of cash to fix stuff that I easily could do if I knew how....!
(I'm cool with electrics and ECUs though, so kinda the complete opposite of most guys on here )

Anyways, I've only had IFS cars before, so the LC is a bit of a confusion to me. The round balljoint thing is covered in an oily mix on the outside, presumably 'cos a seal someplace in there has let go.

How /where do I get at this seal, assuming that's what it is ?
Can I just add oil (somewhere - where ? ) for a few weeks until I get this sorted ?
Or to put it another way, do I need to do this whole procedure:
http://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-te...build-faq.html
to fix this ? :(

Leaked oil just looks like regular engine grade, maybe a tad thicker - does this makes sense ? Certainly not grey moly or green soup (what is that BTW?) It could be a moderate grade gear oil, it's hard to tell as it mixes with dust/grime when it gets outside... also, it may heave been leaking for years and be runing on nothing but diff oil (I've had it only 3 months)

As an aside, my front discs are worn, so I guess I need to remove that grease cover / big centre lock nut to take the rotors off? Wondering if I may as well leave them for the mo and do the whole lot together... need to buy some more tools for a start - 54mm is a big socket !

Thanks in advance - JB

[Lka1988]

Looks like you've done your research.

When you start, follow Romer's write-up, the one you already linked. It's actually pretty simple, just requires lots of time. Probably two days for a newb.

You can also replace the rotors/pads as a "while you are in there" thing, since you need to take them off.

Edit: And yes, the 54mm hub socket is BIG. Slee Offroad sell them for $25, IIRC. That's where I got mine.

[jlbuk]

Thanks Lane, I figured it looked like a "whole weekend" job
The LC gets me to work, so need to think carefully before starting this one....

Is it worth keeping topping it up with oil in the interim ?

[Lka1988]

It really depends on how long you're waiting to do the service. Some will say you need to get it taken care of NOW, others will say you're fine for the time being.

[John Galt]

As long as the diff fluid leaking out is replaced what is the problem that requires immediate replacement of the seals?

[barCruiser]

Your Birfs will wear out quicker, because the diff oil will dilute the molygrease and make it a less effective lubricant.

[Blue Phoenix]

Without this forum Id be a two banana on PM for my vehicle, but theres a wealth of knowledge as you can see. I could only dream of there being a forum this complete for my wifes car. No one on there seems to care enough about doing work for themselves and even if they do, no one posts PICS!!!!. Anyways, good luck with the rebuild. As soon as my DBA rotors come in the mail Im spending some quality time repacking mine.

[jlbuk]

Thanks again guys, I reckon keeping the diff topped up should keep me out of trouble for a few weeks.. my drive to work is low miles/low speed, so whilst I hear you on washing out the moly, I reckon it'll survive a while...

Cheers - JB
(about to try a take his cat off as the floor is getting too hot )

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by barCruiser

Your Birfs will wear out quicker, because the diff oil will dilute the molygrease and make it a less effective lubricant.

Right, so I use better diff lube that does both jobs better in the extreme cold when the hubs are locked in. Moly grease by itself is too thick below 0°F.

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by jlbuk

Thanks again guys, I reckon keeping the diff topped up should keep me out of trouble for a few weeks.. my drive to work is low miles/low speed, so whilst I hear you on washing out the moly, I reckon it'll survive a while...

If you're not driving with the hubs locked in, then the front drive isn't turning.

[jlbuk]

Originally Posted by John Galt

If you're not driving with the hubs locked in, then the front drive isn't turning.

Full time 4WD

[MARLIN375]

jlbuk,

Can you post a pic of the offending knuckel, and one of the healthy side?

and how many miles/Kms on your truck.

[jlbuk]

Originally Posted by MARLIN375

jlbuk,

Can you post a pic of the offending knuckel, and one of the healthy side?

and how many miles/Kms on your truck.

Sure, gimme a day or two (although have cleaned up a bit over the weekend, I've seen they are actually both leaking. The LC pending export has one good one and one leaker too !)

All three 80s are in the 120-130 k miles range.

[jlbuk]

OK, here's the '93 hubs :(

[jlbuk]

And here's the 95 (looking a bit unloved at the moment - she'll be shipped within a few weeks)

[MARLIN375]

Judging from those pics.
You say you cleaned the 93 up but the it looked like it was leaking motor oil......Id say both inner seals (the ones that keep the diff oil in the axle housing) are gone and the lack of "birf soup" means your knuckles do not have enough grease in them to make soup, OR you are past the soup stage and the oil has flushed the grease out 30-40k ago.

The 96 passenger side (the dry rusty one) scares me, with only 130k miles on her I would almost say it has never seen that grease plug removed. Take the plug off/out and insert a chopstick or the like and see what you find, that knuckle is supposed to be 3/4 full of grease, a healthy knuckel should have a smear of grease on it and only slightly dry on top.
The driver side on the 96 looks like typical seal failure with birf soup but has been like that for awhile.

In my opinion grease leaking untill you can get the service done is better than dry anyday, grease the knuckles (through the plug hole) and top up the diffs untill you can get the work done, the seals are gone anyhow so there isn't to much for you to wreck by lubing them, hopefully they are not excessivly worn from lack of PM.

Good luck

[jlbuk]

Marlin, excellent info, thanks...
I've only put about 2k on each of these trucks, so all I can do is blame the POs and gradually work through it myself...

Great info on this forum though, thanks again.....

[jlbuk]

SOmwthing just rung a bell, and I went through the service coduments that I got from the PO of the 93-- the last service in march, just before I bough it, mentioned "topping up the hub oil levels"... I wonder if they literaly poured (gear?) oil in there ?

Where is this top bung/plug ? Will have to have a looksee... would certainly explain why it looked like regular motor oil...

[MARLIN375]

the plug is in every one of your pics, it is forward of the ABS sensor (doo dad with the wires coming out the top) and closer to the backing plate.
12mm square bung with visable threads into the knuckle.

Sounds like you saved your LC from a PO that should stick to working on farm equipment. I would change/baseline all your fluids..........I wonder what he put in the transfer case?

[jlbuk]

Thanks again Marlin

Done the ATF (nasty), driveline grease (dry), front (waste of time now obviously) and rear (LSD) diffs, engine oil.

Transfer case (need to check spec) and brake fluid (when I do the brakes/rotors with this axle job) are next on the list

[jlbuk]

Can anyone please tell me exaclty what seals / bits are in Dan's kit ?

I need to order the individual bits (I'm in the UK), and don't want to forget something and have no car
Uk supplier (Milner's) I've found does this little lot as a kit:

All non-OEM - should I go OEM instead ?

[rhyary]

Here are my notes:

LX450 - gasket kit content for rebuilt front

*You can piece what's in the 04434-60051 kit and it's actually cheaper. You may or may not need different shims to setup the trunion pre-load. I did not last time.

The 04434-60051 consists of 2 of each of the following numbers:

90313-93003 $27.22 ea
43436-60011 $1.14 *ea
43435-60020 $1.03 ea
43204-60031 $27.35 ea
43422-60060 $1.51 ea

*Total $116.50 versus $201.03 for the kit, same stuff.

[jlbuk]

Excellent, thanks Rhyary

Got under both cars this evening, got those plugs off the top, and poked down inside....

The 93
Leakiest balljoint full of clear/yellow (lithium?) type grease ? Added a bit of moly grease. Also the lower studs/nuts are new, so I guess this was serviced at some point in time, and a slighlty unusual choise of grease employed. The plug was also insanely tight on this side, I actually splayed my 12mm spanner
Not so leaky balljoint seemed quite full of grey (moly) type grease, added a little more anyways.

The 95
The leaky one was quite full of moly grease - added a bit.
The dry one was quite dry - just traces of moly inside. I tipped in a teaspoon of diff oil to try to address the rusting at the bottom. Then added a few fingerloads of moly.
The diff was also a little down, needed about 3/4 litre (I know topping this up was "a waste", but this one is going to get rebuilt when it gets to Zambia - I have a good mechanic there - so only needs to manage a 75mile drive from the border to my house)

Also did the transfer case on the 93 - easy enough, the old oil looked a little thin, but no swarf/crap. Suprised how little it takes.
Thanks again for all the help and info - JB

[jlbuk]

Ordered a hub socket
Ordered the non-OEM kit (pic above)
About to order OEM as well using the part numbers supplied -

I have two cars to do, so I can compare/contrast the bits and see how they hold up!

The non-oem kit was £30, the OEM works out at £130
- I think I'll put the cheaper one on the UK car, Zambia is tough on cars.

Also got a couple of bearings at £40 a pop, bit worried about the dry one, either way, two bearings when I'm currently running 12, they're going to get used sometime

Cheers- JB