Axle Knuckle Pushing Wheel Right? (1 Viewer)

[Zjohnsonua]

The radius arms locate the axle front to back. When the bushings are healthy (and the arms have symmetrical geometry) the axle is located squarely. The panhard locates the axle left to right - this doesn't matter so much at the moment.

Having a worn frame side bushing can let the axle slide back on that side, making the truck want to turn that direction. Having both axle side bushings fail would cause similar behavior.

Trunion bearings can fail, leaving the knuckle to feel loose. You can't tighten them though. The bearing and race must be replaced (the mechanic referring to them as king pins is thinking of the D60 design referenced above, which is adjustable). If this bearing is shot, go ahead and sign up for a knuckle rebuild.

 

[gummycarbs]

How do the radius arms affect steering/the way the axle and wheels drive?

It literally determines the position and angle of the axle.

Get to work rebuilding both hubs. Worry about the rest later.

 

[Jdub94]

It literally determines the position and angle of the axle.

Get to work rebuilding both hubs. Worry about the rest later.

Hubs as in the radius arms or the knuckles? I will do both eventually. But which first?

 

[Jdub94]

Finally got ahold of the owner and he called his mechanic that helped him do the front end. they never changed the knuckles at all, and never even opened them up according to him. But his mechanic said all it should need is to have new shims put on the upper link.

 

[bhsdriller]

Not sure what he's referring to as the upper link

I would do a full knuckle rebuild on both sides

 

[Jdub94]

Not sure what he's referring to as the upper link

I would do a full knuckle rebuild on both sides

I think he means the upper trunnion cap

 

[mudgudgeon]

Finally got ahold of the owner and he called his mechanic that helped him do the front end. they never changed the knuckles at all, and never even opened them up according to him. But his mechanic said all it should need is to have new shims put on the upper link.

I'm not sure this instills a lot of confidence in this mechanic, at least in terms of them being familiar with a cruiser.
The only place there's shims is at the top knuckle/steering arm connection. Shims here don't change steering geometry. It's not gonna fix a pull in the steering.

I'd suspect you have a bent axle housing. The truck has obviously been wheeled harder than most.
You've got a lot of non standard parts in the front steering and suspension. Armour on the diff housing, bashed up brake shields, leaking/greasy knuckle ball etc

Loose bushings, loose bearings, loose tierod ends are most likely to result in vague, wandering steering.
A pull in the steering is more likely because something is bent, binding up, or completely flogged out.

Loose wheel bearing on one side could cause a pull.

Worn king pin bearings can lead to funky steering (trunnion, knuckle, king pin bearing is all same, same. mud is the only place I've seen the term trunnion bearing)

If you can find someone with competent mechanical experience to help run through some basic diagnosis it will help get you headed in the right direction.

Get wheel bearings torqued up(almost very on them needing love) and tierod ends sorted, then get a wheel alignment check and a print out. The numbers from this will give some clues as to whether the axle housing is bent.

The only thing a typical alignment is able to do on these vehicles is adjust toe in/out

 

[bhsdriller]

I think those shims are only for the preload on the trunion bearing

 

[gummycarbs]

Hubs as in the radius arms or the knuckles? I will do both eventually. But which first?

Hubs have nothing to do with the radius arms. Radius arms connect the frame to the axle.

 

[gummycarbs]

But his mechanic said all it should need is to have new shims put on the upper link.

Even if we were to assume he meant the upper trunnion shims, it's still completely incorrect.

You need to sit down and spend a *lot* of time reading about the 80 and the factory service manual. Or drop the rig off with a reputable Land Cruiser specialist.

 

[Rusty Marlin]

Even if we were to assume he meant the upper trunnion shims, it's still completely incorrect.

You need to sit down and spend a *lot* of time reading about the 80 and the factory service manual. Or drop the rig off with a reputable Land Cruiser specialist.

On the nose!

 

[Broski]

Mudgudgeon sums it up the best!!
If you plan to keep and wheel this rig, doing the front axle rebuilding is like a right of passage.
You will then have a working knowledge of your front axle and know what to look for should a issue come up on the trail

 

[smritte]

Something that's easy to check considering you have custom axles and it was wheeled hard.

Measure from the back edge of the front rim to the front edge of the rear rim. Measure from the center. 0----0
Compare both sides. Your measuring the distance between the wheels to ensure their the same. Its not uncommon to have the driver side 1/4 shorter than passenger. Not the other way around.
"If" the passenger side is shorter due to bent, worn, off set bushings done wrong.... the vehicle will pull that way.

From an alignment point of view, a vehicle moves to the shorter side. Over the years, I have measured hundreds of vehicles, most of which have been in accidents. 1/4 inch short on the left you wont notice due to road crown (tilt to right for water runoff). 1/2 left inch possibly on freeway. Anything on the right can be noticeable with crown.

 

[Jdub94]

I'm not sure this instills a lot of confidence in this mechanic, at least in terms of them being familiar with a cruiser.
The only place there's shims is at the top knuckle/steering arm connection. Shims here don't change steering geometry. It's not gonna fix a pull in the steering.

I'd suspect you have a bent axle housing. The truck has obviously been wheeled harder than most.
You've got a lot of non standard parts in the front steering and suspension. Armour on the diff housing, bashed up brake shields, leaking/greasy knuckle ball etc

Loose bushings, loose bearings, loose tierod ends are most likely to result in vague, wandering steering.
A pull in the steering is more likely because something is bent, binding up, or completely flogged out.

Loose wheel bearing on one side could cause a pull.

Worn king pin bearings can lead to funky steering (trunnion, knuckle, king pin bearing is all same, same. mud is the only place I've seen the term trunnion bearing)

If you can find someone with competent mechanical experience to help run through some basic diagnosis it will help get you headed in the right direction.

Get wheel bearings torqued up(almost very on them needing love) and tierod ends sorted, then get a wheel alignment check and a print out. The numbers from this will give some clues as to whether the axle housing is bent.

The only thing a typical alignment is able to do on these vehicles is adjust toe in/out

I have ordered tie rod ends, knuckle rebuild kit. What else do I need to order if I have an axle housing that is bent? I would have to buy a whole new housing?

 

[Jdub94]

Hubs have nothing to do with the radius arms. Radius arms connect the frame to the axle.

Yes but you said “hubs” after I was asking about radius arms. So I was confused. Sorry

 

[mudgudgeon]

. . . if i have an axle housing that is bent? I would have to buy a whole new housing?

Most likely, yes.

Sometimes they can be straightened, but you'll struggle to find a ship to do it.

If it's only very minor damage, offset trunnion bearings can correct an issue, but that's a whole other can of worms.

 

[gummycarbs]

What else do I need to order if I have an axle housing that is bent? I would have to buy a whole new housing?

Yes. If it's bent, I would check one of the used vendors on this site or car-part.com.

 

[mudgudgeon]

I have ordered tie rod ends, knuckle rebuild kit. What else do I need to order

If the kit included trunnion bearings, you should have all the bits you need.

Buy yourself a suitable size pitman arm puller for separating tie rod ends. They can be a biatch to separate

Also, do some reading on how to clean and reinstall the knuckle studs in the bottom of the knuckle.
These are a common failure item after a knuckle rebuild due to the mechanic not cleaning and fitting correctly.

 

[Jdub94]

If the kit included trunnion bearings, you should have all the bits you need.

Buy yourself a suitable size pitman arm puller for separating tie rod ends. They can be a biatch to separate

View attachment 3097940

Also, do some reading on how to clean and reinstall the knuckle studs in the bottom of the knuckle.
These are a common failure item after a knuckle rebuild due to the mechanic not cleaning and fitting correctly.

Got something similar that I used to get the links to come out of the stability bar mounts. Took quite a bit of pressure

 

[Jdub94]

Most likely, yes.

Sometimes they can be straightened, but you'll struggle to find a ship to do it.

If it's only very minor damage, offset trunnion bearings can correct an issue, but that's a whole other can of worms.

Right.. only thing I don’t want to end up doing is spending a ton of money on all of these other components and replacing them just to have to take them all back out and into a new housing

Wonder if I’d save money just biting the bullet now and buying a whole new axle.

Original owner said it’s the factory housing but he replaced the internals minus the diff