Birfield Question..... (1 Viewer)

[mudgudgeon]

I will have to try it.
I know it's not safe but I have always used gas, when I was young and dumb I would smoke and clean part at the same time with no gloves
I don't smoke anymore and use gloves now but the fumes are still nasty.

My old neighbor was a retired mechanic. He had a long beard all the time I knew him.
He told me he'd mostly had a beard, but would prefer no beard

He told me when he was a young mechanic he was cleaning parts with gas, stepped outside for a cigarette break.
When he sparked up his ciggie, he also sparked up the gas vapour accumulated in his beard.
Instant no beard, and 2nd & 3rd degree burns to his lower face.
He then kept a long beard to cover up the scars on his face

 

[BTLSHP]

FWIW, Knuckle job completed two weeks and 200 miles ago. Originals went 234k of what must by MUD standards be considered easy driving.

I used a couple of bicycle boxes under the car and a rubber maid tote lined with a large contractor bag for debris. After all the videos and reading nothing about the job was difficult or surprising. The hero of the project was a Dollar Store rubber spatula. The inner seal seemed to have done its job keeping the diff oil and grease in their correct locations.

There was no "clicking" before I started, but I swapped the birfs side to side anyway. There were perhaps 5 or so tiny nicks in the cages and nothing looking like wear marks on the stars. Overall, I am glad I did it finally and relieved I did not track any grease in the house. The job took about 2 3/4 1 pound tubs of Valvoline Synthetic for everything including the Trunnion bearings.

My reassembly challenges were not understanding how to keep a tie rod end from spinning and a lessons in not using the star washers. Someone had used a cold chisel on the 54mm nuts, so I used 60-grit on a belt sander to get an even flat surface back.

The test/fill port is yellow for the moment as this will be handed to my daughter and her fiancé this summer and I thought that painting it would help them find it. I wish I had taken the time to paint the remanufactured calipers last summer!

After some 200 miles I rechecked the torque on the nuts/bolts for the trunnion bearings and all was good. My paint pen is toast, so I will find another way to mark them.

 

[duece71]

Great thread OP. Lots of great info in here. Trying to psych myself up to do this job before the summer is here. Watching all of the videos on YT (2nd GL, OTRAMM, 6th gear garage…) Question….
Does anyone think a JDM HDJ81 would have any differences in the knuckles? I don’t know is why I ask. Hoping it would be ok to swap sides with the birfs. BTW….Land Cruiser Heaven has the seat cushions and upper back cushions but not for a price savings.

 

[Broski]

Great thread OP. Lots of great info in here. Trying to psych myself up to do this job before the summer is here. Watching all of the videos on YT (2nd GL, OTRAMM, 6th gear garage…) Question….
Does anyone think a JDM HDJ81 would have any differences in the knuckles? I don’t know is why I ask. Hoping it would be ok to swap sides with the birfs. BTW….Land Cruiser Heaven has the seat cushions and upper back cushions but not for a price savings.

No different except the steering is on the other side

 

[BTLSHP]

Great thread OP. Lots of great info in here. Trying to psych myself up to do this job before the summer is here. Watching all of the videos on YT (2nd GL, OTRAMM, 6th gear garage…) Question….
Does anyone think a JDM HDJ81 would have any differences in the knuckles? I don’t know is why I ask. Hoping it would be ok to swap sides with the birfs. BTW….Land Cruiser Heaven has the seat cushions and upper back cushions but not for a price savings.

You sound like you are in the spot I was a year ago -- know the job has to be done, working up the courage to dig in. I got a ton of help online and via the FSM. Dealing with the grease and no parts cleaner was the big challenge. Since everything got a hose off an rip down with brake cleaner at end I rationed my spirits supply by dumping the dirty stuff into an empty can, letting it settle overnight and then reusing it. Not perfect.

I was able to jury rig a bicycle bottom bracket bearing toolset and a scrape of 2"x 2" into a inner seal removal tool. I should hav captured that a photo.

 

[duece71]

You sound like you are in the spot I was a year ago -- know the job has to be done, working up the courage to dig in. I got a ton of help online and via the FSM. Dealing with the grease and no parts cleaner was the big challenge. Since everything got a hose off an rip down with brake cleaner at end I rationed my spirits supply by dumping the dirty stuff into an empty can, letting it settle overnight and then reusing it. Not perfect.

I was able to jury rig a bicycle bottom bracket bearing toolset and a scrape of 2"x 2" into an inner seal removal tool. I should hav captured that a photo.

I have the FSM and with the videos and research on here….I will prepare myself accordingly. I have Joeys poster as well, neat and organized.

 

[BTLSHP]

These are of my front knuckles some 600-1,000 miles after the overhaul. The order going clockwise is FR, FL, RL and RR. The RL photo is terrible but to my eye it looks the same as the RR.

Is there anything troubling visible here? The balls appear dull not shiny, but have a very thin coat of grease. Torque on the trunnions is 71 ft lbs, the little 10mm were mostly still at 4 ft lbs but three were noticeably looser. I painted the fill port bolts yellow for the benefit of my daughter.

I am wrapping up and hope I have about 6 weeks with the truck to let issues settle out prior to a 1,700 mile trip to Denver.

 

[Kernal]

Is that splatter old or new? Can't tell exactly what the knuckles/swivel balls look like (photos from too far away and appear slightly out of focus). The photos on the forum won't magnify (new sharper/closer images might help).

 

[BTLSHP]

Is that splatter old or new? Can't tell exactly what the knuckles/swivel balls look like (photos from too far away and appear slightly out of focus). The photos on the forum won't magnify (new sharper/closer images might help).

I am having trouble posting multiple images. This is front right done immediately after rotating tires. I have no clue what the wet spot is on the wheel. I am hoping that it relates to the driving storm outside and maneuvering the car. But I will check.

 

[BTLSHP]

Is that splatter old or new? Can't tell exactly what the knuckles/swivel balls look like (photos from too far away and appear slightly out of focus). The photos on the forum won't magnify (new sharper/closer images might help).

Front left, with rain

 

[BTLSHP]

Is that splatter old or new? Can't tell exactly what the knuckles/swivel balls look like (photos from too far away and appear slightly out of focus). The photos on the forum won't magnify (new sharper/closer images might help).

Rear view left side. I will have to get a better photo of the right. No idea why this thing rotates very other photo right now!

 

[Broski]

Knuckles balls look fine. Post # 109 Picture RF the oil setting inside the rim and dripping off the dust shield is alarming.

 

[BTLSHP]

Knuckles balls look fine. Post # 109 Picture RF the oil setting inside the rim and dripping off the dust shield is alarming.

Terrified me too, I had just rotated the wheels and was jockeying the beast inside a narrow garage during a New Orleans style down pour. It has for the most part dried, why it looked like oil must have been shadows or something. The car has not moved.

 

[Kernal]

Don't see any major leaks. If that's low miles after a front axle service, and assuming the swivel balls and ends of the axle housing
were cleaned off completely during that work, then maybe there's a tad more grease showing than usual (IME).

IME new wipers, felts, rings (installed correctly) should leave a very thin almost invisible even smear of grease ie: for awhile at least until things start wearing.

You could swipe your finger on the swivel balls, smell it, any hint of gear oil odor??

 

[BILT4ME]

Terrified me too, I had just rotated the wheels and was jockeying the beast inside a narrow garage during a New Orleans style down pour. It has for the most part dried, why it looked like oil must have been shadows or something. The car has not moved.View attachment 3907750

Your balls look nice.

Hopefully she will enjoy them as well.

 

[BILT4ME]

Terrified me too, I had just rotated the wheels and was jockeying the beast inside a narrow garage during a New Orleans style down pour. It has for the most part dried, why it looked like oil must have been shadows or something. The car has not moved.View attachment 3907750

More importantly, what did you torque your wheel bearings to?

Please don't say I followed the FSM to a "T"........

 

[BTLSHP]

Don't see any major leaks. If that's low miles after a front axle service, and assuming the swivel balls and ends of the axle housing
were cleaned off completely during that work, then maybe there's a tad more grease showing than usual (IME).

IME new wipers, felts, rings (installed correctly) should leave a very thin almost invisible even smear of grease ie: for awhile at least until things start wearing.

You could swipe your finger on the swivel balls, smell it, any hint of gear oil odor??

No gear oil, pretty certain everything was correctly installed and clean. I wonder if I ended up with too much inside? I used the better part of 2 3/4 pounds.

 

[BTLSHP]

More importantly, what did you torque your wheel bearings to?

Please don't say I followed the FSM to a "T"........

Why is it that I think I was pretty close to the FSM, I can't find the thread but the fish scale ended up between 9-12 lbs. They certainly are not loose now and my hub temps after a long drive are not remarkable.

 

[BILT4ME]

Why is it that I think I was pretty close to the FSM, I can't find the thread but the fish scale ended up between 9-12 lbs. They certainly are not loose now and my hub temps after a long drive are not remarkable.

You should torque them to 35 lb-ft on the inner nut, 45 lb-ft on the outer. Throw the fish scale in the trash.

 

[BTLSHP]

You should torque them to 35 lb-ft on the inner nut, 45 lb-ft on the outer. Throw the fish scale in the trash.

Ok, that goes in the notes.