Big difference from new bushings and tie rod ends? (1 Viewer)

[stridertexas]

So my ‘90 62 series began getting increasing vibrations while driving. Bad shuddering while braking. And some slack in the steering wheel.

The shop I took it to prescribed the following :

1. Repack wheel bearings
2. New pads and rotors (b/c they were worn)
3. New tie rod ends
4. Replace all suspension and steering related bushings underneath (my shocks were replaced a couple years ago)
5. Re balance tires
6. 4 wheel alignment

I’m curious how much of a difference I should notice in the drive of the car.

It’s got 33x12.50’s and I realize it’s not a Cadillac. But I’ve also driven it for so long and have lost touch with how smooth and how good the handling on road could be.

Should I notice a night and day difference?

Any other suggestions to look into also?

 

[hj 60]

Also replace propeller shaft spider gear but don't hammer to much or pins will fall and start all over:

 

[bottombracket]

J, we could knock this out in a weekend. Get the bushings, Terrain Tamer rotors and pads, TT knuckle rebuild kit, TT TREs from @orangefj45 and we can do everything but the alignment and balance. Actually, we can do a decent alignment job in the driveway - it's toe in only.

I am doing this exact job (including 80 series master cylinder and 4 runner calipers) right this minute on my 61. It isn't hard and it's actually a fun job. I had a lot of trepidation about it but it is messy and fun.

 

[NearJetties]

^ friends like these

 

[stridertexas]

I’ve found in my journey with an older vehicle that I’ve got no clue how to diagnose things like this. I had thought it was just warped rotors and out of balance tires.

Sometimes it feels like chasing the sun in zeroing in on what a particular problem is being caused by.

If I had more confidence in knowing WHAT to work on, I feel like I could then within time and reason be able to fix whatever the problem might be.

Any advice on that would be greatly appreciated.

Bottombracket is a good friend indeed for offering such help : )

 

[NearJetties]

New TREs and drag links made a big difference for me. My woes weren’t as bad as yours and I’m on stock tires but new ones significantly increased highway confidence. Now I can drive with one finger even over rough patches and dips at speed.

The one thing you didn’t mention that is free.... try adjusting your steering box.

 

[John Staton]

jelous...I need a friend like bottombracket that lives near me....I dont mind getting dirty and doing the work...just dont have the knowledge. When I got my 83 FJ60 last year you could hardly keep it on the road. replaced the tie rods, balanced the tired and alignment and it made all the difference in the world. I also gort an OME kit and did the leaves, shocks and steering dampener. Seriously, the best way to describe the steering before was that you were standing in a hall and as you drifted out of your lane you would run to one side of the hall and hit your body against the wall to get it moving the other way and just continue to run from one side of the hall to the other throwing your body against the wall to stay in your lane. Drives great now.

 

[DFXR]

When i replaced my TREs, i did not see a huge improvement until I dialed in the big slotted adjusting screw on the two ends. That helped quite a bit in tightening up the steering and general feel of the front end.

If I remember correctly, i pulled the cotter pin, tightened the screw in all the way, then backed it out one turn. Replace the cotter w/ new.

Helps to have a stubby right angle flathead to get to the ends.

Also, not all TREs come greased. My 555 brand needed grease. Make sure yours have grease.

 

[bottombracket]

@DFXR - the Terrain Tamer outer TREs are ungreased and should remain that way. I actually called @orangefj45 to confirm that they did NOT require any additional grease, which went against a lifetime of automotive practice for me.

I did however put a metric zerk fitting on my 555 TREs and grease them as the 555 outer ends were drilled, tapped, and capped. I just couldn’t help myself.

The relay rod inner ends on the 555 and TT sets both come pre-lubed and have zerk fittings as we all know and expect.

 

[NMfjCruiser]

I’ve found in my journey with an older vehicle that I’ve got no clue how to diagnose things like this. I had thought it was just warped rotors and out of balance tires.

Sometimes it feels like chasing the sun in zeroing in on what a particular problem is being caused by.

If I had more confidence in knowing WHAT to work on, I feel like I could then within time and reason be able to fix whatever the problem might be.

Any advice on that would be greatly appreciated.

Bottombracket is a good friend indeed for offering such help : )

The reason you feel that way is because it's not usually one thing. It's the sum of things generally being worn out with the age of our trucks. On another vehicle I've actually replaced some bushings and the ride got worse. Had to do them all before it improved.
Do as your friend says and knock it out.
Another thought, how old are your tires? I had a set that even though balanced at the shop always vibrated and made the truck pull to the right. A new set of Ko2s made an unbelievable difference.

 

[roadstr6]

Try tightening your old tie rod ends as described a couple of posts ago. It’s likely that you don’t need to spend a bunch of money replacing things. Just maintain what you’ve got.