Guessing I'm due for front axle rebuild? (1 Viewer)

[FloridaCruiser22]

So was getting into replacing front rotors and am realizing I am also probably due for a front axle rebuild. Here are some pics, just want to make sure.

Will order the kit from cruiser outfitters and hopefully get it sometime this week. Wheel bearings look fine. Is there anything else I need to order/due once this is all apart?

Thanks

 

[Tools R Us]

Don't see birf soup, but looks dry, like out of grease. I would clean it up, bring moly level up to the correct level and see what it does.

 

[FloridaCruiser22]

Don't see birf soup, but looks dry, like out of grease. I would clean it up, bring moly level up to the correct level and see what it does.

I will try that. I was just thinking it could be due as I don't think the knuckle has been rebuilt before, getting close to 150k.

What causes the build up for oil/grease/junk all over plate/behind rotor?

 

[OffRoadScott]

I did what Tools R Us recommended. The square bolt that is in the top of the knuckle is an access/check spot for the knuckle. Wipe the area around the bolt down and make sure it is free of dirt and old debris. I wiped mine down and used brake cleaner to get the rest of the stuff off. Remove the bolt, fill the knuckle half way, drive around for a few miles, then recheck it add more as needed.

 

[inkpot]

I did what Tools R Us recommended. The square bolt that is in the top of the knuckle is an access/check spot for the knuckle. Wipe the area around the bolt down and make sure it is free of dirt and old debris. I wiped mine down and used brake cleaner to get the rest of the stuff off. Remove the bolt, fill the knuckle half way, drive around for a few miles, then recheck it add more as needed.

Eggsackly!! Check and top off your diff oil while you are there. You can’t tell if your axle seals are good or not unless there is plenty of grease and oil available to leak out. Bottom of your knuckles looks pretty dry, so either your seals are fine, or there is nothing to leak out. Leaky looks like this:

 

[FloridaCruiser22]

Eggsackly!! Check and top off your diff oil while you are there. You can’t tell if your axle seals are good or not unless there is plenty of grease and oil available to leak out. Bottom of your knuckles looks pretty dry, so either your seals are fine, or there is nothing to leak out. Leaky looks like this:

View attachment 1709591

Oh wow didn't know it could look like that. I'm new to all of this. I just changed the rear diff oil out and will change out the front diff oil too once I get the drain bolt off. Way over-torqued or something.

I'll fill up the knuckles and will go from there/report back here. Thanks guys!

 

[OffRoadScott]

Oh wow didn't know it could look like that. I'm new to all of this. I just changed the rear diff oil out and will change out the front diff oil too once I get the drain bolt off. Way over-torqued or something.

I'll fill up the knuckles and will go from there/report back here. Thanks guys!

Try some heat and a nice breaker bar on that drain bolt

 

[inkpot]

Or, you can try to find a friendly neighborhood mechanic with a kickass impact gun, with a 24 mm socket with the lip sanded down flat so it grabs all of that little itty bitty plug head!!

 

[Irish Reiver]

Shoot me a PM if you need a hand. I am down in Lake Nona area - not to far from you. I did my axles a few weeks back...and I have an impact gun . Also worth ordering up a set of replacement diff and transfer bolts from @NLXTACY that have the hex head.

 

[cruiserhound]

You won't know until you take her apart. From the back it looks ok. The front dust shield, looks like you had some sort of leakage at some point. As Tools R Us suggested I'd check the fluids, axle fluid and knuckle grease and drive her.

 

[greentruck]

I'll agree it looks kinda dry. But the first pic shows a knuckle that seems to have at least the minimum level grease still working inside. You should have a nice thin coat of grease on the exposed bare metal of the "ball" with just a little pushed up/out at the limits of its travel, pretty much like what you see there.

If things had leaked out, you'd probably still see a sight like inkpot's pic shows. That stuff tends to hang in there until intentionally removed. Someone could have cleaned it up all nice and tidy after it leaked out, but that's paying a lot of attention to neglect.

While somewhat more optimistic in my read of this, my advice is basically the same, check the levels, fill as needed, then run it and see what happens. When pulling the square plug to check the moly level in the knuckle, poke throurgh the initial bit of grease that may be right under the fill bolt with a tywrap or something else clean, then shine a light in there. You should see maybe just the top of the birf that rotates inside. If you see anything more than just the top of it, then it's low, pump in some more.

 

[bicycleagent003]

Loosen the fill plug before you loosen the drain plug. A wise man once said.

 

[FloridaCruiser22]

So after cleaning everything, the passenger side inner wheel bearing and race looks like crap.

Would rather go with timken or koyo but don't want to wait a week. O'Reily's stocks the bearing and race in national brand so guess I'll go with that. I know they've been around for a while and American made + 3 yr warranty if something screws up.

 

[ALX4X4]

I use a 6 point socket with no lip to boot.

 

[auttiman]

So after cleaning everything, the passenger side inner wheel bearing and race looks like crap.

Would rather go with timken or koyo but don't want to wait a week. O'Reily's stocks the bearing and race in national brand so guess I'll go with that. I know they've been around for a while and American made + 3 yr warranty if something screws up.

Order Timken bearings and races.

 

[cruiserjunktion]

So after cleaning everything, the passenger side inner wheel bearing and race looks like crap.

Would rather go with timken or koyo but don't want to wait a week. O'Reily's stocks the bearing and race in national brand so guess I'll go with that. I know they've been around for a while and American made + 3 yr warranty if something screws up.

Try advance or auto zone. You’ll be able to get a Timkin or koyo bearing there.

 

[FloridaCruiser22]

Try advance or auto zone. You’ll be able to get a Timkin or koyo bearing there.

I tried Autozone, they had to special order the Timken bearing and wanted $68...wtf?? My local advance said they only carry national. O'Reilys had the national in stock so picked that up.

I'll have to do the knuckle rebuild at some point so maybe I'll just change out with a koyo when I do that/down the road. Not that big of a deal to replace, this one is better for now than how much wear was on the current one.

 

[Tools R Us]

... O'Reilys had the national in stock so picked that up.
...

National is fine.

 

[musthave]

I tried Autozone, they had to special order the Timken bearing and wanted $68...wtf?? My local advance said they only carry national. O'Reilys had the national in stock so picked that up.

I'll have to do the knuckle rebuild at some point so maybe I'll just change out with a koyo when I do that/down the road. Not that big of a deal to replace, this one is better for now than how much wear was on the current one.

If you order oem at your dealer tomorrow they would be there on Wednesday. They are on the shelf at Jacksonville warehouse.

 

[Tools R Us]

Product Spotlight: Cruiser Outfitters Knuckle Rebuild Kits