Trail Damage Help Needed (1 Viewer)

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Curran

Curran

Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Threads
64
Messages
809
Location
Frederick, MD
Help!
This morning I found a nasty puddle of gear oil and moly grease under my US/PS steering knuckle. I had to figure out how to get to work, so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to take things apart and investigate but I did snap a few pictures to see if anybody could give me some advice on what to check out here.

Apparently, three of the four bolts that hold the steering arm to the bottom of the knuckle housing have either gone AWOL or sheared off.



My questions to everyone are:
1) IIRC, these bolts are pressed in the housing. Can I press new studs into the housing (assuming the holes haven’t been deformed) or do I need to buy (listen up C-Dan) a new knuckle?
2) What other pieces/parts should I inspect for damage after something like this happens?

Background Info: It’s a US spec 97 with factory lockers and about 110,000 miles on the ticker. Last Birf Rebuild was about 8,000 miles ago with OEM parts. It’s been wheeled about 4 times since then. I just returned from a wheeling trip late last night. Oddly, I didn’t notice anything wrong on the two hour drive home. But I’m thinking I’m darn lucky that that last stud didn’t come off on the interstate!

This is my daily driver, so I’m in a bind until I can get this back up and running. Any advice you guys can throw my way will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Curran
Steering Arm 1.jpg
Steering Arm 2.jpg
 
The bolts are screw in and a new design replaces the old ones. Dan would have them in stock (usually does) Your local toyota dealership may or may not. You would need 4 new studs(in the near future you may want to replace the other side as well) and cones, washers, nuts. The studs get torqued in spot and you may want to use red lock tight as well. Hopefully you did not mess up any of the thread in the housing. You will also want to put a new inner axle seal in, as it may be screw up from the axle riding on it. I would think you would not drive it until it is fixed. any hooo good luck later robbie
 
Curran, WOW!! Dude that was a close one. The studs that you think may be pressed in are actually threaded in and probably came loose when you took it apart during your PM birf job. Always check that those babies are torqued in before torquing the nut on. Some people even use the blue loc-tite on the studs for safe measure. Not sure what all that soup is from. Is that white stuff foam?

Vince
 
same thing happened to moms 97, dealer did the repack and over the next 10k the studs pulled out, when I noticed it there was 1/4 of daylight showing!!!
 
97cruiser said:
Curran, WOW!! Dude that was a close one.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I can't imagine trying to pull that truck from 70 mph to a stop without the steering. Scarry. It could have been real ugly.

97cruiser said:
...Is that white stuff foam?
Click to expand...

I think you're looking at the reflection of the flash.

Thanks everyone for the help.
 
>> Always check that those babies are torqued in before torquing the nut on. <<

Excellent advice and a wake up call for all of us. This is NOT an isolated incident.

-B-
 
Wow, bad, bad, bad.

On my '97 I had almost the same thing happen, only when I noticed it none of the studs were missing but 3 of the 4 weren't even finger tight, one was exactly finger tight. I noticed when there was about 1/8" of daylight between the arm and the knuckle.

Unless I'm mistaken if that arm comes off it doesn't just affect the steering, since that arm has the large pin which holds the knuckle onto the bearing. If that arm comes off the entire knuckle comes off. Snapring on end of axle would probably shear, and entire wheel/hub/knuckle assembly could just rip clean off the vehicle...wow that'd be a bad day.
 
Yow! hopefully your experiance will save the rest of us!
 
mabrodis said:
Unless I'm mistaken if that arm comes off it doesn't just affect the steering, since that arm has the large pin which holds the knuckle onto the bearing. If that arm comes off the entire knuckle comes off. Snapring on end of axle would probably shear, and entire wheel/hub/knuckle assembly could just rip clean off the vehicle...wow that'd be a bad day.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... not sure about that. Seems that The entire weight of the vehicle would still be resting on the bottom trunion bearing, which (I think) would still be sandwiched in the axle ball hole and setting on the the bottom of the knuckle housing (which may be what Curran's is doing presently).

I think we'd need someone preferably with a roll cage to test this one out :D.

:beer:
Rookie2
 
Man, that is nasty

Can the studs be replaced with the knuckle in place (ie take off the arm , pull the studs, clean the hole, locktight, etc or do you have to remove the knuckle to do the jo (in this case you do given the damage, leaking seals, etc). I ask b/c when I did mine on the weekend one of the studs came out and now I'm wondering about replacing all of them.

Reminds me to go home tonight and recheck the torque - ps when I'm torquing the nut, is that also tightening the stud into the knuckle?

Cheers, Hugh

Cheers, Hugh
 
Hugh,
I'm going to have to pull the Knuckle. After talking to C-Dan, though I think that you could replace them with out removing it. The new studs have a Torx fitting at the end of the stud that allow you to tighten it into place. Thus, with a bit of careful cleaning I think it can be done. I think it would be a real bear if you didn't have the new studs.

:beer:

Curran
 
What I can't figure out is why the studs open into the cavity (or do they - maybe someone just drilled mine?) If they didn't, you could easily replace them without worrying about grease. How much for the set of 4 with cone washers, etc?

I thought I might do mine as I just did the birf job and the grease would still be quite firm.

Cheers, Hugh
 
>> ps when I'm torquing the nut, is that also tightening the stud into the knuckle <<

No. That's part of the problem; they stud is a little loose from removing the nuts, then when the nuts get reinstalled they start backing out if the stud isn't tight. I think this happens more often to vehicles where the nut is rusted to the stud but it can happen to any of us.

I plan to lock-tite all 4 studs on both sides on the next knuckle job.

-B-
 
The new studs with the reverse Torx are really super nice for torquing the new ones in. Curran's problem might be getting the remains of the old ones out. I would tear down BOTH knuckles, drill out the broken studs and replace with the new style ones. Then replace the axle seals, knuckle wipers and the like. Your bearings if recently replaced are probably still good. Check the spindle bushing-I'll bet it's trashed after this.
 
Hopefully they just backed out, then it shoud be a simple fix. This should be something to check after every trail ride, every oil change, etc.

Talking about your life hanging by a thread...if that comes off you are in for a major repair at worst (...ahh, edit,...make that at BEST!)

Cheers, Hugh
 
Last edited:
A friend of mine just acquired a *new* 80 that had something related to that.

He found SAE nuts threaded onto his studs and the only thing holding them on was the locktite. :eek:

Luckily you and he caught it before it got dangerous.
 
That is scary

Can you guys clarify what, if anything, was actually done wrong here? Or do we not know that?

Jared
 
This almost always happens some time after a knuckle job. When the steering arms are removed as part of the repair the studs back out just a bit. The axle is re-assembled without checking to make sure the studs are tight. Even correctly torqued nuts will not prevent the studs from backing out if they are not secure.
 
Thanks CDAN

If you have the old style studs (no torx head) what is the proper technique for torqing the studs?

Jared
 
Jared, before Dan told me that there were new studs, I was trying to figure out that same question. I talked to a mechanic friend of mine who recommended threading two nuts on the stud like a jam or lock nut effectively making a 'bolt head' to tighten the stud into the knuckle. Then remove the two nuts; install the steering arm....
Sounds like it might work.

:beer:

Curran
 
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