Update for 4/19 and 4/22 (Shop Work)
Well, what started as a full brake system fluid flush and check turned into an unexpected safety fix for the knuckles, seized calipers, wheel bearings, and rotors.
So...I made an appointment for my rig sometime back...
THE ISSUE(s):
Brakes were super mushy.
Now, I've owned her for about eight years and put almost 30k miles on in that time...brake fluid was super dirty so I opted to see if having it flushed would fix my "mushy" brakes. Also, when coming into a parking spot and turning SLOW, the brakes would go to the floor for a moment. So, I figured a fluid change and full flush was in order. At worst, I thought, I'd be looking at a dying booster or master cylinder.
Front brakes had massive amounts of air in them and the rear bleeder valves were frozen shut. Even heating them up didn't help at first and once cracked, needed to be replaced. The fluid was changed/flushed but with it still in the air, the LC shop tech did his due diligence and checked a few other things...he grabbed the PS front wheel and gave it a tug...
...and immediately said, "Hey, your wheel bearing is loose. That's bad"
And yeah, it seemed to have about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of play...yeah, that's bad. So, he said he'd pop the wheel off, tighten the bearing, repack real quick and then I should be good. But when he got into it...it was apparent the issue was much, much worse than he thought it would be.
The parts were the right size, but very sub-standard. So sub-standard that there was an etching around the bearing AND there was a full crack through the bearing...which made it a literal ticking time bomb. As he dug deeper into it, he found that someone had been into the front end and brakes before. I explained it wasn't me and he knew it wasn't because i would have used the proper parts.
So, what was initially a full brake fluid flush and bleed turned into the full knuckle rebuild with Birf replacement (Which I had already been planning and had parts for), spindle replacement, and new calipers and brakes all the way around.
The new calipers and brakes:
On the rear...the calipers were about 80% frozen/seized which apparently caused a huge scar/gouge in the rotor...so, new calipers, brakes, and rear rotors.
This would explain my low acceleration and then IMMEDIATE slowing when coming off the freeway...which I thought was normal because she's just so heavy to begin with.
Front brake lines were almost 30 years old and severely cracking, so, she received new brake lines, also.
It was like Christmas morning for her!
But at the same time, a visit to the urgent Care facility.
Which turned into a visit to the ER...
Front End Knuckle Rebuild:
I had been planning on having this rebuilt but it just didn't happen. When I made an initial appointment with my shop, I already had all the parts but I had to have a surgery so it pushed it back more. Everything came from
@cruiseroutfit - the full rebuild goodie box filled with Koyo bearings and Sumo rebuild kit, 555 Tie Rods and Japanese Birfs (the tie rod kit wasn't needed as the factory ones were good, so I'm saving those for a later date). New spindles (Japanese, updated) were installed also.
Gotta love the team at LCNW for seeing the problem, catching it, and getting it squared away. I wasn’t expecting it, but everything was on the list to fix anyways…so instead of staggering it little by little, it’s done all at once. Because, ho’boy, was it a major safety issue. Like, BAD.
Now, it’s all done right.
All high end Japanese parts; Sumo rebuild kit, Koyo bearings, Aisin calipers, Toyota 80 series brake pads, etc.…we discussed using 100 series pads but went against it in the end because of a few needed modifications which I was advised against.
Despite the bit of a gut punch to the pocket book, I’m really glad to know she was in such good hands. And I know I dodged a possible catastrophic bullet because if you look at the bearing, it’s split straight through.
.
So, the old gal was repaired, buttoned up, and returned to me on Monday...I've been driving her since and I have to say, I have a lot more acceleration and the braking is great now. She's ready for some serious adventures this season. And with these issues taken care of in one hit, it clears the path for armor and other updates which I’ve been wanting to do.
And like my dad always said when I was a kid in the garage, “I don't care that everyone else's car looks nice or has a fancy stereo...you make sure you’re mechanically sound
before you start doing all the fun things…”
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Full Front knuckle rebuild
Front Wheel bearing replacement (x2)
Front spindles replaced (x2)
Birfield replacement (x2)
Calipers replaced (x4)
Rear rotors replaced (x2)
New brake pads all around
New brake lines
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