4Runner steering knuckle removal

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PurpleFJ62

PurpleFJ62

10 Year 15 Year
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Nov 23, 2006
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If I can manage to remove the steering knuckle on my 4runner to help install the CV shafts will I be able to get them back on? Is there alot of spring tension on the upper A-arm? I have found it impossible to get my rebuilt shafts in. The factory service manual makes this job sound so easy, they have on pic and it tells you to be carfel not to damage the boots. There has to be some wirteups online with pictures. It cant be that hard.

Speaking of that, is there a kit to go to a solid axle. I really hate IFS now, and I see no reason to have it. My cruiser is so easy to work on. This 4runner is a piece of s***. Not to mention a rust bucket.

I herd somewhere thatr they design toyotas to be repaired in 3rd world countires, that must be bull s***. I have a barn full of tools and cannot seem to do it.
 
Take the lower balljoints loose and you can swing the knuckle out far enough to get the cv axles in.... or turn your torsion bars down all the way and you might be able to get the cv axles in.

There are loads of kits to SAS your runner... Marlin crawler, allpro offroad, Trailgear and Sky Manutafcturing all make Kits to swap sold axles under the front of your truck.

my .02

-j-rOd
 
I just did this yesterday. It isn't bad if you have the right tools. You will want a special puller to pop out the upper and lower balljoints. After removing those and the tie rods etc. You will want a pry bar to use on the lower control arm to move it downwards to pull the whole spindle and everything out. Installing is MUCH easier.
 
I cannot see why you are having so much issue with this. The shafts will come out without pulling anything extra other than the sway bar links and shocks. You just need to play with it, trust me, I've done it enough times on a stock truck but it's still a PIA.

DROP THE 4 BOLTS ON THE LOWER BALL JOINT AND BE DONE WITH IT!! -- you can swing the spindle out enough to gain clearance for the axle from the diff flange bolts.
 
No no no! Get a 4 inch grinder...... and uhh..... wait, no. :D

Yet another option is to press out the "studs" that cause all the problems on the end of the diff "arms"

Get a big c clamp and a deep socket and go to town. You still need to remove the sway bar from the A arms to get the axle passed.
 
yesterday things did not go good. All the C clamps I have are eaither to big or to small to press those studs out. All the blots are rusted together, so I wore my sparker out yesterday firing up my torch about 1000 times.

I found that is it easy to get the steering knuckle off, when the sway bar is disconnected.

Does anyone know where to get those cotter pins that help to retain the bolts on the ball joints? Will any do, like from ace hardware?

Are there any good online sources for 4runner ball joints and shocks? Also need a Secial sercive tool to press out these toyota ball joints, as my std. ball joint service kit cannot manage to do it.
 
I got everything apart ok. Just finished up a couple of hours ago. However still cannot remove the ball joints. I have a 2 amr puller with the fingers on the cast knuckle piece trying to push the threaded part of the ball joint out. No such luck with that. In the FSM they call for a funny looking SST. Its a puller with out movable fingers. I do not have this tool, so i do not know what to do. I have been on there with a torch and hammer. I geuss 13 years and 180,000 miles of michigan winters will make things stick together. The new ones are going together with anti sieze, you can bet on it. But first I have to get the old ball joints out.

any tips...?
 
PurpleFJ62 said:
I herd somewhere thatr they design toyotas to be repaired in 3rd world countires, that must be bull s***. I have a barn full of tools and cannot seem to do it.
Click to expand...

Funny you should say that..... 3rd world countries had solid axle trucks and 4Runners into the late 90s...... Hehehe :D

So you got the CVs out? Do you just want to change the ball joints, is that the issue now?
 
Hey Purp. check out my build in this section for a solid axle swap detailed and a few things people over look when doing these swaps. I will be posting in the next week pics of this build.

it is an easy swap to do, with littl fab skills involved (the kits make it very easy to do) Good luck should you go this route and if you have any questions post them up here or PM me.


*B*
 
OH COME ON!!!!

Have a few problems with a ball joint and all of a sudden IFS is junk.

IFS is junk(.) But the Toyota(only 86-95) IFS IS B.A, IMHO soso worth the effort time and money or lack of (as stated above) unless over 75% offroad or matter of preferance.

If the "threaded part" your refering to had a castle nut on the end of it IIRC it takes a fork to remove that joint, if the one you (and me) refer to as a ball joint and then every body else calls it the tie rod ends.

A fork bettwen the knukle and dust? grease boot. I THINK.....


P.S Harbor Freight........cheap, till it breaks, then go high $$$$$$$$$

This is not a personal attack just EVERY ONE runs from a very good, already there IFS to a down time $ involved great SFA.
 
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Broke my 2 arm puller today trying to press the ball joints out of the knuckles. Are they normally this hard to get out?:crybaby: :crybaby:

thanks for all the help, :cheers:
 
It has been a good time. I enjoy working on things like that. I sit on my ass all day at school, and do homework at home. So I much rather be out in the barn doing something. I have tried heat, and pullers at the same time. If I cant get them out tomorrow I might have to take them to the machine shop to get pressed out. But one problem is that the lower wishbones still have the ball joints in them. That means I have to take them off the vehicle. I would assume that I would have to get things realigned when I put them back together?

got any insignt?
 
get a five pound sledge hammer and hit the nuckle right where the ball joint stud goes through it. hit it as hard as you can. you can't hurt the nuckle with that size hammer. it also helpes if you thread the upper ball joint nut on a few threads to keep the nuckle from flopping around when you are swining away at it.
 
sirry for not checking this thread latley. i have been busy packing wheel bearings. A good pickle fork is the tool of choich for these ball joint things. I have two and I would reccommend that if your 4runner has ever seen salt have 2 pickle forks on hand for the job. Also a torch is good. I had never done a ball joint before and did not know they were tapered. So as it turns out I was heating the wrong side of the cast piece. You want to heat the cast iron right under the boot. It smells like s*** so do it outside. Then a couple of hits and your done.

thanks for all the help guys...:cheers:
 
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