80 Series front tires squealing when turning (1 Viewer)

[enox]

hi all, few weeks ago i purchased my first 80. this site has been a very big help. one part i cant figure out... 1996 80 series, 230k mi, no locking axles. i purchased this with a missing driveshaft, original owner had no "known knowledge" it wasn't there. i purchased one and installed it, now that its installed when I'm driving on the street and turning at a sharp radius the front tires seem to want to rotate at different speeds causing them to do little burnouts... well otherwise than that i haven't noticed any strange behavior, i did notice that when i go from 4h to 4L i can hear the solenoid clicking by my legs and the light on the dash does come on. i have read in another forum that some can hear a whirrr sound yet all i can hear is the solenoid... all the tires are the same size and properly inflated. i should note that this was not an issue when the front driveshaft was not installed... one shop said i needed a new TC the other said i needed a new VC, now some of the threads i have been reading has me thinking that my center diff could be locked and just wont unlock... any thoughts or experience would be appreciated!!
thanks!

 

[Irish Reiver]

When the PO removed the DS he should have locked the center diff. Without a CDL switch the only way to do this and go back into H range is to pull the fuse in the fuse box to the left of the steering wheel. If the center diffdand ABS light was not on when you only had 1 DS then I think you have cooked your VC.

 

[enox]

thanks irish, yeah the light was not on - the only light that is on since ive had it the last few weeks is the ABS light... since ive had it i have replaced battery, radiator, thermostat, valve cover gasket, engine oil, checked front and rear diff. all look normal...trying to figure out why the driveshaft was pulled in the first place and weather i need to get a VC or a new transfer case...

 

[Irish Reiver]

Someone like @Tools R Us would be able to advise better but I think you can just pull the VC and be done with it. The VC acts like a LSD so not really needed.

 

[enox]

sorry im new at this but..what you're saying is that i could still have active AWD without the VC?

 

[scottryana]

Could be the center diff, but I am betting the front driveshaft was obviously pulled because there is something wrong with the front diff. I doubt the seller didn't know that and just played it off.

 

[slow95z]

Yes, still awd. The VC is not needed and can be removed. If you are planning to go part time or add lower transfer case gears now is your time.

 

[enox]

ok so reading about the VC removal it seems that i will still have active 4wd, the VC will help in low traction scenarios..i do plan on going to the snow (on occasion but more importantly will be taking it in the dirt) so without the VC i will have an even distribution of torque from front to back or left to right? if one tire looses traction it will continue to spin at the same rate as the rest? sorry im just trying to figure out exactly how it will act or lack without it....

 

[enox]

 

[Tools R Us]

Someone like @Tools R Us would be able to advise better but I think you can just pull the VC and be done with it. The VC acts like a LSD so not really needed.

Agree it sounds like a dead/locked VC. A dead VC that is locked, will act just like a locked CDL, so no need to lock it to run with one drive shaft. The VC is a pretty much useless/very weak limited slip, it was only installed on ABS equipped FZJ80, the FJ80 and 100 series have the same transfer without it. When on low traction surfaces simply lock the CDL, if truly low traction, that is what you would be doing anyway. When doing related work, like installing crawler gears, we take them out, good or bad, and toss in the recycle bin.

 

[enox]

Wow this is great to know, you guys have been a huge help. I maw start the process of removal.

 

[Tools R Us]

It is pretty easy, the short story. Remove the front of rear drive shaft, the rear transfer housing, deep in the VC is a snap-ring, when removed the VC will slide out. The rear housing is sealed with Permatex Gray, so no parts needed. There is a shim that needs to be in place and the oil pump drive needs to be lined up, hardware needs to be torqued to spec. The info is in the FSM, downloadable from here: For Sale - 40, 50, 60, and 80 series FSM for a hell of a price.

 

[madisonr34]

Try checking the Toe rod ends. I had the same tire squealng problems when I changed my Tie rod ends. Just need an alignment.

 

[greentruck]

SNIP...trying to figure out why the driveshaft was pulled in the first place and weather i need to get a VC or a new transfer case...

I think you have some good leads on why the front DS was pulled. I'll add that it's worth checking that the moly grease in your front axle knuckles is adequate. This truck sounds like it was a victim of neglect and that's one more thing that neglect could be causing, excessive tire scrub. If the outer "ball" end of the axles seem dry that's a bad sign, but pulling the plug and looking in is a better view of what's inside. That's where your Birfield is located. You may come across other symptoms in doing this inspection, so pay attention to what you find.

Because no one else has said so, beyond the VC issue, it's worthwhile to emphasize that the Land Cruiser TCs are pretty darn bulletproof. There's unlikely to be much if anything wrong there, although symptoms often seem to point in that direction before further investigation reveals the culprits to be elsewhere in the drive train. If you get through all those and still don't have an answer, then maybe it's time to check on the TC, but don't lose any sleep over it otherwise. Failures that do occur are generally rebuildable.

 

[ppc]

The VC can be damaged by mismatched tire sizes. So make sure all is good there.

 

[enox]

Ok! Happy to report I removed VC today, thanks for your input. It was easy from the time I started until I washed my hands was just shy of 3 hrs. It's now turning just fine, no binding or scrubbing.

Huge thanks to the peeps that are on here!

Attached are pics of the VC..