80 series spindle bush failure

[plink01]

Hey guys a month or so ago i gave the whole front end a birthday and replaced both axles, cv's, rebuilt swivel housing, wheel bearings and spindle bushings.

All seemed well but on my last 4x4 trip it started making a horrible grinding noise from what sounded like the front pasenger wheel. It always happened when under no load and would stop when accelerating or breaking heavily. I found a youtube video with the exact problem

Today i pulled the axle out and found this.

I didnt grease the bushing when i first installed them and im thinking maybe i didnt put enough moly grease in the knuckle. I had packed the joint and put a tube through the fill plug but im thinking that wasnt enough.

Do you guys agree?? I thought the races in the bushing would make it self lubricate, but i spose if i didnt put enough moly in to start with it wouldnt have worked. i will be greasing them this time.

Any advise would be great!

Thanks!

 

[Kernal]

Not enough grease for sure (bushing, bearing surface of CV joint, or knuckle).

 

[Hendo81]

Hi plink01,
I have the exact same issue with my 80series. As I am planning the next big trip, I want to solve the problem before, rather than stranding somewhere in the Outback. How did you fix it and what parts did you replace?
Cheers, H.

 

[baldilocks]

A common sense approach would be to disassemble your axle and assess the situation so you know exactly what you have going on and then either call an experienced vendor to talk about it or post pics and detailed info to this thread in order to receive sound advice.

 

[greentruck]

Yeah, with the bushing you want those grooves packed when you install it. Also, just one tube of grease in the knuckle sounds insufficient. Probably you need more like two or enough to bring the level inside up to at least the bottom of the hole you fill through.

 

[Tools R Us]

Greasy balls = good, dry balls = bad, and those were dry. Needs to be half or a little more full of moly grease.

 

[Hendo81]

I'm still 2 months away from returning to Aus, so unfortunately I can't take the axle apart right now, but I would like to get an understanding of what parts are recommended in terms of quality. I've spent most of my mobile life working on 80's and 90's Beamers, so the Cruiser world is still a new one to me and when looking at spare parts, I can't really judge what is cheap crap and what is good quality. I am happy to pay for quality and my principle has always been to spend more on parts and have a reliable vehicle, rather than doing work twice.
In any case I want to service the whole front axle and assess on its condition. I am definitely happy to have this forum here with all you knowledgable and experienced folks!

 

[greentruck]

You can't go wrong with OEM in most cases. Cruiser Outfitters usually has good quality non-OEM choices. That's my experience. After that, especially Down Under, there may be other good stuff, but no personal experience sad to say. You kinda get what you pay for and you pay more for genuine.

If it's this bushing giving trouble, the bushing has been superceded by a needle bearing. This gives better running performance (less drag, more MPG), but the failure mode is generally worse than the bushing. On the other hand, look at what seems to be the limp home capability of the bushing even after it was sorely abused, so there is that in its favor and some still prefer it to the bearing since it's still available.

 

[mudgudgeon]

i will be greasing them this time.

Any advise would be great!

Nailed it!!

 

[mudgudgeon]

@Hendo81 Terrain Tamer do a lot of OEM quality Japanese made parts.
Google Terrain Tamer in Aus, or Don Kyatt spares if you're in Sydney

 

[Hendo81]

Thanks for the hint, mudgudgeon. their stuff looks pretty good! I will definitely give them a call once I start working on the Cruiser.