Birfield Question..... (1 Viewer)

[BTLSHP]

...and, for the sake of clarity,

@Malleus, I found your stash of materials in the resources section a couple of days ago. I have to find a way to print the 5"x7" card on something durable.

My dad and I have had light arguments over the Birfields ever since I came back to the area. He had a little shop in Old Town Alexandria that he liked/trusted for whatever reason. They were primarily German car types but even then the work on an Audi was questionable IMHO. My guess is they used AllData, but would not be surprised if they did not. But yes, the front bearings were rebuilt (greased, not replaced) every 30k miles. The Birfs never touched except to add Moly Grease. I do not have a record of a rear bearing service, but when I got in there it had Timken not Koyo bearings.

On the Toyota schedule, I feel like the only things I have not gone over are the valve clearances and the fuel system - from lines to injectors. The ball joints were replaced 20k miles ago and steering linkages got a close inspection then and this spring.

So, what I think I am looking at here is:

04434 60051 Gasket Kit Front Axle x 1
90366-20003 Trunnion Bearings x 4 - Any reason not to go with Koyo?
42323-60020 Cone washers x 8 or 20
90126-12010 Studs x 8 plus nuts & washers

+moly grease and supplies. I have a 7" brass drift, from the looks of things I need something longer.

I have watched various videos including 6th Gear Garage last night. I need to think about some sort of jig to help separate the axle and the actual Birfield. It would seem swapping left and right might be in order here.

The car did not suffer from a lack of maintenance invoices through the years. I can't explain the rear wheel bearings but they were saved by diff oil and never leaked a drop (perhaps I am missing a receipt or two). The front driver's side was loose and tightened by a Maryland Inspector when it came up here from VA, when I pulled it I found it too far gone and replaced them.

I learned more about parking brakes here than I thought possible. The parking brake was probably the single highest "repeat" repair item in the records. Working through materials on IH8MUD, I concluded that the expectation of how it would feel to the driver was wrong and that it had been adjusted from the cable end by the lever. I then read about white lithium grease on the bell crank arms then I looked on the car and found nothing. One arm had been replaced and was newish. I sanded the light rust off and treated with phosphoric acid before coating with white lithium grease. The cable now is not tight, but has no slack. I had a awful time finding and backing off the star wheel on the passenger side. Turned out there was a big chunk of rear brake shoe that had turned white (with heat?) and fallen off. I am guessing my dad in his late 80's had left the bake on more than once out doing his thing. I doubt I have it working as well as most of you, but it will hold the car anywhere and it will bring the car to a "processional" stop from speed.

There is zero no chance I could have done this work without this site and all of you. I am handy, but not a mechanic by any stretch. We started by having a mechanic look it over but then I read a couple of baselining threads and simply started working my way through different parts of the car. The first priority was every rubber hose I could find, the Harmonic Balancer was a shock, but we got lucky the separation happened in my garage after a 300 mile trip.

There is one quarter sized rust hole by an air filter bolt on the inner fender panel that I need to address. The underside has surface rust but nothing yet structural. Small fine metal brackets for brake lines and such are rust free, nuts and bolts are manageable. The LPSV hardware off of the rear diff was crusty but most came off with a brass brush. I would bet the LPSV had never been bled, fluid was nasty. I had one M12 shear at the rear and adjusted my technique with no real problems except O2 sensors.

The semi-arid climate of Denver should help, I am looking at doing something to further slow the process. Woolwax? There were a few spots like the spare carrier where I took it down to bare metal, created with phosphoric acid and then primed and painted. But, I can't do that all over and I am terrified of sealing in rust with paint or undercoating. The tires have 6k miles on them, but the spare carried a 12/94 DOT date .

Our first Land Cruiser experience was with a blue FJ45(?) for remote parts of Indonesia in the 1970's. They got an '84 FJ60 and in '91 it moved to China. It could not return to the US so its last trip was by train to Western China and up over the Himalayas.

The car will become a 3rd car for my daughter and her fiancé. She is a climber of modest distinction and this will be her weekend trip rig. She used it for a recent climb in West Virginia that will become a mini documentary by North Face. The moment she appeared in it the videographer changed the back drop for the narrative from her office to the car. I will post a link when the final version is out.

We are going to have to find mechanical support north of Denver, but I will tackle that later. I have put a long document together for her about what has been done and I am right now building what I call a proposed maintenance schedule going forward. She will also get two/three binders of service records & receipts.

We owe a thank you to a ton of you for the time and effort you have put into both creating these pages and direct assistance. I would like to hope the end result will be one 80 Series in good condition that will go on creating adventure memories/stories for many years.

 

[BTLSHP]

Is my parts list reasonable? I plan to add seat cushion foam to it, at that point is it wise to use Dave Steadman of Japan4x4?

 

[Malleus]

Wow. Great story. Congrats to you and your daughter.

To address the points you made about maintenance:
I use a piece of 2" PVC pipe and a scrap of 2x4 to separate mine. Put the long end in the pipe, vertically, and drop it about a foot onto the 2x4. The snap ring will let go. easy peasy
Swapping sides is the cheap way to get 2x life out of them. I just did this on my DD, because they finally started clicking. My son's '94 (nearly same mileage) and my youngest daughter's '95 (330k on the clock) are both quiet as church mice.

I wouldn't replace the wheel (drive flange) studs, unless they are unthreadable. Won't hurt to do, but maybe not necessary.

The LSBPV, and surrounding area, is always rusty; brake fluid eats steel and generates rust. I use used ATF and candle wax (dissolve as much wax in the ATF as it'll take, then brush it on); far cheaper than anything else you can buy. As a matter of fact, if you have the time to soak, you can omit the candle wax; it only serves to keep the AT in contact until the metal absorbs it. It'll not only prevent rust, it removes it, too.

As a test to see for myself (I'm not a chemist, but I know a few), I put stray, very rusty, lug nuts from a salvage yard (they throw them on the ground when they pull the wheels, so there are always some to grab) into a pan of used (very used) ATF, to see what would happen. That was 8 years ago. They came out rust free after a month and haven't developed any rust since (they're in the same pan on the lower shelf of my workbench).

 

[Malleus]

I'm in the market for seat foam too. I hope Dave can find it; the last time I asked, he came up with nothin'.

Unless I need a part immediately, I always buy from Dave. If, because I failed to plan, I have to have it now, I suck it up and get it from the Toyota warehouse.

 

[BTLSHP]

Brilliant on the ATF & candle wax, I use ATF and Acetone for penetrating oil before going at rusty bolts. Gulf Wax on bicycle chains has been my go to for 50 years. In the last few years it has suddenly become the performance fashion.

I have the 2x4, and 2" PVC is cheap, the rest I understand.

 

[Malleus]

Separating the inner and outer shafts is the easy part; putting them back together would try the patience of Job. It takes two screwdrivers and three hands.

Always wash bearings in mineral spirits to remove grease; don't use anything else. Let them air dry. Bearing manuals caution against using compressed air to dry them, because
1) it may have water in it,
2), it may allow grit to get into the bearing, and
3) it would spin the bearing without lubrication.

I do it all the time, but I rarely follow my own advice.

 

[Malleus]

for leather seats:

unbelievable!

 

[Malleus]

for cloth seats

OMG!

 

[BTLSHP]

Separating the inner and outer shafts is the easy part; putting them back together would try the patience of Job. It takes two screwdrivers and three hands.

Always wash bearings in mineral spirits to remove grease; don't use anything else. Let them air dry. Bearing manuals caution against using compressed air to dry them, because
1) it may have water in it,
2), it may allow grit to get into the bearing, and
3) it would spin the bearing without lubrication.

I do it all the time, but I rarely follow my own advice.

Yes, I saw someone do this on one of the videos. Interesting on mineral spirits, I have plenty because I have been using denatured alcohol all over.

I am going to need a fresh supply of blue paper towels. My thought is to line a 10qt plastic bucket I bought for tranny fluid with a plastic bag and put that under the Birfield as I remove the bolts and just let things drain into it for a while.

 

[BTLSHP]

for cloth seats
View attachment 3777861
OMG!

I can get them at a Lexus dealer for the $226 each. $350 is what I have been seeing/budgeting. I would like to do better. The upholsterer though the Pax side was workable but I would like to do both if possible.

 

[mudgudgeon]

So, what I think I am looking at here is:

04434 60051 Gasket Kit Front Axle x 1
90366-20003 Trunnion Bearings x 4 - Any reason not to go with Koyo?
42323-60020 Cone washers x 8 or 20
90126-12010 Studs x 8 plus nuts & washers

Buy a knuckle rebuild kit from Cruiserteq.com i believe it will have all seals & bearings for two sides, including trunion bearings and wheel bearings.

Knuckle stud cone washers are not the same as wheel hub cone washers, so you only need 8 of

I agree with @Malleus , replacing hub nuts, studs, cone washers, flat washers is a small cost, and will make your life easy for a rebuild now, but also for any future maintenance too.
they tend to get beat to sh¡t by hamfisted gorillas mechanics.
I use a tube over the end of the stud, and strike with a hammer so the blow is delivered to the flange around the stud.

Don't strike the edge of the flange, unless you hate your life. Don't strike the end of the stud unless you hate your life. Don't strike a nut threaded to the end of the stud unless you hate your life.

( best tool i have for this is a tube welded to a SDS drill bit, and use a rotary hammer drill set to hammer only. It rattles cone washers out FAST! Air hammer can do similar)

A 7" drift should do at a pinch.
Drifting trunion shells out takes a tool with sharp/square corners, and not too thick. I use a piece of mild steel flat bar

 

[mudgudgeon]

Yes, I saw someone do this on one of the videos. Interesting on mineral spirits, I have plenty because I have been using denatured alcohol all over.

I am going to need a fresh supply of blue paper towels. My thought is to line a 10qt plastic bucket I bought for tranny fluid with a plastic bag and put that under the Birfield as I remove the bolts and just let things drain into it for a while.

I had old aluminum bakesheets that were perfect to lay under a front hub while tearing them down.
It catches any spilled grease, gives you s spot to put dirty parts or dirty tools.
Easy to carry to a bench, or inside. Easy to wipe clean after.
A 3' square of old tarp does similar.

I like to use the thin plastic shopping bags to scoop birf sloup out (sloppy soup). Scoop out a handful, turn bag inside out around slop, grab another bag for the next scoop. Easy to dispose of, less mess on hands, floor etc, less rag or shop towel required.
My trail tool kit has a bunch of plastic bags stuffed into a pocket for exactly this

 

[BTLSHP]

I use bicycle boxes I can get easily from area shops, but the bake sheets seem like a good addition on top. The bike boxes also double as a floor pad. Shopping bags are plentiful and brilliant. I saw a guy use one on a video to push fresh grease into the clean bearings, too.

The steel tube and hammer drill seem ideal. When I did hubs I used a coupling nut and a hammer without incident and stayed away from the flange side entirely. I will look up CruiserTeq

 

[Malleus]

I had old aluminum bakesheets that were perfect to lay under a front hub while tearing them down.
It catches any spilled grease, gives you s spot to put dirty parts or dirty tools.
Easy to carry to a bench, or inside. Easy to wipe clean after.
A 3' square of old tarp does similar.

I like to use the thin plastic shopping bags to scoop birf sloup out (sloppy soup). Scoop out a handful, turn bag inside out around slop, grab another bag for the next scoop. Easy to dispose of, less mess on hands, floor etc, less rag or shop towel required.
My trail tool kit has a bunch of plastic bags stuffed into a pocket for exactly this

you have been watching me work

 

[Malleus]

I use bicycle boxes I can get easily from area shops, but the bake sheets seem like a good addition on top. The bike boxes also double as a floor pad. Shopping bags are plentiful and brilliant. I saw a guy use one on a video to push fresh grease into the clean bearings, too.

The steel tube and hammer drill seem ideal. When I did hubs I used a coupling nut and a hammer without incident and stayed away from the flange side entirely. I will look up CruiserTeq

Note: if you do not buy Toyota rubber, felt and steel plates, your bolts (the ABSOLUTELY USELESS 6-mm ones) will be 2-mm too short. You can get them to work, but you'll need an extra pair of hands to push everything together while you get the bolts started. I snapped one (just one) getting them off, and my truck has zero rust on it. I had to dril lit out and replace the thread. I may have used JB Weld, but there is no evidence that ever happened.

Whatever you do, do not use a torque wrench on these tiny little bolts. You can snap them with a 1/4" drive. Use a box end wrench and two fingers.

EDIT: see post #78
I have part numbers for extra long screws somewhere. When I find it, I'll post it here for you.

 

[Malleus]

Yes, I saw someone do this on one of the videos. Interesting on mineral spirits, I have plenty because I have been using denatured alcohol all over.

I am going to need a fresh supply of blue paper towels. My thought is to line a 10qt plastic bucket I bought for tranny fluid with a plastic bag and put that under the Birfield as I remove the bolts and just let things drain into it for a while.

You'll use way more alcohol than mineral spirits, but both will work.

I have very thick Windex gallon refill bottles, cut on the side, leaving the handle and cap neck intact, that I use for small parts cleaning. I also use a 5-gal Zep purple degreaser container, cut the same way, for larger cleaning jobs. When I'm done, the cap comes off and the nasty goo goes out the built-in funnel.

Anything big goes into the parts washer tank, but these two little containers use way less cleaner and do the job very well.

 

[BTLSHP]

Note: if you do not buy Toyota rubber, felt and steel plates, your bolts (the ABSOLUTELY USELESS 6-mm ones) will be 2-mm too short. You can get them to work, but you'll need an extra pair of hands to push everything together while you get the bolts started. I snapped one (just one) getting them off, and my truck has zero rust on it. I had to dril lit out and replace the thread. I may have used JB Weld, but there is no evidence that ever happened.

Whatever you do, do not use a torque wrench on these tiny little bolts. You can snap them with a 1/4" drive. Use a box end wrench and two fingers.

I have part numbers for extra long screws somewhere. When I find it, I'll post it here for you.

Point noted on the bolts for the wiper seals, I always get a bit anxious when I move from big heavy stuff to small fragile things.

I am heading to Denver for the holidays, my plans are to reach out to Dave Steadman for all of this and I hope it is all Toyota. I would be willing to save a few bucks on bearings....

I do not feel any time pressure other than I want to get this project completed. I do not think there is any chance of getting it out there prior to late spring.

 

[Malleus]

I just remembered, you mentioned your bearings were Timken and not Koyo. OEM bearings were Timken. Timken designed those bearings specifically for on/off highway four wheel drive axles. The Koyo bearings are copies of the Timken design.

FWIW, unless I'm in a hurry, I buy my bearings from bearing distributors, not dealerships. Same bearings, much lower prices.

You can also buy single cones or cups that way; you don't have to buy the set. The numbers are on each cup/cone box. They're also listed in the steering knuckle and axle shaft section of the 1995 80 series service manual I posted in the Resources section, on the COMPONENTS page ( I got tired of continually looking them up, and I never got around to buying the poster).

Ignore anyone who tells you not to do this; there are bearings you have to buy in a set, but they're only sold that way. Any bearing that is sold piecemeal can be matched that way; that's the reason for selling them in pieces. If the bearing manufacturers didn't want you to do it that way, they wouldn't let the distributors do it.

Bearings Direct
Motion Industries
etc.

The part number for the longer screws is on this page, too. 91651-60625 (M6 x 25-mm long); OEM part number is 91651-60618 (M6 x 18-mm long). The longer one works regardless of which seal set you use. The holes are drilled far deeper than was necessary for the short screws. I looked for days, but never found a 20-mm long screw; which is what should have been there all along. That's not true. What should have been there was M8 x 20long.

6-mm screws have no place on an axle. On a Land Cruiser.

 

[BTLSHP]

I just remembered, you mentioned your bearings were Timken and not Koyo. OEM bearings were Timken. Timken designed those bearings specifically for on/off highway four wheel drive axles. The Koyo bearings are copies of the Timken design.

FWIW, unless I'm in a hurry, I buy my bearings from bearing distributors, not dealerships. Same bearings, much lower prices.

You can also buy single cones or cups that way; you don't have to buy the set. The numbers are on each cup/cone box. They're also listed in the steering knuckle and axle shaft section of the 1995 80 series service manual I posted in the Resources section, on the COMPONENTS page ( I got tired of continually looking them up, and I never got around to buying the poster).
View attachment 3778186

Ignore anyone who tells you not to do this; there are bearings you have to buy in a set, but they're only sold that way. Any bearing that is sold piecemeal can be matched that way; that's the reason for selling them in pieces. If the bearing manufacturers didn't want you to do it that way, they wouldn't let the distributors do it.

Bearings Direct
Motion Industries
etc.

Ah, that explains my mistake when I ordered Timken Bearings for the front outer and literally only the bearing.....when back for the races as one side was chewed up from being loose.

I assume this would be the time to take the dust shields to close to bare metal, prime and repaint.

 

[Malleus]

I do. I bead blast them; that leaves a paint ready finish.

I replaced the sand in my blast cabinet with glass beads long ago and haven't looked back since. The only thing better is vapor hone; I'm converting my blast cabinet to vapor hone as soon as I finish rebuilding my compressor.

I also take the time to rebuild the calipers. They get blasted and repainted too. With caliper paint, the brake dust washes off with a hose. No more brake dust hands while you replace pads.