Center Arm Rebuild Washer (2 Viewers)

[Will615]

Rebuilding my center arm tonight and I’m using the aftermarket kit from city racer. This kit has an additional 16mm washer with it that is not present with other kits and not on the parts diagram/mentioned in the FSM. Before I disregard it anyone know what this is included for?

 

[charliemeyer007]

Perhaps ask him. My guess is it to provide a flat place where the lock washer has/will chewed the surface. Maybe a spacer to adapt to earlier/later units? I guess I'd rather have an extra part than be missing one.

 

[CruiserInProgress]

I did a quick refurb on mine a couple weeks ago and don't recall seeing that flat washer as part of the center arm assembly.

 

[timmyisinthewell]

I don't know but I'm just going to throw this out there. On my ancient microfiche I see two parts identified as seal p/n's 45421b and 45427. I only see one what I would call a seal in your picture. Could that washer be the seal ID'd as 45421b? Again, this is just a "wild ass guess".

 

[CruiserInProgress]

I don't know but I'm just going to throw this out there. On my ancient microfiche I see two parts identified as seal p/n's 45421b and 45427. I only see one what I would call a seal in your picture. Could that washer be the seal ID'd as 45421b? Again, this is just a "wild ass guess".

View attachment 3906018

I wonder if the two part numbers seen in the diagram represent the sealing ring and metal seal housing?

I was surprised when I pulled mine apart that a kind of fibrous material (horsehair, rope) was used to catch the grease in the seal. I'm thinking mine might not have been oem, but I thought it interesting.

Not knowing where to find that material or the rubber rings seen in rebuild kits, and wanting to finish the refurb, I replaced both parts with a modern silicone seal assembly Napa found for me.

 

[timmyisinthewell]

I should add this information was current as of Jan '81 for the FJ40 and FJ55 for the US and Canadian markets for the period from 03/69 to 07/80. I can't add anything to the "rope or horsehair" finding.

 

[Malleus]

It was oakum; hemp soaked in tar. Commonly used as a seal years ago, but I can't remember if Toyota used it or not.

 

[CruiserInProgress]

It was oakum; hemp soaked in tar. Commonly used as a seal years ago, but I can't remember if Toyota used it or not.

Thanks for the info! I thought I had seen something like that years ago, nit sure where.

I'm thinking now, that "oakum" may have been a crude fix at some point on my 79. It had been abused and cobbled in its past, and the metal seal ring securing the "oakum" had some dents in it, maybe from a previous, cobbled repair?

So, I can't definitively say that my center arm assembly is representative of oem.

Circling back, it might be best to ask City Racer about that flat washer or try it in the position shown in the diagram above and see if it works there.

 

[Will615]

Thanks for the replies! I’ll ask city racer about it. I was just hoping for a quick answer while I was working on it last night.

I believe the two seals are the OEM felt gasket and the metal portion that kept it on. Some of the rebuild kits still have those but the majority seem to now include the rubber more modern type of seal. When I disassembled my center arm last night it had the felt gasket with metal retainer still, not sure if it was original or not.

Edit:
For example the cruiser corps kit still has the felt/metal two parts vs the city racer rubber seal. But I can’t find any other kids with this large washer.

 

[pb4ugo]

Old jeep and willys used felt seals on the tcase outputs. There was a traditional seal in the housing and then a felt seal in the bore or under the yokes metal dust shield. Sort of like in the pic.