Check out my Front Axle (1 Viewer)

[cruiseroutfit]

EVERYBODY is missing the boat on this one...

Get these, think of how much room you will have for that extra grease/lube, and you can refill through the birf (yes, I am kidding... or am I )

 

[semlin]

those are cool but they are for a 70 series. they will fit an 80 but they would not tell me if the abs ring would fit.

I don't like the boot. it might make sense in a mine but i would be worried about it creating pressure that causes grease to migrate into the axle.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

those are cool but they are for a 70 series. they will fit an 80 but they would not tell me if the abs ring would fit.

I'd be interested to know... I also wonder about the strenght of a drilled birf versus a regular one, they could be cryo'd. Birfs rarely fail as result of torsional failure at the shaft cross section, but they might if they were drilled throughout the center (though they are drilled in the outer spline area). Not the first time this idea has hit the market, but I have never played with it much.

I don't like the boot. it might make sense in a mine but i would be worried about it creating pressure that causes grease to migrate into the axle.

Agreed, but I doubt it is "tight" enough to hold any discernable amounts of pressure... I could be wrong having never seen them. They would get destroyed in a heartbeat on my rig, between rocks and the fact that my wiper plates clear my housing by .010"

 

[concretejungle]

I think the boot is cool. I think if nothing else, it buys your wipers time to live. As long as your inner seals stay cool, i think it's a good upgrade.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I think the boot is cool. I think if nothing else, it buys your wipers time to live. As long as your inner seals stay cool, i think it's a good upgrade.

True, without the dirt/water the felt & rubber would last ALOT longer (without an inner axle seal failure). However, the felt/rubber is cheap (albeit a PITA to swap) and these boots are not. I have never been a fan of installing felt/rubber without removing the knuckle, but there are those that don't mind cutting a slice in the felt/rubber to install it on the truck...

 

[topend yobbo]

True, without the dirt/water the felt & rubber would last ALOT longer (without an inner axle seal failure). However, the felt/rubber is cheap (albeit a PITA to swap) and these boots are not. I have never been a fan of installing felt/rubber without removing the knuckle, but there are those that don't mind cutting a slice in the felt/rubber to install it on the truck...

Ive seen the dodgy cut the felt and rubber install as well.
This means there is no way to check the trunnion bearings and as more learnered colleagues have already mentioned they could be chewed out and ready to collapse.Don't need that in the middle of the Simpson desert.
I've seen trunnion races with grooves worn in the straight ahead position , feels notchy to turn the steering wheel.

 

[RCFloyd]

Timely thread for me guys...

I bought our neighbors '93/80 a month ago, and dumped the front/rear diff's; the color & texture of the front was REALLY wierd, but I've got receits from the PO that says that this service was done about 3km ago ($1700!!).

My front end looks purdy'r than the beginning pictures by a long shot, but when I went to check the level of grease in the knuckles, it was really low.

My guess is that when I dump the diff grease again, that the 'rest of the story' will be known... if it's crummy looking, black/greyish, then it's time for a rebuild. If it's still clear, then it's gonna be ok for awhile longer. Right?
Robert

 

[Klunky Chris]

<------- = aftermath of gravel driveway, hi-range, CD not locked, wheel turned in reverse......

not the street, but a gravel drive way is worse IMO

165k of mall cruisin, and a totally unknown maintenance history.

My knuckle bearings were litterealy melted.... I have pics somewhere...

I would buy the DVD, watch it, and determine if you think you can do it. In the end the $25 or whatever the DVD costs is probably the cheapest thing you'll spend the greenbacks on.

wile e

150k is taking a chance. my birf grenaded at 120k a couple of weeks after i bought it from street driving. it ran dry. how much of a chance i don't know. i know nob0ody else who has had a birf blow up on the street

 

[Brian Macgyver]

I am inclined to agree with the "do it" crowd. The main thing that prevents people from becoming skilled is FEAR! Most of those who overcome fear become proficient at home improvement, landscaping, sewing, auto service, land speculation, or anything else that may come to hand.
As stated above, this is not rocket science. You have learned to become skilled in your job as an office manager/lawyer/accountant or whatever. Why is it that you cannot learn another skill? Servicing your vehicle is almost certain to be simpler and subject to more concrete rules than your current occupation, unless you greet the public for Walmart. It is only a matter of learning.

 

[mickey_rubicon]

FYI - I am now at 220k with only changing gear lube and now and then squirting some grease into the swivel pin housing. With all that said, I am starting to have some play in the bearings on the DS and probaly will get to it when I replace the rotors in a month. I plan on overhauling the entire front end very soon, pretty much replace everything and keep old stuff as backup. But if you worry about longevity, it all held together until about 200k on my rig with moderate to heavy trail use.

 

[yosemitesamiam]

Like Darwood's, mine looked like that before the service but everything inside was in pretty good shape. It can't hurt to give it a cleaning and see how quickly it gunks back up.

I found that the birf job is not that hard but it is messy and time-consuming. If you can change your oil and read and follow directions, you can do this job.

No special tools or equipment needed? I'm still in the market, making up my mind what I want to do. Everyone here and on Jeep forums tell me if I'm comparing, to go with the FJ80...I'd be happier, and that is which way I'm pulling. I'm just afraid of buying a cheap used vehicle due to lack of maintenance. On the other hand, well gone through and cared for ones are overpriced, going for close to 20K with mods and a whole lot rebuilt.

I guess no matter what is wrong with a used vehicle, the approach and advice just needs to be, "replacement over time"...not necessary to do it all at once. Unless something is really wrong, there is no reason to replace or fix something that "should be" because of mileage...it can wait until you have time/can afford to do so. Those birfs don't look any tougher than doing a brake job.

 

[yosemitesamiam]

I am inclined to agree with the "do it" crowd. The main thing that prevents people from becoming skilled is FEAR! Most of those who overcome fear become proficient at home improvement, landscaping, sewing, auto service, land speculation, or anything else that may come to hand.
As stated above, this is not rocket science. You have learned to become skilled in your job as an office manager/lawyer/accountant or whatever. Why is it that you cannot learn another skill? Servicing your vehicle is almost certain to be simpler and subject to more concrete rules than your current occupation, unless you greet the public for Walmart. It is only a matter of learning.

YEP! Totally agreed. Course, my "Do-it" attitude got me in the dog house with my wife when I decided to tear into my Mopar and do heads/cam on my own. (took 2 months of off/on work) But that IS rocket science compared to front end and suspension work!

 

[tarbe]

Last I saw, the Birf DVD was $12 delivered.

No, I don't get a cut

 

[ed97fzj80]

No special tools or equipment needed? I'm still in the market, making up my mind what I want to do.

I guess no matter what is wrong with a used vehicle, the approach and advice just needs to be, "replacement over time"...not necessary to do it all at once. Unless something is really wrong, there is no reason to replace or fix something that "should be" because of mileage...it can wait until you have time/can afford to do so. Those birfs don't look any tougher than doing a brake job.

Not really any tougher than a brake job . . . and a brake job is part of this job . . . just a larger number of parts and steps, messier, and more time consuming.

There are some tools you need, and depending on the state of your garage they may or may not be "special." This one is -- it's the 54 mm socket you need to remove the front rotor and get into the hub and onward. You need a good metric socket set, a largish breaker bar, a big hammer, a brass drift, a torque wrench, the posts on this forum, elmariachi's Birfield DVD, cruiserdan's phone number, a major credit card, and a weekend. I think that about covers it. If there is more, you'll uncover it in your research.

I can't say I entirely agree with your "'should be' because of mileage" statement. I did mine at 140k because it "should" have been done at 60 and 120, or at least at 90, but I bought my truck with a completely unknown maintenance history. I consider it cheap insurance. I replaced the plugs, wires, rotor, and distributor cap for the same reason, and if I'd taken pics of the parts I took out, you'd see why that turned out to be a really really good idea.

Here's the thing to remember -- we're getting these trucks for $8,000 or $10,000 or $13,000 now, but when they were built and sold they were north of $40,000. They require the care and feeding of a $40,000-$50,000 car. It's just part of the equation. The Toyotas are amazingly engineered and built, but they need their maintenance like any other high end vehicle does. Doing it just because the mileage interval has rolled around is a really good idea. Your truck will run better, last longer, be safer to operate, and be much less likely to leave you someplace you don't want to be if you do your repairs on the interval and not 10k, 20k, or 30k miles later.

Okay, preaching done. Point is, the birf job is not that hard and it's a good idea to do it if you're not sure about the condition or history. Fixing as PM is cheaper and easier than fixing as an emergency.

 

[Klunky Chris]

WOW!!

now THAT'S a BARGAIN!!!!

THAT is a BARGAIN for ME!!!!!

Last I saw, the Birf DVD was $12 delivered.

No, I don't get a cut

I would buy the DVD, watch it, and determine if you think you can do it. In the end the $25 or whatever the DVD costs is probably the cheapest thing you'll spend the greenbacks on.