looks ok to me. i’d sand it but the wipers will still seal it
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Front Axle Rebuild (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter 70 FJ40
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- axle front front axle rebuild
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For the age of the vehicle it is normal wear and tear. After getting off the rust and grease I painted the whole front axle with Rustoleum Rust Reformer. You can see the groove on the ball.
I then applied several coats of Rustoleum semi-gloss:
I didn't want to sand the balls because I figured I'd do more damage than correct any issues. I figured the paint would fill any voids and provide a smoother surface for the seals to rub against.
- Thread starter
- #43
I got my knuckle back on. Put the shims back in as they were. Torqued both top and bottom to 71 ft lbs. The pre-load only measures at 3.58 lbs. What to do now ?
New bearings? Are they packed with grease?
What is the number it is supposed to be? I never checked mine with a scale.
- Thread starter
- #45
Yep. New bearings packed with grease. 2 on top. 1 on bottom.
What is it supposed to be on a scale?
77mustard40
SILVER Star
I’ve never worried about the knuckle preload, as long as there is some resistance and it feels smooth side to side. I’ve always been more concerned with setting the wheel bearing preload and typically err to the high side (vs FSM). I set mine a couple of times by torquing the inner nut to 35 ft lbs, rotate hub 10 times forward and back, loosen and repeat. On the 40, I set the final torque to 20, lock it and torque the outer to 50. On my 80 I set the inner to 35 before locking, if you are running larger tires I’d err high.
Correct me if I am wrong/confusing with 70 series rebuild but I thought the min pre load started around 6-7 ft/lbs and went up to around 12-13?
Were there any shims in the knuckle top/bottom?
With such low pre-load you will likely soon have play in the knuckle
If you have shims in top/bottom, record the sizes/thickness and consider removal of one from bottom and re-assemble/torque and see what you get......removal of a shim should bring the pre-load value up
Edit, also validate accuracy of scale with a weight of known value.....those spring scales are remarkably inaccurate.....if its a lb off for a known weight then factor that into your set up/measurements
pb4ugo
SILVER Star
I'll be doing a knuckle swap in the near future and im curious. If you remove a shim from the bottom of the knuckle to achieve preload, wouldn't that make the knuckle slightly off center in relation to the inner axle seal because the weight of the vehicle is being supported by the lower bearing?
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- #50
Yes. I thought about accuracy of the scale. I checked it and it's not perfect but pretty close. Yes. The pre-load is supposed to be 6.6 to 13 lbs. There were no shims in the knuckle. Just on the outside. 2 on top and one on bottom. Changing the shims will effect the centering of the axle shaft, will it not?
I used the same shims that were in it before. My kit from Cruiser Outfitters came with quite a few shims of varying thickness. I'm wondering if I should use a combination of shims that end up slightly thinner for both top and bottom???
I used the same shims that were in it before. My kit from Cruiser Outfitters came with quite a few shims of varying thickness. I'm wondering if I should use a combination of shims that end up slightly thinner for both top and bottom???
If you want to do it right then go buy the SST to set up the axle
The reality is that the shims used at the factory are so thin and there's so much room for error on these assemblies that it wont matter
You could try a combination of shims that results in a slightly thinner end result
But to the best of my knowledge, the only way you're going to get that pre-load up is to reduce shim thickness
OTRAMM did a great series of videos on front axle rebuilds if you havent watched it yet, he also did one on the use of the SST
Knuckle Rebuild Video Series
Started shooting a knuckle rebuild video series today. Got the first video of the tear down done. As soon as @CRASHTH gets all the parts cleaned up I'll shoot the second video on using the knuckle centering tool. And then we'll do a third video on reassembly.
forum.ih8mud.com
- Thread starter
- #53
I did watch those videos. I skimmed over the one using sst tool because I don't have that tool. After using th tool he came up with the same thickness of shims that had previously been in the cruiser. Which is what everyone says to do, so I figured I'd just go that route. Now here I am. Don't really want to spend $250 and wait several days for that tool, but maybe that's the only way. ???
In the OTRAMM videos, he never checked preload on the knuckle or the wheel bearing. What's that about?
In the OTRAMM videos, he never checked preload on the knuckle or the wheel bearing. What's that about?
- Thread starter
- #54
On another note. I got in a hurry packing bearings and packed my wheel bearings with the same molly grease as the knuckle bearings. Oops. Should I de-gease them and repack with the high temp or leave them? What's better?
Yep. Clean and repack. Moly is almost worthless in a bearing
i have always just put the same shims back in and haven’t stressed preload with a scale. i wouldn’t take only one shim out from the top or bottom though. they need to be symmetric otherwise your wear your axle bearing and it’ll leak. if you can fine a way to remove equal thickness shims and get the preload you want that’s best
moly grease is good for all the bearings in this job as far as i’m concerned (if it’s a grease rated for wheel bearings)
moly grease is good for all the bearings in this job as far as i’m concerned (if it’s a grease rated for wheel bearings)
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really? moly is supposed to be really good for pressure and heat from my reading
Bearing grease contains moly. I'm guessing the molybdenum we use for knuckles and the like is missing something they put in bearing grease.
If you want technicals to back it up, I don't have them.
Toyota also went through the effort of putting a seal between the knuckles and the bearings to keep the different grease seperate.
rkymtnflyfisher
Trout Bum
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I had the exact opposite experience and confirmed with vendor I purchased kit from which included shims that removal would increase preload
I removed one shim from bottom torqued to spec and pre-load increased.
