Front Axle (1 Viewer)

[chuckost]

Not sure how far to dig into front knuckle/axle. 1978 fj40 original owner. 488,000 miles (yes, really). 60% daily driver miles, 30% freeway (to get out of SoCal), 10% off highway (dirt/gravel/mud/snow unpaved roads, some off trail). So approx. 50k miles with warn hubs locked.

Have rebuilt warn hubs twice (guess I just enjoyed it?). Kept everything greased but leaking past wiper. No wheel wobble.

What should I look for/do? If I want to replace the wipers, what else should I check?

 

[edwjmcgrath]

Often, if you've got leakage past the wiper, it means that the diff oil has leaked past the inner axle seal and has turned the birf grease into birf soup.
Open it up and take a look at the grease.
If that's the case, you'll want to replace the inner seal (the marlin seal is highly recommended). So the minimum job is that seal, the gaskets, and the wiper. Usually people replace the trunion bearings when they do that too. If it's got that mileage, I'd take a look at the wheel bearings too.

 

[firestopper]

Often, if you've got leakage past the wiper, it means that the diff oil has leaked past the inner axle seal and has turned the birf grease into birf soup.
Open it up and take a look at the grease.
If that's the case, you'll want to replace the inner seal (the marlin seal is highly recommended). So the minimum job is that seal, the gaskets, and the wiper. Usually people replace the trunion bearings when they do that too. If it's got that mileage, I'd take a look at the wheel bearings too.

Exactly what I would do.

 

[sggoat]

x-2 --inner seals prob leaking-mine too. If you do it before me please post many,many pics

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

At close to a half million miles, I think your truck has earned an overhaul! Bearings are one of those "while you're in there" things - not crazy expensive, and it would suck to put it all back together and have one detonate on you another 10,000 miles down the road...

@sggoat and @chuckost - I'm in the middle of this right now. I've gone through the whole teardown over on the clustertruck thread. I'm converting to discs too, and repainting (you don't have to grind, or pull the front axle completely out) but I took a billion pictures. I've never done an axle job before, but I'm doing it fairly "by the books" and trying to document it closely. More to come, if it ever stops raining here...It's actually not too difficult a job, just disgustingly messy.

Tear down starts at the bottom of page 19, linked here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/th...in-refurbishing-a-1975-chevota.725833/page-19

I'll be posting more in the next few weeks as I slog through rebuilding both front and rear axles.

 

[alabamatacomaguy]

If your the original owner a rebuild kit for the front axle and knuckles would be a small price to pay to keep your truck working well

I just ordered from cruiser outfitters, its everything you could need in one package, from my reading other posts get the marlin inner seal upgrade and the koyo bearings. Also showed up fast, think 6 days from when i ordered it which for older vehicles like these it doesnt get anybetter than that

a couple of vids are on that page as well of people rebuilding them, it doesnt seem to daunting im going to do mine in about a month when i get my cruiser back
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/best-77-knuckle-rebuild-kit.793680/#post-9197342