Front diff bushing replacement?

[Brandon Ryder]

i tackled the diff bushing project last night. i have a friend with an air compressor coming over today since i don't have mine with me. but i tried my hand at the hammer and chisel method. removing the old bushing wasn't too bad. but getting the febest replacement back in was a pain. took 20 minutes to get the old one out but 2 or 3 hours to get the new one in. the problem was with the febest bushing. it was just a little too big. i made it work with some sand paper in the aluminum housing and i filed the bushing a little too. i have a short version of the bushing install video uploaded but I'll upload a longer version to show all the things that didn't work.

sorry for the crapy framing of shots at times.



at the end of the video you can see that there isn't much improvement in the movement of the diff compared to before. i think that is about how much movement is designed into the mounts. but it doesn't clunk though. that was removed by the new CVs and hub flanges.
here's the before video. this is before the new CVs as well. and i now know the other bushings weren't shot.
before:

Land Cruiser 100 series driveline clunk

1st shot is rear diff bushing which is completely shot. The driveshaft is rotating quite a bit. 2nd shot is front bushing which shows play 3rd shot is showin...

youtu.be

 

[gregnash]

That is exactly how my Toyota one fit. However, definitely when doing this take the time to clean up the aluminum on the housing as it will allow the bushing to seat properly, nothing potentially catching while you are trying to press it in.
Always use a judicious amount of grease when installing. Mine went real slow at first and I realized it was getting cockeyed in there. I pulled the arm, reset everything and started pressing again. This is where the time and care comes in because once it was part way in, and in straight, it literally just pressed straight up with ease.
When you started talking in the second video that you were having problems and explaining the sanding, it could be the angle and the way the video is, but your bushing looks cockeyed in there (more gap in front than in back). Mine started to do this exactly so I had to reposition the arm further forward (vehicle forward) on the bushing to get it to start pressing in straight. Once that happened, and everything looked square, I reset the press and started again and THAT is when she just slipped right in.

Other key that I noticed, instead of using the press plates that come with the BJ press on the bushing, use the metal washer. That was something that I noticed @2001LC was always saying and using. I feel like you don't get quite as good a surface pressure distribution with the BJ cups/plates that you do with the washer.

 

[Ayune]

Here’s a video showing D-N-R-N-D diff movement with brand new OEM bushings. It’s sped up a bit.

 

[Brandon Ryder]

that video only shows the final attempt. i uploaded another version that shows the many failed previous attempts, constantly adjusting for the skewed start. though i didn't try the washer, I'm confident that the febest bushing is a little too big to fit as is.

 

[hoser]

I also had a bit of a struggle using a BJ press to install the diff bushing. Kept going cock-eyed. I ended up just using the floor jack (mine has a large flat rubber pad) directly on the bushing. Bushing went it all the way, no BJ press needed. I had a spacer between the crossmember and diff mount too while doing the pressing/jacking.

 

[Brandon Ryder]

I also had a bit of a struggle using a BJ press to install the diff bushing. Kept going cock-eyed. I ended up just using the floor jack (mine has a large flat rubber pad) directly on the bushing. Bushing went it all the way, no BJ press needed. I had a spacer between the crossmember and diff mount too while doing the pressing/jacking.

see I tried that for a long time in several ways. that was plan "A". had the whole front end off it's wheels with the bushing on a jack and the bushing wouldn't even start! i knew something was wrong. I've pressed a few things in my day but this one just wouldn't go. the ball joint press allowed me to exert more force but before i sanded and filed down the bushing i had already hit maximum torque i could apply with a 1/2 inch ratchet.

 

[hoser]

I used the OEM bushing/cushion and maybe that was the difference. When it comes to bushings, I always use OEM if available.

 

[Brandon Ryder]

I agree. I bet the OEM one would have fit better.

 

[gregnash]

Maybe I was cheating as I have one of these and it makes stuff like this SUPER easy. Wish is was a little longer though at times.

1/2 in. Drive 18 in. Ratcheting Breaker Bar

Amazing deals on this 1/2In Dr 18In Ratcheting Breaker Bar at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[OEMGUY0720]

Officially sub’d. I got the cushion part #41651-60010 and stopper part #41653-60010 on hand now. Gotsa lotta back reading on all 11 pages. Any additional words before I embark on this monumental task is appreciated.

 

[gregnash]

Officially sub’d. I got the cushion part #41651-60010 and stopper part #41653-60010 on hand now. Gotsa lotta back reading on all 11 pages. Any additional words before I embark on this monumental task is appreciated.

It is much scarier than it is in actuality. Invest in a small airhammer and chisel as that will make quick work of getting the bushing out. Have a decent metal file on hand to clean up the marks you make, because you will, and most of all JUST TAKE YOUR TIME!

Literally for mine, it was more himming and hawing about getting it done. Once I started the bushing down and got it worked enough to then use the air chisel, it took a minute to keep working it side to side where I really wasn't seeing any progress. I stopped and took a quick break, then got back at it. At that point, once I saw it start moving, it hit the floor in less than 5 minutes. Once you see it start moving easily, it will be out within seconds.

 

[l3n0x]

Depends on the corrosion situation to be fair. The housing is aluminium probably, the bushing outer race is steel probably, so they can cake together pretty well - it took me a good 2 hours with the air chisel to separate them, and at that point I was already in a mental state that I don't care if I break something, I'll just buy the diff cover then. Luckily it came apart in the end, but it took some time to tidy the place up The housing feels like it is made from cheese, so when (not if) the chisel slips a bit, it leaves an ugly mark. Also the lip of the bushing deforms less easily as the eye in the housing, so no matter what you do, you kind of take away / round off some material from the eye. It also doesn't help that the UCA front mounting point interferes with the chisel tool as well. So it's hard to go around the whole bushing with it.

 

[OEMGUY0720]

Thanks @l3n0x and @gregnash it will be an interesting weekend for sure and a beastly core, neck, bicep, tricep and forearm workout as I don’t have an air chisel/air compressor. I just finished scanning/reading the whole 11pages and got tons of information. I guess the removal of the old is a lot less complicated than putting the new one in. One thing I’ve seen most helpful is the use of the ball joint press (w/c I’ll be renting one from O’Reilly’s) to put the new bushing in.

So far the tools that I learned that I need:
- sledgehammer
- 3 different sizes of cold chisel
- ball joint press

Any other recommendation on additional tools that I need?

 

[l3n0x]

I don’t think it is possible to do without an air chisel. But they’re not that expensive, and the compressor comes in handy later on as well. $150-200 we’re talking about.

 

[heymarv]

Thanks @l3n0x and @gregnash it will be an interesting weekend for sure and a beastly core, neck, bicep, tricep and forearm workout as I don’t have an air chisel/air compressor. I just finished scanning/reading the whole 11pages and got tons of information. I guess the removal of the old is a lot less complicated than putting the new one in. One thing I’ve seen most helpful is the use of the ball joint press (w/c I’ll be renting one from O’Reilly’s) to put the new bushing in.

So far the tools that I learned that I need:
- sledgehammer
- 3 different sizes of cold chisel
- ball joint press

Any other recommendation on additional tools that I need?

I think just some jacks/jack stands to support the front diff.

 

[OEMGUY0720]

I think just some jacks/jack stands to support the front diff.

Oop yup you’re right got the bottle jack ready as well. Thanks man.

I don’t think it is possible to do without an air chisel. But they’re not that expensive, and the compressor comes in handy later on as well. $150-200 we’re talking about.

Damn I guess the air compressor/air chisel is indeed THAT significant. Thanks for your honest take on this man.

 

[Ayune]

Officially sub’d. I got the cushion part #41651-60010 and stopper part #41653-60010 on hand now. Gotsa lotta back reading on all 11 pages. Any additional words before I embark on this monumental task is appreciated.

When pressing the new bushing it WILL get misaligned but you DON'T need to loosen the press tool and start again - simply grab the threaded rod and yank the tool/bushing into alignment, then compress more until it begins to go crooked again. Then grab the threaded rod and yank it again into position. Repeat the crank-yank-crank-yank until the bushing can guide itself straight in. (See pics in my post #132)

 

[l3n0x]

Oh, and don’t touch the steering wheel while the diff is unmounted/floating. It’s a PITA to get it back into place, I’ve been told by a friend of a friend))

 

[l3n0x]

Damn I guess the air compressor/air chisel is indeed THAT significant. Thanks for your honest take on this man.

Okay It was a bit of a twist from me, because it is probably possible without air tools. But mine was badly corroded together and took a long time to take apart even with the air tool. If yours is in good shape, then you might get away with hand tools, but even then it makes the job a lot more frustrating.

 

[Brandon Ryder]

I don’t think it is possible to do without an air chisel. But they’re not that expensive, and the compressor comes in handy later on as well. $150-200 we’re talking about.

I literally did it on camera without an air hammer.



For me, this was not the hardest part of the process, but getting the second one back in. Finally went in after I sanded down the mount and filed the bushing a tad. That thing just wouldn't start to press in!

All that said, my bushing probably wasn't even bad. Compare the end of the video above to previous condition.
Land Cruiser 100 series driveline clunk