Front Prop Shaft Slip Joint Hydraulic Lock Does Happen (1 Viewer)

[onpoint01]

I was out greasing the front prop shaft last month and noticed that when I pumped grease into the slip joint zerk that I saw the shaft extended outward and no grease coming of the seal.

Dropped the shaft this weekend and upon disassembly confirmed that old dried grease will block the passage of clean grease past the splines when trying to pump in fresh grease causing a hydraulic lock. I'm guessing with enough pressure one might have eventually forced this old grease out but it wasn't happening with a hand grease gun.

Once I removed the aft nuts connecting the shaft to the transfer and the front nuts connecting the shaft to the diff the shaft would not drop out. I had to remove the grease zerk fitting and compress the shaft from one end forcing grease out this hole in order to compress the shaft enough to drop in out of the truck.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

The front move very very little with the transfercase and the front diff mounted solid. Not near the issue as the rear or a front live axle. Sometimes its hard to read but it could just be air keeping the driveline from compressing.

 

[onpoint01]

Well that's good news as I thought I was doing some damage.

 

[BEG]

Try using a thinner grease to soften the dried up stuff. Once it's flowing past the seals you can switch back to the correct spec grease.

 

[nissanh]

Use a long "spoon" or similar to scoop out old grease and then apply Moly grease.

 

[onpoint01]

I used mineral spirits and an old toothbrush to clean all the old grease out. Should be good to go now.

 

[JMan5000]

Replying to an old post here - I've got an 02' LC with minimal maintenance history from the previous 2 owners and 158K miles. I greased up my U-joints last night with bearing grease and then did the slip joints with Molly grease. The rear slip joint moved about 1/16" or so, but no grease came out. The front was solid and did not move, and no grease came out. I'm concerned I put too much grease into the slip joints causing potential problems down the line. I've got the notorious clunk when I'm coming to a stop when the driveshaft is slowing down...so my guess is a bad U-joint, but I haven't gotten the rig on stands to check it yet. The clunking did get a little better after greasing, but it's still there - just not as noticeable. I'm just getting into turning wrenches on vehicles, so I'm questioning my logic a lot of the time. Think the two shafts should come off and get a thorough cleaning?

 

[nissanh]

Since this is the first time you are doing it on this truck, I'd say remove the axle from the slip joint. BEFORE YOU PILL IT APART, mark its current location. Use a spoon or some long ruler or so and pull the old grease out.

For the joint, you add some, but not a lock. It should move in and out and if it doesn't especially inwards, that can potentially damage the transfercase housing.

If you think you added more, remove the grease nipple (8 mm) and bump the truck to press out any excess grease.

If you plan to replace the U-joints, STAY with OEM. All others will fail. Aftermarket GMB is simply garbage: I have experience with GMB.

 

[JMan5000]

I brought it in to the shop to have it looked at and the mechanic (trusted) said it was not the U-joints and it is the front PS CV axle causing the clunk. There is a large tear in the CV boot and grease was flung everywhere (white/yellowish grease). He took a video of it, and he wants to show me tonight when I pick it up. The problem is - he's not really familiar with LC's, so he's not sure if that clunk is normal or not. I'm going to see how bad it is tonight and then do some extensive searching on MUD for possible solutions. At this point in time I'm not confident enough to do the work myself...so I'm at the mercy of the shop. So far, my first LC experience is nothing more than a flippin' money pit. She's up for sale if this fix is more than $500 - I've had enough.

 

[geanes]

Baselining an older vehicle is never really cheap. Mine require new CV Axles, u-joints, TB/WP job and steering rack bushings along with general baselining basics like fluids, heater t's, etc. Having replaced all those things and absorbing the associated costs, I figure I'm relatively maintenance free for the next 90k miles or so. Is my LX a money pit? I guess so. But, even factoring in the maintenance costs and even fuel, my cost of ownership is WAAAY less than what it was to own a 2016 Subaru Outback 3.6r Limited. Anyway, best of luck with your rig. I know it can be frustrating. But, in my experience, no other vehicle has ever put a smile on my face like my 100 Series.

 

[JMan5000]

It is tough to baseline a vehicle especially when there was no real history of maintenance. The rig looks new...but I should have taken my time and found a gem down south outside of the salt-belt. I understand perfectly well that a heavy 4WD vehicle with 158K miles will need some TLC to get it to a point where it can be driven everyday without hesitation and worry. I'm in the process of creating my new garage setup and harvesting/accumulating the tools needed for these types of jobs...but this is all coming up before I can fix it myself and my pockets are not that deep right now after dumping $1500 into shocks, catalytic repair, sway bar bushings/brackets (lots of rust), heater T's, radiator hoses/flush, and upstream O2 sensors. All of this maintenance was needed and my ignorant eye could not see these things at the stealership...but if I had the knowledge I have now after reading 10,000 MUD threads - I would have ran away from this 100 as if it had Ebola. I'm just feeling like I made a bad financial decision buying this rig. So, adding to the list of things to fix: driveshaft/slip-joint inspection requiring the driveshafts to be dropped and then front axle replacements (if one is getting replaced - might as well do both) - so far I've been reading that getting OEM is not the way to go...so add on another $1000+ to the money pit. The rig is nice - rides better than a Cadillac and can pull a house, but holy S***, this thing is expensive to fix, and it likes to hang out in the garage all the time. I hope it gets better - just too much for me at this point until I can open things up myself and save the shop labor expenses.

 

[DirtDawg]

I brought it in to the shop to have it looked at and the mechanic (trusted) said it was not the U-joints and it is the front PS CV axle causing the clunk. There is a large tear in the CV boot and grease was flung everywhere (white/yellowish grease). He took a video of it, and he wants to show me tonight when I pick it up. The problem is - he's not really familiar with LC's, so he's not sure if that clunk is normal or not. I'm going to see how bad it is tonight and then do some extensive searching on MUD for possible solutions. At this point in time I'm not confident enough to do the work myself...so I'm at the mercy of the shop. So far, my first LC experience is nothing more than a flippin' money pit. She's up for sale if this fix is more than $500 - I've had enough.

A CV cant really “clunk”, more often than not they vibrate or make a grinding noise of bad enough. The front diff bushings could be shot and cause the diff to clunk around.

Not saying your mechanic is wrong, just saying it sounds like he found a standard torn boot.

 

[JMan5000]

A CV cant really “clunk”, more often than not they vibrate or make a grinding noise of bad enough. The front diff bushings could be shot and cause the diff to clunk around.

Not saying your mechanic is wrong, just saying it sounds like he found a standard torn boot.

That's the hard part...he's not familiar with the machine, so I feel like I'll be throwing money at something that might not even come close to fixing the problem. Frustrated to say the least. How much of a job is it to replace the front diff bushings?

 

[geanes]

Understood. I'm about $3k in regarding baselining and maintenance. Definitely was eye-opening for sure. Add in the other stuff I've voluntarily added (bumper, sliders, rack, etc.) and I'm well over $6.5k in year 1. I've had a lot of the work done by a local LC specialist shop. But, I've learned from the forums how to do some of the other things. Saved big on doing my own CV Axles, Idler Tensioner Pulley, replacement ujoints for front/rear and Serpentine belt. Shop would have charged me nearly $1,000 in labor for all those things. Totally understand the sticker shock though. I've thankfully got mine to a place where from here forward, it's just routine maintenance and I can largely amortize those costs over time which eases the pain somewhat. I'm pulling for you. If I were up in WI, I'd offer to help with some of those things........for a 12-pack of New Glarus Spotted Cow

 

[DirtDawg]

That's the hard part...he's not familiar with the machine, so I feel like I'll be throwing money at something that might not even come close to fixing the problem. Frustrated to say the least. How much of a job is it to replace the front diff bushings?

Not terrible, there’s two that bolt to the diff (easy peasy), and one that is pressed into the differential cover, this one has been known to be a pain to install. I would inspect the bushings and replace as needed.

I would also first just clean the driveshafts and relubricate first before spending any more money. That could fix the clunk.

As for the CV, as long as it’s not vibrating you will probably only need a reboot. Rule of thumb is to always run OEM CVs. Aftermarket CVs tend to vibrate or have a lesser working angle than OEM. So either reboot or spend money on a new assembly.

 

[JMan5000]

Not terrible, there’s two that bolt to the diff (easy peasy), and one that is pressed into the differential cover, this one has been known to be a pain to install. I would inspect the bushings and replace as needed.

I would also first just clean the driveshafts and relubricate first before spending any more money. That could fix the clunk.

As for the CV, as long as it’s not vibrating you will probably only need a reboot. Rule of thumb is to always run OEM CVs. Aftermarket CVs tend to vibrate or have a lesser working angle than OEM. So either reboot or spend money on a new assembly.

The scary thing then is that the mechanic said they cannot be re-booted. I'll talk to him tonight and decide if he's the guy to do it or not. Getting it properly diagnosed is the first step...

I lubed the U-joints and slip-joints last night and that did nothing. The clunk is best heard/felt when costing with your foot off the gas (at any speed) and then hitting the gas to accelerate - big clunk when the driveshaft engages.

The funny thing - I bought an old Ford F150 and it turned into a disgusting money pit and I couldn't get rid of it soon enough - I was so enraged it melted my soul after finding out how big of a pile it was. Everything broke within the first 500 miles. I purchased a LC thinking they were bulletproof and it's even worse than that Ford...hence my overall disgust and desire to roll it off a cliff and take the insurance money...

 

[DirtDawg]

The scary thing then is that the mechanic said they cannot be re-booted. I'll talk to him tonight and decide if he's the guy to do it or not. Getting it properly diagnosed is the first step...

I lubed the U-joints and slip-joints last night and that did nothing. The clunk is best heard/felt when costing with your foot off the gas (at any speed) and then hitting the gas to accelerate - big clunk when the driveshaft engages.

The funny thing - I bought an old Ford F150 and it turned into a disgusting money pit and I couldn't get rid of it soon enough - I was so enraged it melted my soul after finding out how big of a pile it was. Everything broke within the first 500 miles. I purchased a LC thinking they were bulletproof and it's even worse than that Ford...hence my overall disgust and desire to roll it off a cliff and take the insurance money...

Well for starters they definitely can be rebooted (Toyota sells a specific kit).

The clunk your describing could be the front diff bushings or it could be your drive flanges, the part that connects the CV to the front hub. These get worn when the wheel bearings are loose for a long time leading to a loose C clip on the axle. Then the CV splines and splines on the flange wear, leading to a loose connection. If that’s the case usually new drive flanges and CVs are in order. The dust cap needs to be removed to inspect this. Also would be noted when doing a bearing repack and tightening.

As @geanes said, these take a little bit to baseline, but once baselined they are rock solid. Don’t lose faith, we’ll help you through. Sounds like you might want to find a different mechanic though.

 

[JMan5000]

Well for starters they definitely can be rebooted (Toyota sells a specific kit).

The clunk your describing could be the front diff bushings or it could be your drive flanges, the part that connects the CV to the front hub. These get worn when the wheel bearings are loose for a long time leading to a loose C clip on the axle. Then the CV splines and splines on the flange wear, leading to a loose connection. If that’s the case usually new drive flanges and CVs are in order. The dust cap needs to be removed to inspect this. Also would be noted when doing a bearing repack and tightening.

As @geanes said, these take a little bit to baseline, but once baselined they are rock solid. Don’t lose faith, we’ll help you through. Sounds like you might want to find a different mechanic though.

Thanks DirtDawg - I'll mention exactly what you just said to him tonight - I'll report back in the morning. I've searched pretty hard for this, so I might need to start a new post...I need a good, inexpensive LC mechanic in the Milwaukee, WI area until I can get my garage ramped up.

 

[nissanh]

Post a video of the front diff clunk.