Help! Are my birfs supposed to look like this? (1 Viewer)

[clx16]

Yep check the wipers/felt stuff to make sure it is in the right order. wipe it off, and check that you have enough grease in it. Being you live in the cold country... I would be re-evaluating it until late Spring.

 

[g-man]

But I'm wondering what else you did incorrectly on the knuckle? did you keep the shims in order?

Did you measure pre-load on the trunnion bearings?

did you adjust the hub preload? and torque the 54mm nuts right?

 

[Gimme a 60]

But I'm wondering what else you did incorrectly on the knuckle? did you keep the shims in order?
View attachment 2911618

Did you measure pre-load on the trunnion bearings?
View attachment 2911619

did you adjust the hub preload? and torque the 54mm nuts right?
View attachment 2911621

I only did a wheel bearing and no I didn’t adjust the preload with a 54 mm socket. I’m still waiting on getting that. And for me to grease the whole thing I just unscrewed a little hole at the top….. I didn’t take apart the knuckles to grease them.

 

[bhsdriller]

send it and fix when you can

 

[kevin in okinawa]

One thing that comes to mind for me is mixing up different greases. Its probably not a huge deal, but if it was me I'd be shooting to only put one type of grease in the knuckle (your grease might match the grease in the knuckle) so I didn't have any compatibility issues that caused my grease to do unexpected things and not lube my birds completely. But at the end of the day you if you still dont know the maintenance history on your axles you may want to plan on going through them.

the color of the "newer" looking grease coming out does not look like Moly-B, but more like red bearing grease. OP be sure to use moly-b when you refill the hub, use bearing grease when you repack your bearings. and be sure to repack those bearings very well.

 

[PNWTreeOctopus]

the color of the "newer" looking grease coming out does not look like Moly-B, but more like red bearing grease. OP be sure to use moly-b when you refill the hub, use bearing grease when you repack your bearings. and be sure to repack those bearings very well.

^^this. Well said.

 

[Gimme a 60]

Thanks for the help everybody! Should I take apart the birfeilds to remove the bearing grease?

 

[bhsdriller]

You don't have to but it helps. I soaked in diesel then it basically just came off. Compressed air to help it

 

[kevin in okinawa]

Thanks for the help everybody! Should I take apart the birfeilds to remove the bearing grease?

No, and yes, and no. Birfields don't usually get taken apart, but the knuckles can be
"Should you take apart the knuckles to remove the bearing grease?"
Slow down, that grease isn't hurting anything, so leave it (for now just wipe off all the extra that is puking out) until you are ready to do the complete knuckle rebuild. Time is money, and you will just be repeating the same steps again when you do the proper maintenance and repair.

UNLESS you have the birfs removed already and are wondering about cleaning them, then, get the majority with rags, solvent, air, like 'Driller said.

 

[PNWTreeOctopus]

No, and yes, and no. Birfields don't usually get taken apart, but the knuckles can be
"Should you take apart the knuckles to remove the bearing grease?"
Slow down, that grease isn't hurting anything, so leave it (for now just wipe off all the extra that is puking out) until you are ready to do the complete knuckle rebuild. Time is money, and you will just be repeating the same steps again when you do the proper maintenance and repair.

UNLESS you have the birfs removed already and are wondering about cleaning them, then, get the majority with rags, solvent, air, like 'Driller said.

^^This. You should make a plan to attend to this maintenance on your rig (weather you do it or find a shop) budget out parts, fluids, and the time you need to do it, but after smart posts from others I think wiping off the excess is a great plan for now, but it also sounds like you will be going to be messing with the bearings and preload etc in the future.

Honestly, I would attend to the bearing preload before you do any Send It style driving!

You don't have to but it helps. I soaked in diesel then it basically just came off. Compressed air to help it

I followed a similar path. I used a couple gallons of super clean in a 5 gallon bucket and just dumped all my knuckle parts in to soak including the Birfield joints. I didn't not seperate. the grease was mostly dissolved after a couple of days and then I used some aerosol brake cleanser to make sure that there wasn't grease trapped in the joint. YMMV

 

[Gimme a 60]

I will practice all of your advice. This website has great wealth of knowledge and thank all of you for your patience with unexperienced people. Wish me luck.

Thanks!

 

[micruz60]

A suggestion, raise one side of the front axle at a time, see if there is wiggle by grabbing the wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock (left/right) and 12 and 6 o'clock. If there is noticeable slack, then it is trunnion (kingpin) and-or wheel bearing slop. Get into the Factory Service Manual (FSM) and study the FA section with regard to the routine maintenance/ replacement / repair steps.

The owners manual recommends driving with the front hubs engaged for 10 miles each month to keep the components lubed.
Above all, have fun!! Working on these trucks is rewarding.