I know I have to rebuild the knuckle, My question is how bad is it to keep driving it.. I barely notice it in town, and never on the highway. 4wd seems to make it better for a while. So how bad is it to drive with it like this until I can afford to rebuild? What is worst case Scenario?
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Well it all depends on how bad your knuckles are... If you can notice the handling going to s***, then your bearings are probably shot and should be replaced asap. Check if the tires will wobble a little back and forth at the top. If its just leaking grease/oil around the wiper seals you'll be fine for a little while. Not really sure what the worst case scenario would be. Maybe ruining the bearing/races or all the diff oil leaking out would be bad. But I don't think it would all leak out. Just keep an eye on the front diff fluid level. Replacing all those worn out seals was the first real wrenching project I ever did. I do regret not putting in new bearings while I had it torn apart. The hardest part has to be getting out the cone washers as you'll soon find out.
i just picked up the current 60 i have a week ago, when i jacked up the front to try a new set of wheels on it, i found about a half inch of caked on grease and oil all over pretty much everything in that area. been on there so long that it totally deteriorated all of the rubber bushings in the vicinity too. i could move/wiggle the wheel atleast an inch in any direction. both bearings were shot to hell, we're talking massive pitting in the races, all seals were busted, and i even had to go so far as to replace the hub (luckily i had a decent used one on hand). i dunno. i bought this 60 on craigslist without even seeing it or driving it in person. i still got a great deal but, i drove it 3 hours back hom after picking it up, on the freeway and never really noticed it when driving. i did notice the irritating clunking though shortly afterwards.
what potentially could have happened? not really sure. like i said i drove a good amount on it with an inch of play and didnt' really notice it. i suppose if the PO had recognized it sooner it could have saved me from replacing as many parts as i had to.
i don't think i was in danger of the wheel falling off or anything like that though.
the gear oil washed away all the grease, without lube the upper trunion bearings failed causing other damage, I was able to save most of the knuckle parts but took some work, lots of scars left. all started with a bad inner oil seal.
Pic 2 is what I did to mine... because I waited! If that thing is starting to go, fix it now. It is much easier than if you wait until it breaks. Trust me. (I know, somebody has to be a dumbass... it may as well be me!)
I know I have to rebuild the knuckle, My question is how bad is it to keep driving it.. I barely notice it in town, and never on the highway. 4wd seems to make it better for a while. So how bad is it to drive with it like this until I can afford to rebuild? What is worst case Scenario?
This Forum Rocks
No question, all cruisers are old enough to need the front axle rebuilt. But, how do you know yours is really bad? What are the symptoms? Is there play in the knuckle bearings? Is the gear oil contaminated? Is the knuckle gease contaminated? If the gear oil and grease are good, and there's no play, keep driving for awhile....
