Hi. I just bought a 1983 FJ60, my first land cruiser. I noticed there is an oil leak from the front left hub. can anyone offer a diagnosis? thanks.
leaking front hub
- Thread starter redsox1918
- Start date
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Welcome to the club!
Where is the leak on the hub?
Do a search for "front axle seals" or "knuckle bearings" or "wipers." Also check in the FAQ section about front axle rebuild, and check the pictures. Bet you'll learn a lot.
In general, "search" is your best friend.
How many miles on your 60?
Best Regards,
Where is the leak on the hub?
Do a search for "front axle seals" or "knuckle bearings" or "wipers." Also check in the FAQ section about front axle rebuild, and check the pictures. Bet you'll learn a lot.
In general, "search" is your best friend.
How many miles on your 60?
Best Regards,
- Thread starter
- #3
Im sorry. my knowledge of the exact terminology is limited. which leads me to a second question, can you reccomend an owners manual that provides good pictures and details of the parts? do you recommend a CD rom? I saw a couple on ebay but didnt know which to get. When I ask questions, I want to understand the language.
i can tell you that the leak is significant enough so that there is a slight pooling of fluid on the bottom of the hub overnight. The hub projects out, and the leak appears to be coming from the middle of the hub.
I want to learn how to fix it myself, but I dont know if this might be a little too difficult for my first repair job.
the 60 has 191k on it, but the odometer is broken. the guy I bought it from had it for 5 years and said the engine had been rebuilt 30 k ago. eventually, im hoping to export it to Venezuela, where I will be moving next year. so Im trying to learn how to maintain it myself.
its seems to be running well. it's got low torque, 4spd appears to be tight. a little bit of rust but only superficial. I dont want it to be too fancy.
thanks for any help.
jc
i can tell you that the leak is significant enough so that there is a slight pooling of fluid on the bottom of the hub overnight. The hub projects out, and the leak appears to be coming from the middle of the hub.
I want to learn how to fix it myself, but I dont know if this might be a little too difficult for my first repair job.
the 60 has 191k on it, but the odometer is broken. the guy I bought it from had it for 5 years and said the engine had been rebuilt 30 k ago. eventually, im hoping to export it to Venezuela, where I will be moving next year. so Im trying to learn how to maintain it myself.
its seems to be running well. it's got low torque, 4spd appears to be tight. a little bit of rust but only superficial. I dont want it to be too fancy.
thanks for any help.
jc
I know this one!!! buy the toyota service manual
if its just leaking out of the outer locking hub and NOT on the inside of the wheel(the knuckle) its prolly just the hub cover seal. If thats not it its the inner axle tube seals leting diff oil mix with the knuckle grease
OEM maunals are the BEST
OEM maunals are the BEST
Redsox,
Since you mention that the leak comes from where the hub "projects out" I assume that you can see the leak while standing next to the wheel - and that you don't need to crawl under the truck to see it?
As Landpimp suggests, it's likely a hub seal. That in and of itself is an easy fix. The bigger problem though is that the hub is supposed to be full of grease, not oil. Since you have oil leaking out overnight, it almost certainly means that you need to do a full front axle rebuild. This is a common repair on an older cruiser. The inner axle seals fail and allow the gear oil in the differential to mix with the grease in the hub. This is not good for the differential, nor for the hub.
Repairing this is a big job, but one that many of us on this board have managed to do ourselves.
You need to purchase the Factory Service Manaul. This has the detailed instructions on how to do all the repairs on your truck.
There are articles in the tech section on doing a front axle rebuild. Read 'em all!
Best Regards,
Since you mention that the leak comes from where the hub "projects out" I assume that you can see the leak while standing next to the wheel - and that you don't need to crawl under the truck to see it?
As Landpimp suggests, it's likely a hub seal. That in and of itself is an easy fix. The bigger problem though is that the hub is supposed to be full of grease, not oil. Since you have oil leaking out overnight, it almost certainly means that you need to do a full front axle rebuild. This is a common repair on an older cruiser. The inner axle seals fail and allow the gear oil in the differential to mix with the grease in the hub. This is not good for the differential, nor for the hub.
Repairing this is a big job, but one that many of us on this board have managed to do ourselves.
You need to purchase the Factory Service Manaul. This has the detailed instructions on how to do all the repairs on your truck.
There are articles in the tech section on doing a front axle rebuild. Read 'em all!
Best Regards,
- Thread starter
- #7
i checked the inside of the wheel rim, underneath the truck, and there is a little bit of fluid there, but not the black stuff that is pooling at the base of the outside of the rim. the leak is coming from the first seal that connects the axle with the hub lock. does that make sense?
thanks
jc
thanks
jc
- Thread starter
- #8
any suggestions on where to puchase the factory service manual?
You can purchase the FSM from three sources...
A local Toy dealer.
CDan - click on "American Toyota" ad up above. (He's who we all use.)
Or call, 1-800-622-2033
Yes I understand where the leak is, and am still pretty sure that you need to do a front axle rebuild. To help determine the extent of your problem, you can do two additional things:
1. Remove the fill plug on the diff (24mm, six point socket) located on the upper front of the diff. Stick your finger in there and see what you get. Should be nice clean gear oil, yellow or golden in color. Should be somewhat clear. If it's grey or green, and especially if it's thick and goopy, then you have contamination.
2. Remove the 10mm square fill plug on top of the knuckle. (located on the top, backside of the front wheel). Stick something in there to "sample" the grease. (Should be grease.) If you get nice clean grease, that's good. If you get something that is runny, grey, not thick like grease, then you have contamination.
A local Toy dealer.
CDan - click on "American Toyota" ad up above. (He's who we all use.)
Or call, 1-800-622-2033
Yes I understand where the leak is, and am still pretty sure that you need to do a front axle rebuild. To help determine the extent of your problem, you can do two additional things:
1. Remove the fill plug on the diff (24mm, six point socket) located on the upper front of the diff. Stick your finger in there and see what you get. Should be nice clean gear oil, yellow or golden in color. Should be somewhat clear. If it's grey or green, and especially if it's thick and goopy, then you have contamination.
2. Remove the 10mm square fill plug on top of the knuckle. (located on the top, backside of the front wheel). Stick something in there to "sample" the grease. (Should be grease.) If you get nice clean grease, that's good. If you get something that is runny, grey, not thick like grease, then you have contamination.
- Thread starter
- #10
thanks. i will order the service manual today. when i have the pictures in front of me I suspect this will be a little clearer. i will probably take the plunge in early Oct. again, thanks to you all.
RS1918
RS1918
