Loss of drive problem. Front axle service?

[Manuelsv]

Well at least it looks like you will get off easy at least from the point of view of parts $$ So what are you trowing in there?
If you decide to resurface the disks remember you have to take them in with bearings and all so they can put it on the lathe..

 

[on3i11s]

Well at least it looks like you will get off easy at least from the point of view of parts $$ So what are you trowing in there?
If you decide to resurface the disks remember you have to take them in with bearings and all so they can put it on the lathe..

I might be getting cut some slack on parts but I damn sure spent that extra money on tools - I didn't have that much of a tool collection to start with so I've already spent a nice little chunk of change in that area. Still need a few more tools too Arghh!

I will most likely stick with an OEM front axle rebuild kit, possibly from one of the many people/vendors on this site.

I would also like to replace the rotors and was leaning towards an aftermarket brand - one that is slotted or has holes. I like the idea of sticking with original parts but the so called benefits of the slotted/drilled rotors is persuading. Not 100% sure yet though, I'm still looking into this issue.
- newb question about rotors: if purchasing new rotors, I read something about having to get them indexed? I'm not sure what that means or if it is needed. This is ONE THING I have not researched yet over the past few weeks.

Lastly, I'm still not sure if all of those parts/components being replaced would solve my problem. I still need to check the brake lines, calipers, and master cylinder.

I would like to go ahead and knock out the calipers while I'm messing around with this area since mine are looking a little rough. I've read threads and the FAQ about replacing the calipers as a whole or performing a caliper rebuild. Not sure which would be a better choice - probably more time consuming doing the rebuild and more expensive replacing the whole caliper.

Man it feels nice to have a 2 hour planning period at school. Instead of planning for lessons, etc...I'm busy planning out my next set of steps for the LC! I'm addicted

 

[grizzlygibbs]

You can use your tire/wheel as a jig next time to remove hub bolts from rotor. Will give you a little more grip.

I think your spindle on the first set of pictures looks worn as well. I would replace that with a good used from cruiseryard.com or an oem replacement. Inwould also separate those birfs to get them nice and cleaned up.

Nice work diving in and tackling this job! It is not terribly hard, just time consuming.

 

[Hornd]

Here is what I would do and I just did this exact same job.

Call up Cruiser Outfitters and get their rebuild kit...it's proven, Tell them you want Toyota OEM Inner Seals.
Order their 57MM Socket as well and leave it in the truck (wont' fit anything else)

Clean up those nuts using a file and reuse them. Or you can get replacement price like I did then clean them up.

Order new brake lines from Rock Auto. Yep they might not last 20 yrs like originals but in 10 yrs....
There is an outter and inner. The Outters are the same. Heat and use PB blaster to get brake lines off. I had to heat mine about 3X. Patience is key. Order the cheapest ones since they are all made by HungSoLo in China. I ordered the Napa/United and Raysbestos and they were all same manufacturer.A needle nose Vice Grip is a good choice if they start to round off nuts. All of mine did.

Go right to Napa and order rebuilt Calipers and exchange old ones. Nice black coating and you won't have to worry about them for another 100K, but I don't know your $$$$ situation. Use AAA Card for 10% off. Get tons of cans of Brake Cleaner (I prefer Chlorinated) and make sure you have a box of NItrile Disposable Gloves for Cleanup.

Get Valvoline Pallidium (2 tubes for each knuckle) and fresh High Pressure Bearing Grease.

Your going to likely need 2 new Circlips and a piece of 2" PVC x 4' if your going to Switch the Birfs. Try to not let the parts go flying when you hit them apart, 2 ppl is ideal.

Any issues post up pics, you will not find better free help.

 

[Tedward]

I would add for install of the new inner seals a pvc coupler is a great "tool" to use to push them in. Like a race/seal install tool. I found that in the FAQ's. Think it was a 2", schedule 80 coupler.

 

[on3i11s]

After a busy week of school, I'm finally back with an update. I did some yard work yesterday but was able to get the PS knuckle taken apart in the afternoon and evening. This time the process was much faster - I think it took me about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, although this time around was much messier. Lots of "birf soup" and leftover grease/oil mixture. Definitely used a lot more gloves/paper towels this time around.

Today I plan on soaking the PS parts and cleaning up the DS parts from before. Other than that, I'm at a standstill until I order new parts. My biggest concerns right now are determining what else needs to be replaced.

You can use your tire/wheel as a jig next time to remove hub bolts from rotor. Will give you a little more grip.

I think your spindle on the first set of pictures looks worn as well. I would replace that with a good used from cruiseryard.com or an oem replacement. Inwould also separate those birfs to get them nice and cleaned up.

Nice work diving in and tackling this job! It is not terribly hard, just time consuming.

I still have to separate the hub/rotor so I'll give this a try for sure! How can you tell the rotor is worn? I noticed some slight discolorations but what are the indicators? Gotta get that pvc pipe to separate the birfs - I was at home depot earlier today DAMN!

Here is what I would do and I just did this exact same job.

Call up Cruiser Outfitters and get their rebuild kit...it's proven, Tell them you want Toyota OEM Inner Seals.
Order their 57MM Socket as well and leave it in the truck (wont' fit anything else)

Clean up those nuts using a file and reuse them. Or you can get replacement price like I did then clean them up.

Order new brake lines from Rock Auto. Yep they might not last 20 yrs like originals but in 10 yrs....
There is an outter and inner. The Outters are the same. Heat and use PB blaster to get brake lines off. I had to heat mine about 3X. Patience is key. Order the cheapest ones since they are all made by HungSoLo in China. I ordered the Napa/United and Raysbestos and they were all same manufacturer.A needle nose Vice Grip is a good choice if they start to round off nuts. All of mine did.

Go right to Napa and order rebuilt Calipers and exchange old ones. Nice black coating and you won't have to worry about them for another 100K, but I don't know your $$$$ situation. Use AAA Card for 10% off. Get tons of cans of Brake Cleaner (I prefer Chlorinated) and make sure you have a box of NItrile Disposable Gloves for Cleanup.

Get Valvoline Pallidium (2 tubes for each knuckle) and fresh High Pressure Bearing Grease.

Your going to likely need 2 new Circlips and a piece of 2" PVC x 4' if your going to Switch the Birfs. Try to not let the parts go flying when you hit them apart, 2 ppl is ideal.

Any issues post up pics, you will not find better free help.

Hornd, thank you for all of the info! After finally getting everything taken apart, time to inspect and see what needs to be ordered. I'd like to be placing an order sometime within the next day or two! As far as ordering the calipers, how long did those take to come in? Cost? I was leaning towards ordering calipers from one of the vendors on here but this may be a better option. AAA 10% off sounds enticing as well!

I would add for install of the new inner seals a pvc coupler is a great "tool" to use to push them in. Like a race/seal install tool. I found that in the FAQ's. Think it was a 2", schedule 80 coupler.

Thanks for the tip Tedward! Harbor freight is somewhat close so I might end up buying a cheap race/seal driver set.

Here's some pics from yesterday! At least this side still had some grease - not as bad as the DS. A lovely picture of the extremely messy soup. How does the spindle look? Any signs of wear?

 

[on3i11s]

 

[Hornd]

After a busy week of school, I'm finally back with an update. I did some yard work yesterday but was able to get the PS knuckle taken apart in the afternoon and evening. This time the process was much faster - I think it took me about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, although this time around was much messier. Lots of "birf soup" and leftover grease/oil mixture. Definitely used a lot more gloves/paper towels this time around.

Today I plan on soaking the PS parts and cleaning up the DS parts from before. Other than that, I'm at a standstill until I order new parts. My biggest concerns right now are determining what else needs to be replaced.



I still have to separate the hub/rotor so I'll give this a try for sure! How can you tell the rotor is worn? I noticed some slight discolorations but what are the indicators? Gotta get that pvc pipe to separate the birfs - I was at home depot earlier today DAMN!




Hornd, thank you for all of the info! After finally getting everything taken apart, time to inspect and see what needs to be ordered. I'd like to be placing an order sometime within the next day or two! As far as ordering the calipers, how long did those take to come in? Cost? I was leaning towards ordering calipers from one of the vendors on here but this may be a better option. AAA 10% off sounds enticing as well!


Get the Race and Driver Set at Harbor Freight. It' super nice for the price. They have 25% off coupon right now.
Calipers take about 3 days. I think they were about $80. Finish is nice. Bought a Raysbestos an it is already rusting! Won't go that route again.

 

[grizzlygibbs]

I still have to separate the hub/rotor so I'll give this a try for sure! How can you tell the rotor is worn? I noticed some slight discolorations but what are the indicators? Gotta get that pvc pipe to separate the birfs - I was at home depot earlier today DAMN!

it is the spindle that looked worn to me. Discoloration and looks like a possible indentation where the bearing rides. Your finger and a dial gauge will tell you if it is or not, check fsm for spec. Read up on the sealing surface of your axle shafts as well. Looks like a good groove where the seal rides.

 

[grizzlygibbs]

Also, hub nut kits are only about 15 bucks. Just replace them and get your 54mm socket while your at it.

 

[on3i11s]

Get the Race and Driver Set at Harbor Freight. It' super nice for the price. They have 25% off coupon right now.
Calipers take about 3 days. I think they were about $80. Finish is nice. Bought a Raysbestos an it is already rusting! Won't go that route again.

25% off!? Thank you for the heads up, I'll have to stop by there tomorrow after work now. 3 days isn't bad at all! I might be going that route, especially since I'm probably going to replace rotors/pads and brake lines as well. You purchased Raysbestos calipers or rotors?? Okay...now I know what to avoid!

 

[on3i11s]

it is the spindle that looked worn to me. Discoloration and looks like a possible indentation where the bearing rides. Your finger and a dial gauge will tell you if it is or not, check fsm for spec. Read up on the sealing surface of your axle shafts as well. Looks like a good groove where the seal rides.

Also, hub nut kits are only about 15 bucks. Just replace them and get your 54mm socket while your at it.

Thank you grizzlygibs! Now I know what to look for in a worn spindle...I just finished cleaning all of the DS parts tonight so I'll have to go back and check out the spindle. I was definitely planning on getting new spindle nuts but its nice to know that I can buy a kit with all the parts I need. Mine were all chipped to hell. Gotta get that 54mm socket too - at least I didn't have to worry about damaging the nuts any more using a brass drift and hammer to get them loose!

 

[grizzlygibbs]

If you can not feel a groove and it dials out within spec, i would just throw new bearings in. But def check with a gauge.

 

[on3i11s]

If you can not feel a groove and it dials out within spec, i would just throw new bearings in. But def check with a gauge.

$120 for a new spindle from cruiser parts dear god I hope I don't have to replace these too! Are you looking at the end of the spindle where the outer bearing would sit - I do see the discoloration/marks where it could be rubbing. I will check tomorrow for any grooves near this region.



the first pic is of the PS spindle. Last pic is of the DS spindle after being all cleaned off - dark discoloration near the end of it.

DS hub and spindle all cleaned up - any suggestions on getting off that rust. They soaked in gas for a couple of days and I just got done using brake cleaner, pb blaster, paper towels, and a metal brush to clean them. Couldn't get that damn rust off. They weren't this rusty to start with - I left them outside while I was at work and we got hit by rain one day. Rain in SD....really??? Learned my lesson on that one - now all the parts are inside of my truck or under an umbrella. Damn I miss having a garage

 

[Hornd]

Run that spindle mine looked the same.
Worse thing that happens is it trashes bearing ( I can send you replacement as mine was fine but I replaced anyhow) and you have to buy spindle. I bet it will go another 200K.

 

[Hornd]

I put my fastners and hardware in Solo cups as I took them off and put on floor of drivers and passengers side.
Had about 3-4 cups per side.
Put some Kerosene in each cup swished or brush with toothbrush then blew off with compressed air. Throw cups out. Simple like me.

 

[on3i11s]

Run that spindle mine looked the same.
Worse thing that happens is it trashes bearing ( I can send you replacement as mine was fine but I replaced anyhow) and you have to buy spindle. I bet it will go another 200K.

Thanks Hornd, I most likely will stick with these spindles...I still haven't checked to see if there are any ridges/indentations but nothing stood out to me when it was inspected - only the slight discolorations in certain spots. I think my bearings may be fine also but I'm going to replace those too. At least I'll have spare parts!

I put my fastners and hardware in Solo cups as I took them off and put on floor of drivers and passengers side.
Had about 3-4 cups per side.
Put some Kerosene in each cup swished or brush with toothbrush then blew off with compressed air. Throw cups out. Simple like me.

good thinking about the red solo cups - luckily I had just used a ton of rubbing alcohol for a school project and had a ton of bottles left over...figured I'd find a way to use those bad boys one day. Ended up cutting the tops off and labeling each one for certain parts/sections. Someone on my alley way was throwing out easily 20 - 30 5 gallon buckets so I scooped up about 10 and have been using those for the knuckle housing and larger parts.

We just had terrible rain last night again - my umbrella was blown over but luckily I used some boards to set up a roof-like shelter over my buckets. Hoping these parts don't rust up like the DS. All of the small stuff is inside the truck - that thing is my garage right now...surfboards, snowboards, camping gear, all kinds of junk from our recent trip and for temporary storage.

 

[on3i11s]

Update:

Just placed my order with cruiseroutfitters earlier today. They were very helpful and offered great assistance.

Parts ordered:
-Front Axle Rebuild Kit w/ Koyo wheel bearings
-Spindle nut kits x2
-54mm hub nut socket
-100 series brake pads
-stock front rotors (they were out of stock but thought they would receive more sometime today or tomorrow)
-1 knuckle stud kit (for that darn stud that was all rusted together from the lower trunion housing)
-stud socket (figured I'd give it a shot...doubled nutted the studs to get them off but hopefully this socket will be worth the purchase)

Would have liked to order the soft brake lines but they did not have any for my 97 LC. Slee SS lines were a bit too expensive for me at the moment so I'll have to find another source for the brake lines.

Also need to take my calipers to NAPA here soon - hopefully tomorrow. I'm ready for these parts to get in so I can finally start rebuilding. The truck has been sitting for almost a month now! Fortunately, I'm now on winter break and have the next two weeks to work on the car!

I did check my spindles for wear and I was able to feel a little ridge on one half/side of the spindle where the outer bearing sits. I'm going to take a chance and use the same spindles. Hoping this doesn't come back to bite me in the

 

[Dubbinchris]

Napa should also have the soft lines for you. I made some notes in another thread I read sometime with NAPA part numbers that fit the 80.

Right front #380231 and Left front #38796

The thread also listed #'s for extended lines.

Note that the above numbers will not come back to the 80 series but for other vehicles. If you take your lines in and have them pull the above numbers I believe they will be matches.

 

[Hornd]

Just an FYI NAPA brand (United) is same line as Raysbestos and others.
They are all made by a Chinese Company and just rebranded.
Longevity is yet to be determined.