new member with some problems, long

[ChandaraC]

hi, Brian here from chicago. i got a 95 cruiser with 190k. bought it from my uncle when he went with a 100 series cruiser i've read through the faq and the last 10 pages of the 80 series forum. and right now i'm pretty overloaded and confused. i've worked on cars before but not on 4x4s. only fwd cars, so many of the parts that i've read about i've never encountered before.

here are the problems that i've noticed. when making a tight right turn i'll get a clicking sound from the wheel area. and when i shift from reverse to drive i get a loud clank/clunk sound from i'm guessing the tranny area. also, i hear a humming type sound when driving on the expressway, it'll stop after 40 mph or so, could it be the tires? i have 305/70/16 pro comp all terrains on.

i recently tuned up the car (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and oil) and would be changing the fluids this weekend (differential, tranny, still have to look up on these more). i need some help pointing me in the right direction towards identifying the cause and how to fix the problems that i'm having. i'm still learning what part is what but i'm not afraid to get under the car and get dirty. i'm here to suck up as much knowledge as i can thanks for any help

 

[PDoyle]

Brian, your doing it right. The clicking when turning sounds like a CV joint. Next, you should change the transmission fluid asap. Research both here on the site and find a guy who knows Landcruisers in your area.
Get some pics of your rig and post em here. We wanna see what kinda shape it is in. Welcome.....

 

[Elijah]

The click sounds like the birfield, and for the 'thunk' that you're experiencing some have had success by greasing the drivelines. The zerk fitting that is actually on the drive line, you do not want to overgrease these though. In the FAQ there is a nice write up on driveline maintenance by IdahoDoug.

 

[Romer]

There is a land Cruiser club in chicago that you might be able to get some local support from. Scroll down to the club area on the main page.

 

[chitown40]

Brian --

There are a bunch of us here in the Chicago area. I'm in the north side of the city and could probably help you with some of your 80 issues. If you're in the burbs there are guys scattered around in the north, northwest, west, and south suburbs. Post up some pics, tell us where you're at, and we'll see if we can help you out. We are also getting together next Saturday at Gumby's shop for slider-build part II. All the info is in the Windy City Cruisers club forum. Like Romer said, scroll down towards the bottom of the page on the main forum list screen.

The clicking is most likely your birfield (CV) joints. The clunking is probably a u-joint or a slip-yoke on your drive shaft. Rather than use the grease zirk on the shaft, it's better to pull the shaft, separate it, clean it, and re-grease it by hand. Plus you can better inspect the u-joints full range of motion when it's disconnected.

Good luck.

Rob

 

[ChandaraC]

thanks for the help guys ive been reading up on the birfield and taking it out to clean and regrease seems pretty straight forward. i'll probably do that this weekend also. going to look up more info on the u-joints when i get home from work tonite. thanks again

 

[EricG]

thanks for the help guys ive been reading up on the birfield and taking it out to clean and regrease seems pretty straight forward. i'll probably do that this weekend also. going to look up more info on the u-joints when i get home from work tonite. thanks again

If your birfields are clicking, they are worn - simply repacking them likely won't help. Swapping sides has helped some folks - wears it on the other face, which makes more sense when you actually see it. But the real fix is new birfields. The job takes some prep time to get the new seals, parts, etc. You should check out the recent FAQ on diagnosing front end issues and consider replacing trunnion and wheel bearings while you're in there.

Welcome, and good luck.

 

[Hoppa]

Another Newb with Clicking Noise

I'm in a similar situation to ChandaraC. Just purchased a 1994 Lancruiser here in Minnesota with 154K (not locked). I have a clicking noise that a local mechanic diagnosed as an "axle issue" that's he says is not a big deal. I only hear it when it's cold in the morning and then the sound disappears.

Other than that, I have to figure out how to fix the cold idle (1,800 rpms) which I found the thread for but considering I'm at the 1-banana level, I need to give it a little more thought before I try to tackle it.

You probably won't see many posts from me but I definitely appreciate the wealth of information you folks provide here. Funny how these vehicles get under your skin (and I've only been at this for about a month!)