OK, I feel like my mechanic failed me.

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So what happens if you just let the birfs "click" and drive it? Is it gonna blow apart on the highway? What do those guys in the Middle East do? Do you think they repack their birfs every 60K mi?
 
Provided they've got fresh grease, they'll run for hundreds of thousands of miles on the road like that. But if you wheel heavily, have lockers, have oversize tires, have a turbo, or have lower gears there's an increased likelyhood of eventually breaking one. If you've got ALL these factors, you're gonna waste one eventually.

As for the guys in the Middle East, I'd be willing to bet their LC's are properly maintained whether they're owned by sultans or multinational mining companies. We here in the US are the poster children for poor maintanance practices on our vehicles and I'm sure a study of LC maintenance practices would show the same ratio. A disabled vehicle on the way to Nordstrom's is annoying. A disabled vehicle in the desert can kill you before the day is over.

DougM
 
yes as long as you can stand the noise jim, i suspect you can run on properly greased but clicking birfs for a very long time. Speaking from personal experience you can only stand the clicking for a very short time. others are more patient.

guys in the middle east who really abuse their 80s most likely have the cheaper part time 4wd models and don't need to fret their low use birfs. I agree with Doug that others will do it at 60k intervals. the mining companies are so fastidious about it that someone took the time to invent a self greasing birf for the mine trucks.
 
IdahoDoug said:
As for the guys in the Middle East, I'd be willing to bet their LC's are properly maintained whether they're owned by sultans or multinational mining companies. DougM


When you contemplate the quantity of funds at the disposal of these individuals you would have to believe those rigs are overmaintained. Wish I had a couple oil wells. :D
 
You'd think, but not always the case. Hope I don't offend any Muslims with this story. A grad school prof had a job in the Middle East that required him to be in and around the desert and remote areas frequently. As a Westerner, he had a driver and LandCruiser assigned to him. One day, they were traveling across a particularly remote area and it was a very hot day. The truck was having a problem starting due to a weak battery. They both had to stop to pee in a sandy wash off the tiny track, and when they did the local driver shut off the truck. Alarmed, the prof asked him what the he** he had shut the car off for when he knew full well the battery was weak??! The reply gave him some insight into cultural/religious differences (that day's topic). "If Allah wills it, the truck will start again." Completely unruffled, the guy got out to pee and walked around stretching. The truck barely turned over and caught with a cough...

DougM
 
Doug,

LMAO................................... :grinpimp:

It is amazing the difference in views held by others.
 
IdahoDoug said:
You'd think, but not always the case. Hope I don't offend any Muslims with this story. A grad school prof had a job in the Middle East that required him to be in and around the desert and remote areas frequently. As a Westerner, he had a driver and LandCruiser assigned to him. One day, they were traveling across a particularly remote area and it was a very hot day. The truck was having a problem starting due to a weak battery. They both had to stop to pee in a sandy wash off the tiny track, and when they did the local driver shut off the truck. Alarmed, the prof asked him what the he** he had shut the car off for when he knew full well the battery was weak??! The reply gave him some insight into cultural/religious differences (that day's topic). "If Allah wills it, the truck will start again." Completely unruffled, the guy got out to pee and walked around stretching. The truck barely turned over and caught with a cough...

DougM

the need you felt to apologize just in case to muslims for telling a true story illustrates the self fulfilling dangers of political correctness. By itself telling a true story could not offend any reasonable muslim, but by adding that caveat you suggest you might think it would, which then begs the question why? So now you've opened up a can of worms Doug. What made you think it might be offensive? Do you think the driver's islamic beliefs are crazy? :D :grinpimp: .
 
<------ *see pic of improperly maintained birf*

You don't have to be hardcore wheeling to destroy a birf (although that does up the odds)
mine went while in hi range, unlocked center and F/R diffs, backing up in gravel......

bad knuckle gaskets allowed H2O into the empty housing that the failed axle seals let diff oil wash the grease out of. The following rust caused the issue...

If one goes and you don't have the center diff lock switch you are driving NOWHERE...

BTW: knuckle bearings made a noticable difference in the higway driving of my 160K 80...
the bearings were literally melted...

knuckle bearing melte 1d.JPG
knuckle bearing melted 2.JPG
 
BTW: I don't think you mentioned if your vibration problem went away or not.

I'm assuming it didn't because of your *dissapointment*, but is it fixed?
 
yeah it did. I forgot to tell you guys that 65 K miles ago, I replaced the inner and outer wheel bearings, steering knuckle bearings, new axle oil seals, and I believe the birf were cleaned and repacked with grease. So yeah, it feels tight, no vibration in the steering. TO test, I came to a stop sign, cranked the wheel left to turn left and gunned it. No problems.

I just wished he has done the steering knuckle bearings too because he was already in there. He mentioned not needing it and that it is PITA because of the shims. Obviously, he doesn't know you aren't supposed to fawk with the shims EVER!!!

Other than that I just want to buy sway bar bushing replacements or the bars as well if need be because with my new (2 years old) coil springs and shocks from OME that are just standard replacement height...maybe 1/2 inch at that, my rig still is soft like jelly from side to side, feels like I am going roll off the ramp sometimes.

Secondly, I want to replace the rubber bushing for the steering arm rod because it is squashed and partially ripped. Is that hard to do? Looks like just a pin.

Finally, find and fix a oil leak which is all over one side of the front axle, cake on in the front of the block near the front main oil seal, and also wet near the where the oil pan and the rear main oil seal meet. Ideas?
 
Klunky,

Doug sed "Provided they've got fresh grease, they'll run for hundreds of....."

On the Muslim thing - guilty as charged, but feel this community is worth taking the extra steps not to offend since people can't hear how the story's told, inflections, laughs, etc via typing. I'm generally known to be extremely un-PC.

DougM
 

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