FJ40Jim,
Can you explain the difference with the 80 series steering a bit more in detail? They have no springs at all? Are there any good links that explain these differences and the conversion? Thanks.
Question about steering.
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FJ40Jim,
Can you explain the difference with the 80 series steering a bit more in detail? They have no springs at all? Are there any good links that explain these differences and the conversion? Thanks.
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All tierod ends have some sort of spring in them. A conventional end has a belleville spring inside it which allows the rod end to absorb some road shock.
The reason to go to the 80 series rod ends is because they are noticeably larger & stronger.
The reason to go to the 80 series rod ends is because they are noticeably larger & stronger.
I'm going to hijack for a moment on this thread. What do you do with a wandering 60 that has new wheel bearings, new knuckle bearings, new tierod ends and draglink ends. All done properly and in spec.
I set the toe in myself, thought I had it good, but it still wanders and pulls all over hell, and the outside of the front tires are cupping badly.
Is my alignment off, or are my 221000 mile springs so flat and worn that caster and tracking are going to be crap anyways.
I set the toe in myself, thought I had it good, but it still wanders and pulls all over hell, and the outside of the front tires are cupping badly.
Is my alignment off, or are my 221000 mile springs so flat and worn that caster and tracking are going to be crap anyways.
The answer, in your own words, "the front tires are cupping badly". You have bad alignment.
inkpot
SILVER Star
Howdy! You may need to replace the knuckle bearings. When I changed mine, they had obvious wear on the races in the straight ahead position. Not hard to beliceve since 90% of my driving is straight. John
Knuckle bearings have been replaced. Hmmmmm
inkpot
SILVER Star
Howdy! Well, in that case, disregard. Have you got an aftermarket steering stabilizer that is hitting the front diff? I saw one on an FJ40 that was setup that way. (Just another guess, I guess?) John
Nooo nothing like that.
If your tires are older than your front-end rebuild than they may have already been cupped. Once a tire is cupped it will continue to cup further, it will not "un-cup". If you have too much toe-in that could be causing the problems as well. You only want about 1/8".
Also possible, but less likely: your spring hanger and shackle bushings can be worn so badly that it would effect the steering play, a cracked or otherwise damaged leaf could also be a cause. Remember your pushing against the bushings/leafs when you steer because these are the only things locating the axle laterally.
You want to check all this first, before you start shimming in caster, because adding a butt-load of caster will hide all the other problems you might be having as well as wear everything out sooner due to excessive steering effort put on the system.
Also possible, but less likely: your spring hanger and shackle bushings can be worn so badly that it would effect the steering play, a cracked or otherwise damaged leaf could also be a cause. Remember your pushing against the bushings/leafs when you steer because these are the only things locating the axle laterally.
You want to check all this first, before you start shimming in caster, because adding a butt-load of caster will hide all the other problems you might be having as well as wear everything out sooner due to excessive steering effort put on the system.
VERY novice question but I'll ask anyway. How much affect does the shims under the steering arms influence the steering?
My steering has developed a nasty wander around 80km/h...
ALL tyres are new, same pressures. Knuckles are good as far as I know. Last time I did my LH knuckle the top bearing race came out VERY easily, could this be a drama?
My steering has developed a nasty wander around 80km/h...
ALL tyres are new, same pressures. Knuckles are good as far as I know. Last time I did my LH knuckle the top bearing race came out VERY easily, could this be a drama?
The shims perform 2 functions, one is to center the knuckle on the axle so the inner axle is centered on the inner axle seal, the other is to provide the bearing preload for the trunion bearings. The centered axle shouldn't mess with your steering much, inner axle seals may give out sooner though. If you have too many shims and the trunion bearings are loose it could act like the bearings are wore out and could cause handling issues. If you jack up the front tire and grab it top and bottom and see if there is any play. If there is make sure the play isn't isn't your wheel bearings, that could cause problems too.
