Real time knuckle rebuild questions

[Roberto]

What have I gotten in to? Can someone tell me the order of gaskets on the inside portion of knuckle for late model FJ/BJ40? my kit did not come with the spit metal retainer piece that is in the very inside so I have to piurchase that now. after that I put big felt piece, then rubber piece then paper gasket, that does it for the inside of knuckle? And how about the metal shims on top and bottom of knuckles? how important are those since I did not think they mattered much and tossed them? we pretty much have them all together and I am hoping we did it right for my manual was not really precise?

R

 

[Cruiserdrew]

All of that's a problem.

Order from the back of the knuckle: Metal ring, rubber ring, felt ring, metal keepers.


The shims set both the preload tension on the bearings (hugely important) and center the axle. This matters too, and if it's off, your oil seals will not last.


I'm going to say what you don't want to hear: You need to tear it down again.

 

[Poser]

What have I gotten in to? Can someone tell me the order of gaskets on the inside portion of knuckle for late model FJ/BJ40? my kit did not come with the spit metal retainer piece that is in the very inside so I have to piurchase that now. after that I put big felt piece, then rubber piece then paper gasket, that does it for the inside of knuckle? And how about the metal shims on top and bottom of knuckles? how important are those since I did not think they mattered much and tossed them? we pretty much have them all together and I am hoping we did it right for my manual was not really precise?

R

Wow.


No really, wow.


Drew nailed the shims....





The amount of knuckle threads/questions out here is astonishing to begin with. The information on a successful rebuild is clearly described in a factory Chassis and Body manual, along with the NUMEROUS threads out here in the Frequently Asked Question section at the top of the thread topic area.


You really discarded things arbitrarily, thinking that they do not matter?


The one-piece split metal ring that is installed on the inner rear side of the knuckle is not available separate from Toyota. If yours are reusable and not pitted severely, then I would use them. If not, your cheapest alternative, other than someone giving you them for free, would be to purchase the minor knuckle service kit; 43204-60020.



Good luck.

 

[Roberto]

yeah figured as much, oh well, live and learn right? At least I am getting more comfortable with this thing. I bought my knuckle rebuild kit from Cruiseroutfitters and it came with a bunch of the metal shims for top and bottoms of knuckles, so how do I know how many to put where? I just went through the FAQ's and read up on the seals dilemma, When we were putting these together today I was going between TOYODIY.com and my manual and they show diff numbers of shims then each other?

R

 

[Poser]

Typically, you do not replace the shims. You only change/supplement the OEM pack if the knuckle bearing pre-load is not correct.


Do you know/remember how many were on top and bottom of each side and their thickness?

If not, a knuckle centering tool will be needed to ensure a non-leaky knuckle; or a lot of luck.

 

[PabloCruise]

My advice, search on knuckle centering tool so you can determine the correct number and thickness of shims.

 

[rusty_tlc]

When I did the mini truck knuckle swap on my FJ40 we didn't have a tool so we did a Kentucky windage method. The seals were leaking within a few thousand miles.
I'm now on round two and have a loaner SST.

Try searching the forums I believe there are a couple of people who "Rent" their tool out.

 

[Roberto]

appreciate it fellas, looks like I will search for a SST and attempt to do it right the 2nd time, I never would have thought those thin shims would amount to some more work down the road shortly? I guess everything is there for reasons, damn!

R

 

[dgangle]

I just went through this. I installed 79 mini front disk parts on my drum brake 75 axle back in '03 or so. I simply used the same shims/combo from the mini set up and the preload was within the FSM specs so I ran with it. A couple years later I had my fill with weeping 90wt from the knuckles and borrowed a centering tool from Lukezero. I was surprised how much off the minitruck shim arrangement was...but with anything that old you never know what a PO had done. The mini stuff had 0.040" top and bottom. After measurement it turned out I needed 0.018" on top and 0.075" on bottom. A seal kit, shims and HD inner axle seals from Marlin all is dry so far.

One piece of advice... you will need an accurate dial/digital micrometer capable of measuring ~7-8" to take the measurements required. & 1/2 job.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

One piece of advice... you will need an accurate dial/digital micrometer capable of measuring ~7-8" to take the measurements required. & 1/2 job.

Yes you do and that caliper is crazy money. The only deal I could find was the 12 inch digital caliper at harbor freight. Even that is about $35. I think I actually bought the 10 inch, which is barely enough, but if you're buying, get the 12 inch.

 

[dgangle]

I found an 8" dial micrometer to be both more than long enough and relatively inexpensive as well. $30 for dial or digital.

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices
or
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47260

 

[orangefj45]

i would definetly opt for the marlin HD inner axle seals since they can put up with more deflection as well as running the axle slightly off-center if you don't have the centering tool.

fwiw, i have some knuckle rebuild manuals at the shop if yoiu need one. they do comenin handy if you don't have the fsm.