Spindle bushing wear...OK? (1 Viewer)

[bigCatdiesel]

Well, after my recent birfield post I thought I should get some Mud eyes on my spindle bushings.

I'm in the middle of a birf rebuild on a 94 LC with 270k miles. This is part of my ongoing baselining after buying it last year. No history records but in generally good shape. Not an off-roader and I DD it to work. No lift or armor and has stock tire size.

Are these bushings ok? No Grrrr sounds when I drive. Also, the birf was full of black grease so I assume the PO used moly grease here.

 

[LINUS]

The bushing looks real decent & as long as the outer shafts of both spindles look smooth - reuse those bad boys!

I trashed a spindle due to a dumb move - I ate up the outer shafthe bearings & seal ride on, my brass looked decent too.

So if it looks like pics, the only other to inspect is that shaft where the bearings ride.
If it's smooth & no major scores, then you have alot of life left in them.

 

[bigCatdiesel]

Thanks Linus. The shafts feel smooth with the fingernail. Some discolor in spots but can't feel anything.

John

 

[Tools R Us]

Looks fine, run it!

 

[Joe Link]

Piggybacking on this thread. I didn't have any clicking, grinding, odd sounds, behavior, etc. just servicing the axles proactively at 262k. Upon inspection of my spindles and bushings, I noticed two things which are giving me pause.

1. One of the spindle bushings has wear/grooves on the inside, the other looks perfect. It was loose to the point that it didn't fall out, but I was able to pull it out of the spindle by hand (no tools). I mixed up what came from which side, but both birfs are completely smooth and look identical. Is it ok to run it? How do I put it back in so it's tight?

2. On both spindles there's are grooves where I'm pointing with the pen (you can also see them in the first pic). Is this an issue?