Steering Knuckle Centering?

[Scota4570]

My front drivers' side wheel has about 0.020" play in the camber direction. When driving on the highway it wanders.

According to the manual I need a "Steering Knuckle Centering Gauge Gauge" # 09634-60012 to install new bearings and set up the shims.

I have read that guys just swap in new bearings and leave the shims alone. If I do this I want do do it once. It looks complicated.

Is that factory tool necessary?

 

[pb4ugo]

My front drivers' side wheel has about 0.020" play in the camber direction. When driving on the highway it wanders.

According to the manual I need a "Steering Knuckle Centering Gauge Gauge" # 09634-60012 to install new bearings and set up the shims.

I have read that guys just swap in new bearings and leave the shims alone. If I do this I want do do it once. It looks complicated.

Is that factory tool necessary?

Yes the tool is necessary if you want to be sure the knuckle is centered to the axle housing and most importantly the axle seal. A lot of folks just r & r the bearings because they are considering the factory setup the knuckles correctly or the previous tech kept the shims in their proper place or centered the knuckles during servicing them.
It's not complicated if you have the centering gauge. Its just a greasy mess.
I'm currently doing the same project and swapping to FJ60 knuckles, so I will be centering the knuckles too. The process is to keep the inner axle aligned with the inner seal. You can purchase the double lipped Marlin seal which is more robust than the stk seal and can handle some misalignment. If your not going to use a centering tool, then I would keep the shims where you found them and then adjust the knuckles for proper preload with a fish scale.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

There used to be centering tools floating around Mud but the site got too big and some schmoes basically stole them.

I believe Trail Tailor may still sell an affordable repro that is as good as the original for fine spline trucks.

I just did a full rebuild going to disc brakes. As mentioned, it is not hard but darn messy. Get a full rebuild kit from Cruiser Outfitters or Valley Hybrid. It has all the new bits you need.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Act fast - 2 available

Knuckle Centering Tool

Toyota Land Cruiser 40 55 60 70 Series Properly dial in your front end and eliminate excess wear on seals and axles FSM (factory service manual) directions included Made from 4130 CrMo CNC machined for precision accuracy USA made from domestic materials APPLICATION: 40 Series, 55 Series...

www.trail-tailor.com

 

[POPO AGIE]

When using the centering tool and calculating shims you will need to be patient because the math may not get you there on the first time. You have a limited set of shims. You can start with the shim pack that came from the factory for a base line and go from there. I replaced my original 40 series with 60 series and just started from scratch.

You will also need a torque wrench to torque the knuckle bolts and a fish scale to check the preload once the knuckle bolts are torqued.

 

[miller]

I have one u can use for free. Pay for shipping and put down a deposit. Send pm when ready.

 

[wngrog]

Awful project. I’d rather add shims. Torque it down. Check resistance. Repeat.

I do this 7-10 times a year and I don’t use the tool. It just pisses me off.

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

I have one u can use for free. Pay for shipping and put down a deposit. Send pm when ready.

It would have been awesome if you had started a log sheet of sorts that traveled with that tool to see how many of our rigs it's been used on!

I may have been logged in twice!

 

[dazerb]

I am still grateful for my loaner tool when i did my knuckles 8/22. Sent them back to Utah with a coffee sampler and a gift cert.
hard to send beer through the mail

 

[Scota4570]

Thanks for the kind offers. It looks like a job that I can not reasonably do in my available space. It appears to be a big job the first time attempted. I am hoping to get a call or email back from the only shop that works on old land cruisers in my area. I will add this to the list of repairs.

 

[pb4ugo]

That's your call. Do what your comfortable with. Just an fyi, you can do 1 side at a time.

 

[Scota4570]

Yeah I know, but, I have one car's room of residential garage space. The clothes washer and dryer are in the same space.

With any complex task, the first 100 times are the hardest. I may end up doing it myself though. I know it will not go smoothly for me. IF I was young I would not blink a the challenge. These days, sometimes I find it best to pay someone who has experience.