Bizarre clonk / jolt from the front end of Fiery!!!

[sae70]

So today I've called 21 specialist 4x4 breakers up & down the country (good old Google) but not a sniff of a diff

I'm going to get my name down on as many free part finder sites as I can this evening but in the mean time I'm starting to consider removing the front prop, front axle housing complete with diff & the two front drive shafts so I can get the diff apart for a better look & hopefully still have a usable vehicle

Has anyone run without a front prop, axle & drive shafts Is it doable Or will it drive like a maniac

 

[Bounder]

Can't really run without the diff and driveshafts in place.
The driveshafts hold the hub in place when the hub bolt is tightened.
If you run without them you are just relying on the interference fit of the wheelbearing in the hub to hold your wheel on.
What you could do is remove the front diff, and take the R+P off and refit.
This will allow everything to be torqued up as per normal but no front wheel drive.
You will need to lock the Centre diff.
This will allow you to have a functioning vehicle while you search for a replacement diff.

 

[sae70]

OK that sounds interesting

My only concern with regards removing the pinion is I'd be left with a big hole & so wouldn't be able to have any oil in just to keep whats left of the diff lubed How's about just removing the ring & front prop so I could keep the diff filled with oil, this would give me a chance @ having a look inside to see whats what & give me back a usable tarmac vehicle while I continued my search

Has anyone actually driven a 90 with the front prop removed & the centre diff locked for any length of time

 

[Bounder]

Sorry you are right I meant just take the ring gear off and leave the pinion in place.
Drop the prop and leave it off. Easy job 8 bolts and a bit of a tap with a hammer and it'll drop off.
Keep it filled with oil and you will be fine.
I drove mine for a bit like that, and it was different much lighter feel from the steering.

 

[Gav Peter]

I drove Muxley in rear wheel drive mode for a while when my front prop shaft was horsed - he was like a spring chicken compared to four-wheel drive mode!!!

 

[sae70]

OK I've made a start towards removing Fierys front axle housing for a look see

I've got her all jacked up nice & solid, both front wheels off the prop off the three main axle mounting bolts loose & ready to remove and the pipe clip removed from off of the top of the third member

So now what

Is it possible to remove it by.............. You know what I've no idea what to remove next Any suggestions

 

[Chris]

Steve, did you remove the companion flange from the drive shaft input? I found that it was impossible to get the diff out without doing this. Or maybe undoing an engine mount and lifting the engine up anyway.

If you have taken the wheels off etc, it's going to be hard to undo the nut. I think I did mention this. You might need to make a tool. I did in the end. I took some flat steel, ground a half moon out about an inch from the end and then drilled a hole right at the end to take one of the propshaft bolts. You can then hold the flange still whilst you swing like a gibbon on you longest breaker bar.

I have said before that the LWB might be different in this respect, but on the shortie, I tried for over an our to get the thing wiggled past the bell housing.

Chris

 

[Bounder]

My manual says to stick two long bolts through the holes in the flange and tighten with a nut then use a bar through the two bolts with a breaker bar in the opposite direction.
I got my wife to sit in and push the brake. This stopped the wheels turning and I could get purchase on the flange nut.
Remove the front drive shafts by undoing the 4 bolts on the bottom ball joint and swinging the whole hub assembly out and away. Oh don't forget to take the dustcaps off the hub and undo the hub nuts while you have someone in the cab pushing the brake.

 

[Chris]

Bounder - I think he has disconnected the drive train. The brakes won't help him now. You don't need to undo the bottom bolts (which can be an absolute tw@t on an older model) you just pull the long top bolt from the wishbone then you can pop the torpid joint out of the diff with a bar. The bolt idea that you mention is what I made. It's probably a Toyota SST, but I made it from some flat bar after seeing Jon's.

Did you find that you still needed to take the flange off then when you did this - yours is a LWB yes?

 

[Bounder]

No mines a shorty, I followed your advice and took it off before I removed the diff.
I found it handy to have a trolley jack to support the weight of the diff as I removed the bolts.

 

[sae70]

I really must read things before doing things Cause now I've removed the O/S brake calipers in the mean time

I'm not so keen on removing the pinion flange nut to remove the flange as I only want a quick look inside, remove the ring gear & then all back together for some short term 2WD action

I had a look underneath after reading what you wrote Chris & it looks as though the diff should drop with the flange on but then it sounds as though you thought the same thing in the past

OK how to remove the drive shafts I need to get the hub out of the way but need to undo the hub nuts first How do I remove the dust cover

 

[Bounder]

Sharpish cold chisel or screw driver and prise it out enough so you can lever it off.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

If the dust cover is like 80 & 100 dust covers, mole grips just tight enough to twist the cover off saves bashing away at them

 

[Bounder]

The dustcovers are quite big 3.5" dia or so and sit inside the hub with a flare to stop them going in too far.
The only way I could get mine out was to bash away until a gap opened enough to get a big screwdriver in and twist, and worked around the cap.
Different to the 80's I think.

 

[sae70]

OK, so last night went outside & weighed up the options suggested for getting the diff/axle housing out In the end I went with Chris's method of leaving everything as is & just removing the super long bolt from the top wishbone Now you do need to remove the flappy plastic covers that are either side of the upper wishbone when viewed from inside the wheel arch. You can then easily disconnect the ABS sensor wire & un-clip it from on-top of the suspension turret. You also need to remove the battery on the drivers side & a wiring loom clip & a relay from under the battery tray then the drivers side bolt will easily just pull straight out with no effort It's the same on the passenger side, I guess if you have two batteries then you'll need to remove the other battery (I don't so didn't ) but you will need to remove one wiring loom clip a clip for an air con pipe & another relay thing (four 10mm set screws) & again the bolt just pulls straight out with no effort what-so-ever (Oh don't forget the ABS sensor wire on this side as well ). Then with a small lever between the diff housing & each drive shaft (one @ a time ) I just popped them both out & moved them up & clear of the axle housing

Total time for job 30 minuets

Now just need to drop the axle housing

Will post some pictures later

 

[AndyCook]

interesting that bolt removal wasnt that bad
i thought it might get stuck in the bushings and be a pig

I need to remove a CV joint to get at the front diff oil seal soon, so removing that bolt maybe the best way forward, rather than the other way removing the 4x ball-joint bolts

 

[sae70]

Here's some photos

 

[sae70]

Forgot to mention that you need to remove the sprung 'C' clip from the flexi brake pipe to allow it to pull through a little

 

[sae70]

Bought myself a new tool from Halfords the other day It's a 16" 1/2" Breaker Bar & it's just a beautiful little tool, not so long that you can't use while laid under the truck, but long enough to be useful No more banging on the end of my 1/2" ratchet with the palm of my hand until a stubborn bolt gives in Did I mention it's a lovely little tool I've also already managed to get two other uses out of it so far One as a trolley jack handle & also as a lever to free Fierys front diff, that contrary to popular belief wasn't the bugger to get out as expected with the pinion flange on & infact just fell out of place, hitting the floor with a thud

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

So why aren't we looking at pictures of the inside of your diff now?