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1997 HDJ81 - Front Axle

G

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Hiyall,
Had a few problems with the front axle in the past, came to a head
recently where I had to
Replace the n/s Hub assembly. The swivel joint had a bit of surface rust
but this came off easily with a bit of emery cloth.
Knackered bearings/seals etc where found.due to ingress of Mud
(Salisbury Plain), Water (River Piddle) and
Sand from the Sahara (Libya). Several Hundred quid later.All sorted, or
so I thought until oil started seeping out of the n/s knuckle seal.
Originally this area was packed with grease but was told this should be
oil, so was refilled with oil.
Is this right ? Can I repack with grease ? Believe the swivel/knuckle
seal can be adjusted slightly.
The surface of the Knuckle still seems smooth-ish but have been told
that a good idea would be to Chrome or Nickel Plate the Swivel/Knuckle
surfaces like they do to Landrover ones.. Toyota part is not an option
yet due to costs!!
May need a donor Axle.Anybody got one ?
Rgds
Trevor Green
 
It should be grease and it sounds as if you have cheap axle seals. The
oil from the diff housing leaks past the seals and contaminates the
grease in the CV joint. You can get a kit for doing this from Milner
but don't use the seals. Only Toyota genuine ones are good enough.
Maybe your repairer made this mistake.
Regards, Clive.
 
Hi Tevor,
Sorry, for the bad news, but......
The steering knuckles are NOT supposed to have oil in them - the
knuckle contains the CV and they are supposed to be packed with a
Molybendum based grease. (I don't actually know of any 4x4s with
steering knuckles like the 80s that are supposed to have oil in them as
opposed to grease)
You can occasionally get oil weeping out of your steering knuckle, but
this is down to the inner axle seal failing resulting in the diff oil
flushing out the knuckle - in this instance you again need to do a full
strip down of the knuckle replacing the seals and repacking with
grease. The main cause of the inner axle seals going is either blocked
breathers or worn CVs.
If the garage working on the car hasn't put grease in then I suggest
you get round there in the morning and demand they do the job properly
- they will need to strip down the knuckle, clean out the oil and then
pack about 2/3rds full of grease.
They will also probably need to pull apart the CV joint and clean it
out and make sure that it is packed with grease as well.
As for the actual condition of the knuckle, it can get pitted from rust
if the grease levels get too low - I usually just sand it down so that
it is reasonably smooth and then treat it with something like Krust to
stop it rusting further. Once the knuckle has been repacked with
grease the grease will keep the knuckle protected.
To be honest I would be seriously concerned over a garage that cann
make a fundamental mistake and would be more inclined to get them to
agree to pay for someone else to do the job properly.
To give you the idea of costs to do both knuckles:
?50 for seals (full kit from Milners and two inner axle seals from
Toyota)
About ?40 to replace the front wheel bearings
About ?35 for knuckle swivel bearings
?80 per CV.
About 10-20 for replacing worn wheel bearing nuts, rags, degreaser,
etc.
Overall a professional business should be able to do it in about
4-6hours - I can do it in about 4 hours flat out, but take longer when
'trainng' others.
If you have any questions, give me a call in the morning.
--
Regards,
Julian Voelcker
Mobile: 07971 540362
Skype: julianvoelcker
Cirencester, United Kingdom
1994 HDJ80, 2.5" OME Lift
 
Julian,
The classic Range Rover had oil in the swivel housings. I had a
73 one (I think) and it was oil.
Regards, Clive.
 
Hi Clive,
Did the oil stay in there for long?
--
Regards,
Julian Voelcker
Mobile: 07971 540362
Skype: julianvoelcker
Cirencester, United Kingdom
1994 HDJ80, 2.5" OME Lift
 
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The surface of the Knuckle still seems smooth-ish but have been told that a
good idea would be to Chrome or Nickel Plate the Swivel/Knuckle surfaces
like they do to Landrover ones.. Toyota part is not an option yet due to
costs!!


Trevor,

I concur with Julian on the surface, the bright plating of a Landrover would
be difficult to replicate anyway, I think your knuckles are welded onto the
axle while the LR knucle ends are bolted on? That aside once you had them
chrome plated (perhaps the whole axle!! BLING gone mad=94), the surface would
still be as pitted as before, just smoother around the pits and shiny.


Malcolm Bagley
Stafford, UK
1975 FJ45 Pickup (in work)
1976 FJ45 Pickup (next one)
_______________________________


The surface of the Knuckle still seems smooth-ish but have been told that a
good idea would be to Chrome or Nickel Plate the Swivel/Knuckle surfaces
like they do to Landrover ones.. Toyota part is not an option yet due to
costs!!

May need a donor Axle=85Anybody got one ?


Rgds
Trevor Green
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