toyota axle housings

[stuftmunky2k]

well tearing into the front axle of the rig for some maintenance found a few things interesting seeing if anybody could give a little insight. Axles are regular mini truck, but anyways found my longfield on driver side pretty much useless has no movement left in the joint at all, pretty much have to beat it with a hammer to get it to move and was a hell of a job to get the shaft out. The thing that concerns me is I replaced the inner axle seal this past summer it was worn like an oval towards the top side. Tore the axle apart this time same thing, knuckle filled with oil and seal worn all to hell on the top side. Im pondering the fact that the housing might be a little bent but have no clue on how to check it for straightness. The axle has six shooter knuckles and the drive side did feel a little loose like it need a shim taken out but how can this happen when its ran for couple years with no issue and now all the sudden the front axle hates me and life. I understand if the knuckle somehow worked loose then it would throw everything out of whack. Don't want to throw bunch of money at a problem if its just the housing bent. any insight on what you might think or how to check the housing for straightness would be much appreciated. the housing also has an upper and lower truss so really the only thing could be that the ball might be bent up?

 

[TBItoy]

If it's wearing on the top of the seal, I'd bet your lower trunnion bearing is wore out and/or the knuckle is shimmed wrong.

 

[MtnGoat]

Huh...

This concerns me.... Axles are regular mini truck, but anyways found my longfield on driver side pretty much useless has no movement left in the joint at all, pretty much have to beat it with a hammer to get it to move and was a hell of a job to get the shaft out.

It honestly sounds like to me something is bent...Your turnions would have to be about to fall out to create the condition you spoke of.. (Pretty sure you could tell it but I have seen stranger things). The say even shim top and bottom to keep the alignment good (given that it is correct in the first place....lots of tolerance stack ups to calculate so...I don't by that theory 100%).

Anyways you mentioned that you have upper and lower axle trusses...so the axle housing itself, unless you just beat the hound out of it is probably OK...on the other hand I would wonder if you didn't somehow bend the knuckle ball on the housing???? they are pretty weak in this area and over time they fatigue.

In ways to check it....hmmm it almost seems impossible to do in just the normal mans shop. Almost need a CMM or a way to check the concentricity between them in a automated way. If I think of something I will get back with you...

In the meantime keep us posted.

 

[Neal3000]

If it's wearing on the top of the seal, I'd bet your lower trunnion bearing is wore out and/or the knuckle is shimmed wrong.

I had a similar problem but it was a bent housing

 

[stuftmunky2k]

ya I grabbed a spare shaft from a buddy it ended up sliding in and out but there isn't a third member in it. The longfield birf is just swelled up. Ya been thinking the knuckle ball might be tweeked up a little since the axle tubes have the upper and lower truss. But then again don't want to go out on a limb and buy a aftermarket housing to not know if its bent or not. But on the other hand don't want to put new shafts in the front and the same thing happen. Was looking at where my bump stop is that I was running, its the poly style bump stop like the giant pointed style and I ended up hitting it with enough force to blow out the poly. so don't know if it hit hard enough to tweek it don't remember slamming the front end down that hard but hard telling. Get enough silver bullets in me anything is possible. just weird ran one year was fine when I tore it apart last winter then started getting progressively worse everytime I inspected the front. So im at the point do I spend the 600+ on rcvs and try my luck re shim knuckles start fresh. Or drop the coin on a diamond axle housing be done with it. But whats killing me is by the time I put a different housing in the front im at the price of tons. The rear housing is damn near junk, two lower bolts always break, and ive cracked up underneath where the third member is to the point were I had to plate it. the housing was shaved by someone at some point to where I cant run bolts threw the housing. Pics below are of rear housing crack from this past summer.

 

[TBItoy]

All toyota housings are bent after being wheeled, it just the amount of bend before it starts causing problems.

I've had to slit and weld the bottom tube of my front axle housing to get the inner shaft out....
Broke knuckle ball completely off the housing
Spit the 3rd member damn near out of a rear housing,
Etc.

I had a similar problem but it was a bent housing

I just thought it was odd that it's wearing out the top of the seal no telling how those little sheetmetal housings are tweaked around though.

 

[stuftmunky2k]

Heres a pic of how the front trusses and bump stops are set up

 

[MtnGoat]

99% sure it's bent...

I slept on it last night and remembered how we could easily tell when we thought we had bent a rear one.

Ended up being a banana. If you mount it all back together minus axles to save time, mount wheels and tires, disconnect it from links, set it on the floor..... Have someone turn it 180 the entire housing. You should be able to tell visually if she is bent.

I know when we did the rear axle this way it was like a bananna. (It kept blow rear axle seals)... You should be able to do the front the same way if it don't rotate true you will see the bend and somewhat fill it.

 

[MtnGoat]

Oh yeah tons always sound great till you pop the hood...imo just to heavy for a 22 to handle :****:

 

[stuftmunky2k]

ya tons is way to much for this turd of a motor. if I went tons id have to swap bigger motor then bigger tcases the list goes on at that rate mind as well build a new rig.

 

[Toddy]

Slide a axle in it without the birfield. Move it around and see if it touches housing. Up down left right. I bet it touches top and not bottom. I bet wo h that short truss it's bent up on long side. If it is I'd prob go with the TG housing and gusset the **** out of it.

 

[stuftmunky2k]

gonna check it out waiting on a price quote from diamond axle on a housing. Not trying to bash trail-gear but been rubbed the wrong way to many times from them. Wish ruffstuff specialties had the knuckle balls available for there housings, not a big fan of cutting mine off and trying to reuse them. If all else fails take it out back and set it ablaze. But the way the weather has been here in ten. doesn't look like much wheeling anytime soon.