wheel bearings, CV axles, shocks

josha · Post by **josha** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:52 pm

I just did alot of work on my 4wd wagon. I'm going to wait untill I drive it for a while befour posting advise on how to go about it, incase I did it wrong. anyway, if you have questions about any of these repairs (especially about how to get the steering knuckles apart) I will check this thread and respond. Over 2 weeks I did: bolth wheel bearings, all bearing oil seals, bolth front axles, front shocks, front sway bar, lower ball joints, front brakes. finnally its over, it was quite a learning experience, frusturating but intresting. regretfully I dident take pictures, for I have no camera.

takza · Post by **takza** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 7:31 am

We need some good writeups......

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:53 am

I have refrained from doing the writeup on my complete front end overhaul because after changing all the parts and getting the toe angle set, there is still clunking in my front end and it pulls hard to the left no matter where the camber is set. I checked the tightness of everything and can't find anything loose while inspecting it.

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:57 pm

If noone minds me asking, how much did you pay for the parts to do a front-end fix? How do you test things like the Sway Bar for wear and stiffness? Can a higher perf replacement for ANYTHING be found? I'd love to have polyurethane bushings, but I can't find our application anywhere.

takza · Post by **takza** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:56 am

3A-C Power wrote: I have refrained from doing the writeup on my complete front end overhaul because after changing all the parts and getting the toe angle set, there is still clunking in my front end and it pulls hard to the left no matter where the camber is set. I checked the tightness of everything and can't find anything loose while inspecting it.

Something has to be loose on the left side? I'd think sway bar.

Maybe the strut?

Maybe your castor or camber is off?

josha · Post by **josha** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:20 pm

I spent about $900 total, including all the new fasteners I used. everythings together and it drives great, slight ticking noise on right side but it tracks perfictly and dosent pull whale breaking, frankly I expected more to be wrong with this being the first time I did most of this stuff and with the amount of stuff I did, basically a new front end. I'll wait another week to see if any problumes pop up befour I do a write up.

I replaced my sway bar becouse I found it had broken where it went through the lower arm when I took the suspention apart, otherwise i wouldent have known. the bearings were sort of the same, when i took everything apart I noticed that the inner oil seal was ripped apart and the bearings were packed with dirt, ended up taking the left bearing apart to find a chip out of the outer race. to be honest I dont know if I would have done this if I had known how much stuff was wrong, just kept finding out one thing after another. Im not sure how you would test the sway bar, at the state mine was in with the rust, just taking it apart would probably nessesitate replacement. the problume is in the ends that go through the lower arm, there is a collor, several plates and a couple rubber bumpers. that sleeve that slides on to the end of the sway bar befour the threads, whale on mine it was not there, there was just layer upon layer of rust. when it all came apart the rubber spacers were disintigrated, the plates were rusted to the bar, and the end of the bar itself had narrowed with rust. so, if its a rust belt car, expect to replace many parts if not all when you take it apart.

as for proformance parts, I dident look. I would have liked to, but this was all unexpected and its my daily driver so i dident have time. however I had enough problumes finding stock parts that proformance parts should be almost impossible, except maby for springs, shocks, breaks.

here's a cost breakdown, U.S$:

front brake pads, ceramic -- 65.00
transaxle oil, pensoil syncromesh -- 27.50
front sway bar, used -- 86.00
CV axles -- 150.00
front strut cartrages -- 92.00
lower ball joint (not nessessary unless damaged)-- 38.50
bearing oil seals, bolth sides -- 60.00
bolth front bearings -- 146.00
bolts and nuts (all stabalizer bar, lower ball joint, brake caliper, tie rod castle nuts, strut support nuts) 30.00
really nice jenuine toyota (only place I could find them) sway bar cusions, retainers, and collers -- 87.00

josha · Post by **josha** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 11:27 pm

3-ac power, maby you should go to a good alignment shop and get an alignment, then if there is still a problume you could ask them what they think. this is what i'm doing, I think the $100 is worth it, they have machines with accuracy that me and my driveway cant come close too. with all the new parts i fugure somethings gotta be out of whack.

dug320 · Post by **dug320** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 12:22 pm

I would check the distances on the outer tie rods. They should be exactly the same distance. The reference point you use should be the same in measuring. The books give where to measure from but as long as you are consistant ...

I too have a mysterious clunking coming from the front end. It is very inconsistant. I am starting to think the UAP front struts or the bearingplate are not an exact fit.
I have noticed that for some reason the strut becomes loose. I have tightened the strut off the car three times.

I am really good at pulling the struts now.