Looking for US part sources

[ddubkram]

Hello,

I am new here. This forum seems to be a wealth of information, and I am very relieved to have found it!

I recently purchased a JDM 1991 Masterace Surf Supertouring van. It has the 2CT diesel engine, 4WD, 5 speed. I am looking for direction on a good source for simple parts in the US for this van such as oil filters, timing belts, and other wear affected parts. Does anyone know of anywhere domestic to buy these items? I have found sites such as megazip that sell from Japan or UAE, but shipping is more than the actual parts. I have also found parts on Alibaba, but if the fit is bad or the part is wrong, I fear having a carton of useless oil filters in the garage.

I have also just discovered a bad/ split outboard boot on the front right side CV axle with some grease splattered on the wheel well. I saw a previous thread in which the boot was replaced, but I am getting some wheel play at low speeds, so I fear it is time for a new axle. Does anyone have experience with having a front axle replaced?

I apologize if these issues were addressed in previous threads.

Thank you in advance,
Mark

[oli larsen]

I can't vouch for the USA but I get my filters direct from amazon. they stock Blue Print parts which in my opinion and experience are up to standard and very well priced!hope that helps a bit?
as for the cv boot, just pull the hub and change the cv, they are pretty cheap and not that hard to do once you get the hang of them. the trickiest part is the little locating ring that snaps into the groove. the cv has a taper that in theory should compress it as it goes on. in my experience however it often damages the ring. back in my Honda tuning days I used to go through cv's like wildfire and got very frustrated with the little ring. I found out that if I put a smallish cable tie around it and did it up tight it would compress the ring, then id slide the cv up the splines until it was gently touching it, then give it a tap with a nylon/rubber mallet. it saved me heaps of time. the play will be from the wheel bearing though.
just have a look at the state of it when you pull the hub, listen for any rumbling and other noises. if its noisy replace it. if its just has a little play often clean and an adjustment will suffice! but then again if your doing the cv may as well do the bearing too!

[ddubkram]

Thank you, Oli!

I found an older post with Fram and NAPA oil filter part numbers listed. Unfortunately, I found this after ordering one off of Ebay for a bit too much money. Live and learn.

I found that NAPA offers a re-manufactured CV for $61.14. There is a core fee of $111.11 that I think I will eat because I would like to see if I can clean, repair, and re-boot the existing CV to use in the future in case another one goes and NAPA stops selling these things. NAPA website says this is a fit for a 1989 4x4 Toyota Van (last year of US market), and hopefully it will fit the Masterace. From what I have seen, these parts should be interchangeable. The NAPA part number is NMD 954151


I hope this item actually exists. Some of the pricing I have seen for replacement CV's for this van had me pretty fearful ($400-$970).

[oli larsen]

Thats an insane amount of money. I was looking at some last night oddly.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OUTER-CV-JOINT-27X60X26-FOR-TOYOTA-TOWNACE-1986-1999-OEM-43460-29057/122202593965?hash=item1c73d79aad:g:m3gAAOSwal5YE80 N
seem readily available.
as far as I'm aware nothing much changed in the drive train on all the true 4x4 townaces from inception to their demise in 96.
not entirely sure about the Noahs but they don't really count!

[ddubkram]

Thanks again Oli,

I saw those outer CV joints on Ebay UK. I was looking at the pdf of the 87 van manual that is floating around this site. It has a warning not to disassemble the outboard joint on page FA-64# 6. I am not sure if this is a boilerplate warning for liability, or if there is a risk of damage?

I am going to have to do something creative here. Turns out the NAPA part is non-existent. I got my hopes waaay up when I got an email from NAPA with the subject "we got your order". I thought it meant the part is in, and ready to be picked up. I called the store to check if the part was there, and the guy said there is no such part anywhere- the part pretty much does not exist. "We got your order" means your request was submitted; not your part is existent, and physically here.

[oli larsen]

you can take a cv apart and clean it. however they wear in a very specific way so you'd need to get each ball back in its part of the race an then match that to the outer as well, and the inner! its also a semi interference fit so takes a bit of force to get it back in. you have to force it past its normal working angle and turn it. the best way is to remove the boot, sit it on the bench and start by wiping the old grease away, turn it a little more and keep doing it. once its fairly clean spray it out with some degreaser or solvent. when its dry and clean repack it with grease, put a new boot on and off you go. if however theres any damage to the bearings or race then its junk. look for chips or cracks in the race, irregularities in the ball bearings, as in colour or scratches etc. they have a hard chrome coating so if you can see other gold like colours or greys they are junk.
if your still driving it try turning under load. this is when you normally hear a whirring clicking noise. you will need it in 4x4 for this but its hard to tell as the wheel will try and unwind on full lock as the hubs will be locked if your in 4x4.

[ddubkram]

Man. I'd hate to take the whole thing off to discover it is junk. I have a feeling it is. The partial replacement sounds like it is beyond what my patience, mechanical knowledge, and free time can deal with, and beyond what I'm willing to pay someone else to deal with.

The only reason I looked under the van was that i started getting a loose feeling in the steering wheel at low speed. It was making some whining/ whirring noises when I would crank the wheel at low speed, but with this being a new to me van, I attributed the sound to something that comes with a cab over design: ie extra linkages to connect the steering back to behind the steering wheel, and the fact that I am now sitting directly above the wheels allowing me to "hear the steering happen."

I have no idea how long I'd been driving on a torn boot before I felt a shimmy and looked under the van to inspect. One thing that is vexing me is why this is affecting the ride in 2wd. I have the aisin manual hubs that are always set to "free" unless I'm about to engage 4wd (haven't yet had the opportunity to do that for much beyond making sure 4wd works).

When I raised the front driver (right) side on a jack, there is no loose play that can be felt in the wheel. The manual hub engages and disengages properly. I would think that unless there is damage to the axel, this issue wouldn't become apparent until the hubs are locked, and the axel comes into play.

I may go the expensive route and order up a whole new axel. If the old one isn't toast I may be able to re boot it, and keep it in the rafters for when the next one goes.

[llamavan]

It was making some whining/ whirring noises when I would crank the wheel at low speed

Regarding that issue, did you check the PS fluid level?

Gwen

[oli larsen]

ok so the cv won't cause play in the hub. the wheel bearing is the part that joins the stub axle to the hub. if your worried about the cv joint jack the car up so that wheel is free. the drive shaft will move in and out of the cv, thats normal as it needs to during the ark of the wheels movement. but hold the wheel still, reach in and try and move the driveshaft up and down, and still holding the wheel try turning the driveshaft back and forwards. if theres any odd movement and noise it may have had it.
next turn the wheel by hand and listen for clicking noises, try different steering locks while turning it.
I think maybe you are being a bit over cautious about this.
The fact you can feel it in 2wd lends me to thinking it has nothing to do with the cv. when the hub is free its not doing very much! as I said before you tend to notice them going under load and full lock.
The steering does feel a bit odd at times as you say as you are sat over it. as mentioned by the there guy definitely worth checking the power steering levels. it will make a whirring noise when you hold it on full lock too! and you feel a springy sort of light resistance when you get there!