Messed up 4wd manual hub

[fuquan]

Howdy!

This past winter, or perhaps last fall, my 4WD stopped working. It used to work just fine. And, it was intermittent for a while, but now seems busted (Total drag given the winter we just had in Boston! On the bright side, I don't *need* to drive anywhere).

Here's the deal: When I lock the passenger hub I can still turn the axle on that side by hand. As I rotate that axle I hear a click-click-click sound, which reminds me of the motorcycle noise that kids make by pinning a playing card into the rear bicycle wheel spokes. The driver side hub seems to be working properly, because when I lock it I can't turn the axle at all. Driving with the hubs locked elicits the click-click-click sound from the passenger side. Do these hubs seize up or bust inside? Is it likely my hub that's broken, or could the problem be something more serious? I can not recall any trauma that the van might have been through. I am fairly easy on it.

A couple of times last fall I did manage to get the passenger side to engage by locking and unlocking and driving short distances in a dirt parking lot, but those days seem to be gone.

I am driving an '88 LE with superwinch hubs.

Can anyone advise me on this issue?

[originalkwyjibo]

I'm not real familiar with the Superwinch hubs but it sounds like it may be dirty or gummed up inside. It may need to be disassembled, cleaned, and resealed. I've done this a few times to clean up used stock hubs as well as cleaning mine up after one got gummy and dirty inside from a failed seal. The clicking is likely partial engagement and would be bad for the hub in the long term.

[timsrv]

You won't know what's up until you take it apart, clean it up, and inspect. Quite likely it will be like Original said. If there's damage, it should quickly become obvious what needs to be done. Tim

[fuquan]

I didn't realize how simple these locking hub mechanisms were inside. Once I was able to remove the stripped hex screws that hold the locking hub cap on (by lightly hammering in a torx bit that barely fit the allan hole, as seen on youtube) I found, bumbling around, 1 bolt, 1 large washer, and 1 lock washer (not pictured). I doubt that washer is supposed to be cone-shaped. Without spare metal floating about, hubs lock as directed.

I ordered new superwinch hub screws from Amazon. The new ones are torx, not hex.

[fuquan]

Closely related issue: should the axle come up flush with the inner hub (diagram FA-36 of FSM)? If it were flush, the large washer pictured in my previous post would not be cone shaped. Just a guess, but I don't think the washer came that way. Here's a shot of the axle and inner hub. And yes, that is the lock washer, at left, set itself in between the inner hub and the hub body.
IMG_1105.jpg

[timsrv]

It's been a while since I had one of these torn down, but yeah, I'm pretty sure the axle should come all the way through and that washer should sit flat. If I opened up one of mine and it looked that nasty, i'd be pulling everything apart, cleaning, inspecting, repacking wheel bearings, lubricating, replacing seals & gaskets, etc. With the bent washer issue, I'd also be pulling the axle and checking on the steering knuckle bushings (inner and outer). Heck, due to the service bulletin I'd just replace them (and the needle bearings). When you assemble there's a procedure outlined in the manual (FA-57) to set axle end play. Here's a link to another couple threads where things are discussed in more detail:

http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...nocking-in-4wd

http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...clanking-noise

This ones a little long winded, but it eventually gets around to discussing these issues as well:

http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...74-Wheel-noise

[fuquan]

To attempt to put a temporary bookend on this thread - I'm rather certain that those bolts were not supposed to be in the end of my axles (installed by PO's mechanic). Clue is that they are 13mm (not 12) and look brand new (except the one that got mangled from falling out. At first, I replaced and snugged the 13mm bolt back into the axle and found, upon test driving, that it was actually tightening and locking my axle!! Horrid noise - a course womp-womp-womp. Ouch!! I pulled over, removed the bolt and that did released the axle. I proceeded to remove the 13mm bolt from the DS axle.

Yes, I do have a clattering sound, definitely not a lower pitched "clunk"-like sound. In my process of elimination, and also because it seemed needed, I replaced front stabilizer bar bushings, and then shocks (Gabriel 63612, big improvement from old shot shocks). The clattering has been there for almost a year (I don't drive much). I have concluded, in concert with my mechanic, that my front DS and PS axles have way too much slop. I am rather close to 100% certain that clattering is due to axles bouncing around in worn steering knuckle bushings.

I'm in the process of ordering the bushing and needle bearings. Once I have everything I will replace rotors, pads, repack bearings, replace steering knuckle bushing and install needle bushing.

Tim, the linked threads were super helpful. Thanks, TVTers.