Okay, here's the real question in regards to installing the snap ring:
Can I just use a wood or rawhide mallet and tap the ring in place, just get the open end in place and be gentle?
I'm looking at all these different (cheap) pliers at places like Harbor Freight and I have no idea which one would work, and time is a major issue. The parts are on the way, should be here on Monday, and then I need to get the job done and finish packing, move to Maine.
Any thoughts would be awesome!
mark
Just about any set of (snap ring) pliers will do, as long as they are "normally closed" as you need to expand the clip.
You don't need to spread the clip much, just a little, if the tips are flat it will be easier than if they are round, but they will both work.
Avoid the wood and mallet, once the clip is sprung onto the axle, you can push it into place with your thumbs.
Hammers are best left aside, too easy to inflict damage on unsuspecting things, like threads and fingers.
Also, being a spring, it will resist the hammer and keep popping off causing more frustration.
BB
Lol, I'm spoiled. I went out and bought the pair pictured twenty something years ago for the 1st one of these I did. So I've never had to "make due" or improvise. Nothing like having the right tool, but of course I do this sort of thing for a living...........so it makes sense for me. I realize it wouldn't make sense for most other folks. Always having the right tool isn't always the greatest thing........my wife almost divorced me when I was in my "tool collecting" mode
. Tim
1. Abracadabra: yes. That noise is 4wd only. Well, locked hubs only.
2. Tim: I had that same wife+divorce issue over firearms. I already had the tools when I met her but she couldn't see the rationale for different guns for different jobs. I had to stop buying them. I just couldn't get her to see that a muzzle loading black powder side by side 12 gauge, a break action single shot 12 gauge, a clip fed pump action 12 gauge and a semi-auto 12 gauge was not needless duplicatio, for example.
Arghhh. Har Har Har. It's a pirate's life for me!
86 2wd cargo
89 4wd (now a crumpled mound of parts in the front yard)
96 (3rd Gen) 4Runner Limited
Yeah, wives can be so closed minded at times. Just for grins I went to www.snapon.com and looked-up my pliers. They still sell the exact ones for $55 https://store.snapon.com/Snap-Ring-P...p-P647707.aspx . I think mine were more like $30 back in the day, but $55 still doesn't seem unreasonable (considering how much everything else has gone up). Every time I use them I still get that happy giddy feeling of knowing what a PITA the particular job could be without them
. Tim
I know exactly what you mean. The right tools make all the difference in the world.
Arghhh. Har Har Har. It's a pirate's life for me!
86 2wd cargo
89 4wd (now a crumpled mound of parts in the front yard)
96 (3rd Gen) 4Runner Limited
Well the snap ring and spacers are showing today, and I just picked up a middle of the road set of snap ring pliers, Craftsman, $20, think they'll do the job.
The new noise I heard, which was more metal/scraping noise, had disappeared until I got in the van today to drive to Sears to pick up the pliers. The whole way there I heard the noise, kind of a dragging/scraping sound, only while the van was moving but I can't really tell where its coming from other than front end.
This got me pretty bummed out, we're leaving for a 500 mile trip in a few days.
Of course, when I got back in the van to drive back to the house, the sound was COMPLETELY gone again!
What the heck? I lifted both wheels when I got home, one at a time, and spun/checked for play (just to see, make sure my repack/adjustment was good) and it was all smooth, no play.
I'm hoping that I can replace this snap ring/spacer on the driver side and the sound goes away.....but I haven't heard folks mentioning noise associated with the missing clip, or have they?
I'll update after I do the clip/spacer....
mark
Well now, got the parts in the mail.
Turns out after seeing the spacers and snap ring with my own eyes that I actually removed these when I did the hub overhaul. You see, there was a 3 week lapse in the doing the two sides, the first side I did slowly and it had the snap ring/spacer, and the second side (drivers side) I was sorta rushed. My mom was having all my grandparents over because we weren't going to be out there again before leaving for Maine, and I was trying to get the job done before lunch, kept pushing back the time, didn't want to do anything wrong but in the end I removed this snap ring/spacer thinking it was part of the Auto 4WD hub brake assembly.
So....now I ended up spending $$ on the parts AND the pliers (the wrong ones, they worked but it was a pain) and I never should have had to do it!
I kept the parts I removed from the van originally, so I had the original spacer, put that on, wrestled with the snap ring/pliers (ended using a screwdriver too to get it on) and the axel is now tight and within spec clearance wise.
I was surprised actually at how much the axle could move in/out of the hub without the snap ring/spacer.
I took a little drive with the fam for some dinner, we didn't hear any sounds, but then again the new sound was intermittent so I won't believe its all fixed until I do some real driving, which will happen Thursday, 500 miles to our new little farm in Maine.........
mark
Lol, you must be an honest guy. I consider myself honest.........but I would never admit to something like that. Tim
Well we're in Maine, the van was a real trooper on the way up, 23 MPG fully loaded!
However, the "new" noise was present at low speeds, getting on/off the highway etc.
Once we got unloaded I did some checks on the country roads here.
You know what I found? For whatever reason, this new sound I hear goes away when the drive axles are engaged (hubs in "lock"). Specifically, the passenger side one makes the sound go away when engaged.
This is really kinda hilarious, as I changed out the auto hubs to begin with BECAUSE the passenger side hub wasn't disengaging and the drive axel was turning.
Why would this sound go away with the hubs/axel engaged? I'm just driving with the one engaged, to not hear the noise.
mark
It's gotta be something touching/rubbing between the hub and the axle when disengaged. You got an extra set of hubs, right? try swapping one of them with the noisy one. When you open it up look very closely for shiny spots and or any other indication of contact. Tim
Just ordered all the parts and tools to begin this undertaking. So appreciative of all the info here!
All of the Aisins on eBay are very expensive and pretty beat ($200 for a rebuilt set w/o hardware, ~$130 for individual grimy ones), so I'm going for Warns ($160 brand new) and banking on the lifetime warranty.
I'll try to document the process as I go... and hope to not screw it up!
1987 Toyota Van LE 4WD
1988 Toyota Truck 4WD
1988 BMW M5
I think I am in the same boat. I have a, new to me, 87 manual with the dreaded auto hub set up. after a top end rebuild, I took her on her maiden voyage. aside from the air bubble in the cooling system, everything seemed smooth for a van that sat for a while. There was some slight vibration ,which I attributed to flat spots on the tires. started to get worse. not present while coasting. put it in gear and it really shakes at this point. Heading home I decided to try the 4WD. find some mud and engage the lever. Indicator light comes on. No 4WD. try lo range to no avail. It did drop into lo gear, just no front engagement. off with the hubs I guess.
Chardog - I would suspect you have (at least) 2 problems going on.
From what you describe, your vibration is ever present, I would be looking at the back end, verifying oil in the diff and checking the rear propeller shaft/U-joints specifically.
Fr auto hubs are likely toast but as long as they aren't keeping the fr axles engaged they won't cause you any more grief than not having 4WD accessible.
Your right about the u joints. I went to move it last night and it did the same thing. I pulled up on to a curb, so I could see whats up. Sure enough the rear joint is trashed. I remember checking it out when I bought the van last fall but, I must have failed to notice or else it was so worn that it broke loose during the test drive I took when I first put it back together. Either way, easy fix, so I am happy as a clam.or maybe i'm just bananas.
I am still confronted with the fact that the POS auto hubs dont work. I use the 4WD alot this time of year, mud season, so its important that I get this fixed soon. at least its not the daily driver. I Will start checking e bay for some ASIN manual lock hubs. There are a couple of guys across the street who are into the Japanese (ie. right hand drive) Toyota 4WD trucks. I wonder if they might have something? Looks like the same hubs but, who knows?
Thanks all for the collective knowledge
Ok guys, hoping someone can help and I figured I'd try and hijack this thread instead of starting a new one. It is with much resignation that I've come to believe that my rear driver's side wheel bearing is on it's way out. It's a constant "whirring?" sound that only seems to be getting more pronounced and concerning. I was hoping it was coming from my rear drums, which needed attention anyways but weren't the cause of the noise. Then I was hoping my rear diff fluid was low (it wasn't, plus the fluid in there is less than 2 years old), and finally, with my dad rolling around in the back of the van, he was able to narrow the noise down to the rear driver's side wheel.
I've found the relevant section in the FSM, and oh boy do none of these steps sound fun. Remove brake return spring (grr), disconnect the brake line (not difficult I know, but I've had to bleed the brakes 4 times in as many months for various reasons), and THEN the fun stuff happens. Per the FSM, I am then supposed to take a grinder to the bearing inner retainer before attacking it with a hammer and chisel. THEN, for the replacement bearing inner retainer, it says I am supposed to "heat the bearing inner retainer to about 302° in an oil bath," then use a press on this part while still hot. Seriously??
I lack a press, so parts of this job were going to be outsourced anyways, and I imagine the machine shop wouldn't scoff at using an "oil bath." I've looked online for hours, and haven't been able to find anything useful in regards to a DIY solution. Has anyone tackled this job before and know of any tips? Alternatively, might this be one of those jobs where its just a better idea to pull the axles out myself, drop them off at a shop with all new Toyota parts, and let them figure it out?
Here's a couple of threads where we've had that discussion:
http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...wheel-bearings
http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...-bearing-parts
Thanks Tim, not sure how I missed both of those threads but they had exactly the information I needed. I may be psyching myself out but this job feels a little outside my comfort zone, I'm just going to pull both of the axles and bring my bag of new parts to the machine shop and let them sort it out. Hopefully that and some fresh diff fluid get rid of this noise in my rear end
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