So I decided to throw some new pads n rotors on my 4 runner and when I dug into it I found a few interesting things while in there.

1. The Warn hubs were not fully working, caked w/old hard grease and very stiff, also the bolt/washer that is supposed to be in the end of the axle was rolling around inside the hub on both sides

2. The caliper on the passenger side was siezed up on the inboard side and i just pulled the drivers side to replace both so who knows what that one was like.

3. Both spindle seals were leaking, 1 worse than the other but enough to make a mess.

4. Both rotors shot, glazed over and what looks like reverse gouging, not sure what that was about.

5. Front sway bar loose on the pax side and steering stabilizer was loose too.

So I replaced/fixed all the listed items and gave everything a good look. I didn't find any loose suspension parts like bj's or bushes and absolutely 0 slop anywhere in the IFS. This thing had a serious problem when braking and it was downright SCARY to say the least and i've driven some scary stuff before. Passenger side locked up on me a few times and it liked to pull.

What would have been affected by the issue in the hubs? On a couple of occasions I put in 4x4 in the snow and it felt like it wasn't engaged up front. I did just buy this thing so i'm still feeling it out.

I replaced/repaired everything on the front now and it's smooth as silk and everything engages as it should, going to pick up new calipers, bleed the system and test drive it.

 

If one hub fails to lock 4x4 doesn't work. Both need to lock up since it has an open diff.

 

That's what I thought, and could explain why it didn't feel right. What about the nuts that go into the ends of the axles, what do they do?

I got the new calipers/pads/rotors on and now it'll launch you through the windshield, feels very solid and no more pulling. The hubs are smooth as silk now too. For the price of the calipers ($104) I may just do new everything on my pickup next and do some more hub lovin' since i've never done them before.

 

Are you vaguely referring to the spindle lock nut? For the rotors, a common cause of ridges is a broken or chipped brake pad. A second and more common cause is heat checks in the rotor, aka purple and blue spots. Pssst.... Pics help explain alot...just sayin.

 

Factory Service Manual
www.ncttora.com/fsm

Break down of your front axle and shows you what the 54mm spindle nuts do.

 

It's not the spindle nuts but the 12 mm bolt/washer that goes into the end of the axle after the hub has been installed.

The ridges... not sure, could've been damaged pads. The old ones weren't wearing evenly and none were in very good shape. There wasn't any signs of heat damage but one push on the pedal told me they were shot. I'll probably take em down and have em turned and if they'll fit... put them on my truck.

I PROMISE i won't do any other work w/out taking pics. I'm a bit old school and taking pics of my work as it progresses was never something I did so remembering to bring the camera w/me is the last thing on my mind.

I'm trying to get some materials together (and $$$) to build a new shop w/lift, more room, and better lighting, should be easier to take and post pics. Right now we're working out of an oversized 1 car garage and it's tight. I'm a carpenter by trade and my brother does concrete so we've got the labor covered, hoping it'll be up by winter but we're funding it out of pocket as $$$ allows.

 

Excellent Wabbit I looked online and found nothing

Sorry about already needing to be censored already...

 

After rolling it in a ditch last winter and a few months of down time and rain and no motivation to work on the T4R, summer finally arrived in Wa. and ive gotten a few things done on my Runner in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Southern Oregon. I've spent more $$$ on this 1 single Toyota than I've spent on every single Toyota I ever owned. When I get done w/it though, it's going to be basically mechanically new from bumper to bumper w/the exception of the engine and tranny

I Finally found an almost brand new set of 5-32x11.50x15 (2400 miles and warranty) w/ nice rims for $550 that i liked WAY better than my 15x10 Mickey Thompsons w/33x12.50s... these look just right under it.

Finally got it down to Les Schwabs for shocks and an alignment and they informed me my idler arm was SO bad they can't see how I was even able to keep it on the road...BARELEY!, so I replaced that as well. Probably why it rode like a broken boat on the ocean.

Misc. tweaking, tuning and general maint., soap, vacuuming, some touch up painting, and it's finally running, riding, and looking good enough to daily drive it.

Got a couple of other things I want to do like a clutch... which I knew I should have done when I put the new motor in but had spent too much $$$ by then, shim the back of the tranny down, and new U-Joints, Need to get my keyless entry fixed too and I think i'm done w/this one

My plan was to buy cheap, put a motor in it and be down the road for about $2500... I've learned w/out basic general maintainence, once theese things hit about 200+k miles, they need A LOT of new parts. I've done complete front brakes... new calipers, rotors, hubs, bearings, seals, etc... no front diff/axle work yet till it breaks!, lots of new gaskets, new timing belt, new alt, new radiator, new water pump, tune-up, rear brakes, complete hydraulic system flush, shocks, idler arm, tires/rims.

I need a couple of little things under the hood and a new exhaust system and u-joints and I'm about done w/this one... I think i'm going to be close to $4000 into this which still isnt a bad price for such a nice T4R, very clean interior 7/10 and only very minor dings and scratches on the exterior... strong 6/10. When I get back from Oregon I 'm probably going to put in in the body shop for two new fenders and trim and paint on the front end to get it ready for winter.

 

Finally got around to doing u-joints in my rear driveline, they were pretty bad, I could barely move them by hand.

I broke a vise trying to get them out and I'm pretty sure they were the originals. The fronts are just as bad but i'm going to take it to a shop to have them done after the PITA I went through on the rear.

I do know for certain now that my 4WD is working, I took it for a little spin while I had the rear driveline out.

 

Well that's handy. I suppose that means you could take the u-joints for the rear into the shop without needing another car.

 

Little trick I learned back in 'Nam