deathrunner

You have to take the driveshaft off first.

Remove the 4 nuts on the driveshaft flange (You need to take it off to change your u joint anyway)

Under there should be the nut.

alanbobalan

alrighty. i'll check that out when i get time. doesn't sound too difficult. just 4 nuts. do the nuts need to be torqued?

deathrunner

Yep, but I forget to what. I can check my manual later. You have my number.

It doesn't hurt to put some blue loctite on the threads either.

alanbobalan

hmm i have a haynes repair manual. not the greatest, but it helps. i'll check that out too.

also, seth. in one of my above posts i told you about the new outer tie rod end i had to get replaced. now my truck pulls to one side. my mechanic said it is probably because the ball joint on the tie rod end he replaced is "tighter" than the one on the other side. does this make sense to you? i'm just worried it's my alignment. i JUST got it aligned after getting the kit on a week or so ago. however, i DID see my mechanic measuring the old outer tie rod before he took it apart so he could put the new one back on EXACTLY the way the old one was on. if that makes any sense. but let me know what you think. my truck is still pulling to one side and it gets rather annoying. that's just one thing i can't stand.

deathrunner

Your alignment is out.

The firmness of the tierod shouldn't effect the vehichle's ability to track straight.

I'd replace them both in the future. But for now, i bet an alignment would fix it.

If the alignment shop offered a warranty, I'd take it back to get realigned.

alanbobalan

yeah, it's just the thing is... the alignment shop didn't offer me a warranty because of all the offroading i do. and i had to kind of pull their leg when they replaced my idler arm because i was about 3 miles away from exceeding the old warranty. what i'll probably do is take it back to my mechanic. if it is the alignment then he's liable and should make it right. what i SHOULD have done is had the alignment shop replace that outer tie rod end and then align it after. but what's done is done.

anyhoo, i just got back from recording and i'm pooped. i'll hit you up later man. peace!

deathrunner

Hope it all turns out well. How are you liking the lift?

Are you getting used to the height?

I miss it sometimes.

alanbobalan

hey seth, sorry i haven't posted in a while. been busy between work and the band.

anyway, i finally got a chance to get back to you.

i'm loving the lift. the height at least, i won't have a bracket kit forever. i might hold onto the rear for a while. i was just under my truck and i noticed...... there's alot of space between the top of the bumpstop and the bottom of the frame! (or whatever contacts the bumpstop to keep the suspension from overcycling... i think it was part of the frame). anyway, i haven't gotten a chance to flex it in action yet, but DAMMMN! if this has as much up travel as i think it does, these springs are going to do me lots of good!!!!!!!!!

and i've gotten used to the height. i can drive it like i used to now while still being a little more cautious around corners. not only am i 4 inches higher, but i don't have a sway bar either.

anyway, while i was under my truck today, i noticed one of the bolts on the front passenger side drop bracket was loose!!!!!! it wasn't even finger tight!!!!!!!!!! i'm lucky i caught it before the whole bolt fell off! it's no biggie for me just to tighten it, but i don't know what it needs to be torqued at. i'm also thinking about taking it back to the shop and having them retorque everything. they would probably hate me for it, but i won't be a happy camper if my truck just falls apart while i'm driving because somebody didn't torque everything down correctly.

anyway, i still haven't gotten around to getting that u-joint/tranfer case flange fixed yet. i have to pay the bills this week and i simply just don't have time to fiddle with something i've never done before. if i had someone with me who had done it before, i could do it. i just don't want to get into it and have something go wrong and then be stuck without a truck or make more problems then i solve. (it's happened before). so next paycheck i plan on taking it down to my mechanic to have him take care of that a few other dumb things. my mechanic must love me, i give him way too much business.

in other news, i might be getting a sweet deal on some 33x10.50's dunlop mud rovers with black rockcrawler rims. 200 bucks for all 4 rims and tires! what a deal! i haven't seen the tires yet, but they belonged to an old buddy of mine who unfortunately wrecked his 85 pickup. so sad. it was beautiful. it was fuel injected too. don't see too many of those. anyway, he had just geared it and locked it and moved up to 33's. i don't know exactly how long he had them on, but it wasn't for long that's for sure. i remember wheeling with him once before he wrecked it. an old asian lady cut him off on the freeway and he got forced off the road and rolled 5 times. poor guy. his truck was so sweet too. now i am the only 4x4 yota lover around these parts with the exception of my brother. he ended up getting a 4x4 f-150 prerunner. that traitor.

well i've babbled on for long enough. hit me up man. peace!

deathrunner

Lift kits will need to be rechecked after driving for awhile. I have heard of bolts coming loose like that before. Happened on my buddy's Chevy Bracket kit. Just take it back, they should understand. How much effort to re-tighten everything. Put some red loc-tite on it an dthat will definitely help.


As far as the U joint and transfer flange..... Ihave more insight now. I just put on the Allpro parking brake disc brake. You need to remove both of these parts to install it.

The Flange is held on by a nut that is clearly visible once you remove the driveshaft (4 14mm bolts) The nut is 30mm (I had top go buy one at Kragen). It is a stake nut, that means that the shaft it screws onto has a slot down it. Once you tighten the nut to 90 ft/lbs you have to dimple the rim of the nut into the slot so it doesn't back out. Your's probably wasn't dimpled. It's super easy to do yourself. Don't spend the money ona mechanic....unless they are going to do your u-joint as well.

To do your U-joint just buy or rent a ujoint removal tool from autozone (I think they rent) and it is pretty easy. Took me 3 hours the first tiem with the wrong tools. I could probably do it in an hour now (I am slow). If nothing else, I hoghly recommend taking the driveshaft off and tightening this nut down.

alanbobalan

okay, i'll just take the truck back to the offroad shop where i had my kit put on and have them re-tighten everything. that sounds good.

is it hard to take the driveshaft out? i would just be worried about getting everything put back together right. also, i'm not sure it's my u-joint that's bad. i remember you saying when u-joints go bad, they get hot after driving for a while. mine has NEVER gotten hot. i haven't fixed it yet, but i've been checking it frequently after driving and it's never gotten hot. give me some step by step instructions (JUST the 4 14mm bolts?) to getting the driveshaft off and getting to that nut. i could probably do it myself. my day off isn't till sunday, so i might do it then. and fix my damn tailgate while i'm at it!

are cv boots hard to replace? i'm going to need to replace one of those guys soon.

one of the overload leafs on one of my rear springs looks bent. probably not a big deal but i thought i'd run it by you and see if you were aware of this when you had the springs. doesn't look like it's hurting anything.

my truck also still looks a little lopsided in the rear..... i think one of my torsion bars might cranked a little higher than the other. but not by much. could the shackles be worn out? i don't see why they would cause my truck to look lopsided though. alright dude. get back to me. thanksssssssssssssss for your help you're the man seth.

deathrunner

Which way is the overload bent? I don't remember them being bent. I never hit them on anything.

Your truck looks lopsided? I never had that issue. It must be the torsions.....or didn't you roll your truck? Hate to say it, but maybe your mounts or frame are bent a little.

Make sure the springs are all in a line . Sometime after flexing out on a trail run, the leafs will fan out and not actually support the other leafs as much. It's not drastic, but it should be fixed. I've noticed this on my stock leaves, the Skyjackers, and my downeys. I think the Deavers will take care of that, they have little guides.

After a run I will let the suspension hang and then use a rubber mallet or mallet and wood block to slide them back into place. Very easy.

If you flexed more on one side, you might have only caused this on half of the truck....causing the lopsidedness. Just a thought.


CV boot s I haven't had to do yet. Doesn't sound too bad.

U-joints heating up is just a symptom of a bad U joint, it isn't the primary measure. The big thing you are looking for is play (movement) in the joint itself. You won't be able to tell because of your loose transfer case flange.

Here's what you gotta do to fix your driveshaft situation:

Mark the driveshaft flange for position with the transfer case flange. (Not sure this will make much difference in your situation, but do it just to be safe.

Get a 14mm socket and end wrench and take off teh 4 bolts on the driveshaft.

Hold the driveshaft and use a rubber mallet to break the joint flange loose.

Use zip ties to hold the shaft out of the way (I tie to the frame) or just undo the axle side in the same way (MARK IT!!!) and just take it off.

Once you have access to the transfer flange, Take it off and clean the splines on the flange and the shaft. Spread RTV gasket compound onto the threads (This is a common leak spot, the splines themselves) Slide it all the way back onto the splines. Use a 30mm socket to tighten the nut down to 90 ft/lbs. It helps if your hubs are engaged and transfer in 4wd 1st gear. This will give you resistance to torque against. BLOCK THE TIRES. I was actually moving my truck as I tightened it. The best solution is to get it on with an impact wrench. Then use a screwdriver or chisel and hammer to bend the ring of the nut into the groove of the shaft, thereby "Staking the nut" Some red loctite on the thread wouldn't hurt.

Line the rear driveshaft up with it's marks and tighten the 4 14mm bolts down (forget the ft/lbs) some blue loctite on these threads is recommended

alanbobalan

ok seth... i have a buddy of mine who might help me out with this. he's replaced u-joints before and said he'd supervise me.

i might even have my mechanic do it, i'm still having a engine sputtering problem that happens whenever my motor gets wet that i can't solve plus a few other minor things that i can't do in my driveway. so it'll be in the shop. just kinda depends on how much he charges and if he has time. but we'll see. i really should just get off my lazy ass and do it. i should do that cv boot too. haha. can't be that bad, just a matter of knowing what i'm doing. that's what's stopping me.

one of these days, i'll take a picture of the bent overloads. i really don't think it's a big deal though to be honest.

the rear springs have to all be in a line? a vertical line you mean? as in... each end of every leaf should be exactly parallel to leaves above/below it? and just wack at it with a mallet to fix this? i've never heard about this, sounds interesting though. i haven't had a chance to flex these babys on a run yet. i'm taking a rest of serious offroading for a bit. i really want to get my roof fixed, plus i have other stuff i need/want and it's all a matter of money. so therefore, i need to stop breaking my truck! might save me a pennie or two.

and the lopsided issue has GOT to be my t-bars. one side looks higher than the other and it matches up with the lopsidedness in the rear. it looks nasty, i need to fix this asap. while i'm at it, i'm probably going to lower them down an inch. ALMOST to where they're level with the cross member. i'm trying to get it as close to stock as i can. if you know how many cranks up it takes from being fully uncranked, let me know........ if that even made any sense at all.

one last note on the t-bars... is 100 dollars for a torsion bar adjustment and alignment sound reasonable to you? that's what my local offroad shop wants to charge me. (the same shop that put on my lift). i could uncrank the bars myself, but unless i want to get my truck aligned at some "quick tire" place, i have about a 20 minute drive i'm looking at with no alignment. there's a just tires and a big-o-tires right down the street from where i live. i don't know if i trust those places. usually i go out to a front end specality shop which is about 20 minutes away from here. however, i'm starting to have doubts about that place too. that's why i was thinking about my offroad shop because they deal with lifted trucks everyday... except they charge more. let me know what ya think. sorry again for the long post!

haha rock on seth!

deathrunner

As far as sputtering when your motor is wet, that sounds normal. You're probably getting your distributor wet. Happened to me once, scared the crap out of me.....no more water for the deathrunner. Just take off your cap and dry it out. spray some WD40 in there and wipe it down. Or just get a new cap and rotor. (but the WD-40 is nice to have on the trail)

100.00 for an alignment? well, that's not too unreasonable. It's always more expensive than I remember. What I would do is this:

look at your caber adjustments...(The bolts that your lower a-arms attach with.) They have a flat disc that the bolt runs through on one side and is welded to. This acts like a cam when turned pushing the arm in or out. This is how you align it. Anyway, see if it is maxed out in either direction. If it is then I would just let the off road shop deal with it.

If it seems to be somewhat central in it's travel (The adjustment that is), then I would go ahead and lower it yourself until it looks level to you. You can always measure from the top of the rim to your fender lip. Then I would take it over to Evans tire.....they have an unlimited year long alignment deal for under 100.00, It's nice if you bump around alot like us. I think I may be axcluded because of my arms, but you would still be okay. Give em a call first. I think a coupld other shops offer that too. Ask around.

As far as how many cranks.....too many factors. I think the condition of the adjustment bolt, the quality or type of torsion bar and the type of seat covers you have all come into play. So every truck is different. I found that it took 12 complete turns to come down an inch when I had the lift kit. I don't have air tools so that was with a breaker bar doing half turns. It took forever.


In my opinion it's always a good idea to take it easy when 4 wheeling. I'm not out to prove anything, and I find that I'm much happier coming home with everything in tact.

-Seth

alanbobalan

it never used to sputter like this when it got wet. and i already replaced my cap and rotor. that was the first thing that came to mind about sputtering wet engines. from there i replaced my plugs and wires. motor still sputters. i'll try that wd-40 trick next time it happens. my motor even sputters when i'm hosing it off trying to clean it after muddin. poo.

they said 100 bucks for an alignment and a torsion bar adjustment. 75 bucks for the alignment, 25 bucks for the torsion bar adustment. the other shop i've gotten an alignment at charged 50 for the alignment and 20 for the t-bar adjustment. except i don't know if i trust them. they deal with more passenger cars and rice rockets. i think i would feel safer paying a little more and taking it to a shop that deals with lifted trucks on a daily basis. except the salespeople at the front desk are jerks and can be rude. but the lead tech there was very nice and helpful when i was talking to him about my lift. i just can't stand those salespeople. arggghhh!

this offroad shop doesn't carry any kind of warranty on their alignments. i'll check around for a deal like that and i'll look around to see if there's an evan's tire nearby. the last shop i got my alignment at gave me a 10 month/10,000 mile warranty, but that was a long time ago. they wouldn't give me the warranty this time because of all the wheeling i do. but hey... that warranty saved me about a hundred bucks or so on a thrased idler arm. hehehe. i had to pull strings, but i got a free new idler arm... and i had 3 miles left on the warranty. muah ah ah ahahahaaa!

seth... those last 2 sentences in your last post should be in a 4 wheeling bible somewhere. amen to that!

alright dude, take it easy!

alanbobalan

oh seth... one more comment about the sputtering thing. my user picture is one example of when my engine sputters. whenever i hit mud puddles like that...... i've been known to stall and not be able to start back up for a while after hitting mud like that. i used to be able to haul ass through that stuff without problems. poo. i miss those days.

alanbobalan

hey seth........

i got a taco

deathrunner

In response to your last post....you are getting your distributor wet.....


and the new post.........

WHAT THE HECK???? Do you still have the runner?

Give me detaisl on the taco....4x4? what?? Why? who????

alanbobalan

i still have the runner. i kind of got screwed with a body work estimate for a new roof. i bought that lift from you assuming i would be able to fix the roof for 1,300 bucks. that's the estimate a local bodyshop gave me... and he said he'd do it. soooo i decided i was going to do it, but i wanted to take care of my suspension first because it was sagging and shot to death. so that's when i bought the lift from you. then i took out a 4,000 dollar personal loan to do all the body work on my truck. paint and all! and the sucker at the bodyshop wouldn't touch it. he then took a "closer look" at the truck and gave me a 1,700 dollar estimate for the roof and a 3,000 or 4,000 estimate for everything else. that was when i just threw my arms up in the air and cursed myself for having wasted so much money on my poor little rolled over 4runner. he told me it was completly more than fixable, but they didn't have the time to do it because they deal with more insurance companies/contracts/claims and all that jazz. oh and he said it would lower the morale of his techs taking in such a big project like this. i went from bodyshop from bodyshop for almost 3 years trying to find a place that would fix it. nobody would even look at it or give me an estimate even. everyone shunned me away and when this guy said he'd do the roof for 1,300 bucks i was set on keeping my truck for life and restoring it somewhat. then when i was ready to do it he shunned me away just like everyone else. i could have continued my search, but i had enough. it was time for a new truck...............

now i'm just cursing myself for putting that lift on. i really liked it too, i know i can resell it and get the money back that you sold it to me for, but it's the labor i'm losing. if it weren't for the lift, i probably wouldn't be upset, just sad to let my little 4runner go.

it also needs a new radiator and a new battery.

and that transer case flange never got fixed.

and it needs a torsion bar adjustment and an alignment.

but that's all stuff i was willing to fix if i either hadn't of rolled it or could have gotten the body work done.

sooooo then i found myself a '98 taco! might i add..... a CLEANNNN 98 taco! it's 4x4, got the 3.4 liter v6, and it's manual! the only thing it doesn't have is the trd package with the locker in the rear. but i believe those didn't come out till 2000. but hey.... if i want a cheap locker all i have to do is get a trd axle from my local yota wrecking yard and slap that sucker on mine and wire up the switch.

but seriously dude, this taco looks like it's brand new. it was a lease return and ended up at the dealership as one of those toyota certified used vehicles. then i guess it didn't sell or something. so the dealership auctioned it off and this used car salesman bought it and that's where i found it. i don't usually deal with used car salesmen, but this taco was exactly what i was looking for not to mention how clean it was. after tax it was 11,500. while all most other tacos with the options i got were going for about 12,000 for 13,000 and they were from private parties and probably aren't as clean as this one i got. weeeeee! this taco has balls too. i drag raced my friends k5 chevy blazer and won! except his blazer is like twice as heavy and he's got an automatic. but stillllll... his motor is also has like twice the power so that just made me feel good

as for my 4runner, i think i'm going to part it out. i can't really sell it for much because it's rolled. i COULD keep it as a wheeling only vehicle, but i can't really afford 2 trucks. i mean.... making car payments AND having to fix the 4runner? i'm hoping to make at least 1,500 by parting it out. that will cover the lift and few hundred extra. if i at least can make my money back for the lift by parting it out i'll be happy.

i've already talked to a few other members on here who might be interested in some parts. plus my brother wants a bunch of stuff for his 85. he's probably going to take my whole rear end off my hands. the axle and the suspension you sold me. he was so jealous when we went wheeling and he saw that rear suspension in action

i may not be wheeling the taco for a while though......... i never thought i'd EVER say this but....... it's so clean............ and pretty............. i'm scared to get it dirty!!!!!!! and that's coming from the guy who rolled his truck and didn't care if i drove around with it caked in mud for months at a time and drove through a few hundred yards of overgrown BRUSH. like..... seriously. i came out and my paint looked like someone keyed it from top to bottom.

now i'm scared if my taco gets dirrrty!

plus..... i have to at least let the newness wear off. i'm alot more responsible now then when i bought the runner. i bought the runner when i was 16 and rolled it when i was 17. since rolling it i have learned how to wheel responsibly and still have fun. i have basically just learned how to take care of a car and i'm glad i started off with an older vehicle. i actually know what i'm doing when wheeling now a days. when i rolled it... welllll....... i was hauling ass down a narrow trail with my torsion bars cranked all the way up....... not to mention i was going down a hill.......... then i fishtailed and jumped this mound on the side of the trail........ and KABOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh and all those stories about breaking bumpstop brackets and whatnot.... yeah.... those were from back in these days.

well i've written alot. but it has been a long time since i have heard from you so it was cool to catch up a little. if i do wheel the taco i'll be taking it easy for a while and....... it won't be seeing any mud anytime soon.

if you need any spare parts i'm your man

alright seth, hope to hear from you soon and maybe when i'm ready we can "iniate" my taco and go wheeling. we still never got to do that. alright man later!

--alan

deathrunner

I understand. i think yuou will do ok parting it out.

As for me, I'm pretty much doen with mud and water.....just trouble if you ask me.

I'm apretty light wheeler. We'll havce to meet up when your time comes

alanbobalan

yeah mud is just more trouble than it's worth. i have a fresh clean slate now, i'm going to keep it out of the mud.

i'm a light wheeler as well. and probably even lighter than normal until i break myself in with this new truck.

i'm really going to miss that old truck though. i almost bought a couple 85 efi's, but they were sold already. i would have loved to get my hands on one of those. but my taco is awesome, i'm really loving it so far and i can't wait to hit the trails...... that is........... when i overcome the fear of scratching it and getting it dirty........

alot of things change when you spend 11,500 dollars for a 4x4 versus 2,000 or 3,000.