fisherxo

Thanks for the info slosurfer. hubs are just a year old , don't know if thats long enough for the grease to get grip. I think for now ill just take it in and have them break it down and take a good look at everything. Get the torsion bars lowered and get some of those downey cv boots put on.

AxleIke

I think you are getting a bit confused here.

While it is possible that your boots could be ripping never having run it in 4wd, its not very likely.

In fact, I would equate the possibility of that happening with the possibility of you winning the lottery, a new car, a new home, and a trip to anywhere in the world in 4 different contests on the same day.

It is just barely on the possible side from impossible.

I completely agree that the angles are steep, and should be reduced for offroading. However, I DO know who strap22 is, and he's a reputable guy, who has sold hundreds of these lifts. I have had this same set up on my truck with no issues with the CV's.

Have you actually crawled under the truck and looked at the boots to verify that they are torn? The shop is going to glance under there, see some grease, and tell you the boot is torn. If they get the axle out, and replace it, but find that the grease came from somewhere else, they are NOT going to tell you that it wasn't, because then they would look bad.

The popping noise is also disconcerting. Have you traced that to the CV?

AxleIke

I agree that that is a possibility, but a BRAND NEW CV, with brand new rubber boots, takes quite a while to tear open when in full use, like with drive flanges. There is no way that this thing should be having this kind of damage with what he's got there.

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

No such thing as longer torsion bars. All the ones for the Toyota IFS must be the same length, only variable is diameter (bigger diameter = stiffer):
- http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/torsion_bars/

If you are not running stock height bump stops (i.e. the case if you have trimmed your bump stops or installed low profile units), then you'll need to shim the bump stops to limit droop:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...owTo.shtml#4WD

Front differential drop kit information (helps reduce the angles on the CV joints):
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/DiffDrop.shtml

fisherxo

Don't know if you could tell in the pictures on the first page but the boot is definatly ripped. Seeing where its ripped makes me think that its the angle on it thats doing the damage. Is it possible to lower the torsion too much? how much should i lower it? I had this installed at toyota of dallas where strapp22 works. I wish he would have been around when i brought it back in because the mechanics didn't know what to tell me. It seemed as if this was the first time they installed the suspension, bj spacers, and do the auto locker to manual conversion. They were good at convincing me i just need a new axle though.

fisherxo

just went outside and measured from the edge of the rim to the fender lip. Passenger side was close to 15.5 and the driver side seemed to more at 15 3/4. The rear was right at 15.

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

At 15.5", you are lifted 1.5"-2" over stock:
- http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/torsion/

Can't lower the torsion bars too much, especially with ball joint spacers. Some folks back off the adjusters all the way:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...cer.shtml#FAQ2

Skinsfan6

You definitely need to loosen the tbars a lot or get rid of the bj spacers. That's the kind of angle I use to have on my a-arms when mine were cranked. I kept busting cvs too. That's when I decided to go with a drop-bracket lift. Now I have stock cv angles and it doesn't ride like a covered wagon on the oregon trail.

Now even thought your angles are bad, if you're no using four wheel drive and your hubs stay unlocked, your CVs shouldn't be breaking.

claudebadly

tell the kids on the block to stop cutting your boot

slosurfer

Yeah, Ike, I didn't even think of that it was new and the hubs are only a year old. I agree especially with the outer joint. Something else is a wrong/has been wrong and the spacers have now brought it to attention. Even in full time 4wd, I don't see it wearing out that outer joint without something else being wrong. We all have many miles on spacers in 4wd and I haven't seen very many tore up outer boots. Also, if the cv's are actually breaking and not just ripping the boot, then something else really has to be wrong.

He tested his hubs and they seem to be unlocking. I wonder if his tcase is in 4wd and he doesn't know it. His hubs may be unlocked but it would be spinning while he was underway. Since he probably has ADD on that front diff, he could still spin the cv's by hand with the vehicle off and the hubs unlocked.

Fisher, turn the 4runner on and while sitting there run it through all gears and put it back in park (if auto or N if a stick) and leave it running. Now test if you can turn your cv's by hand with the hubs unlocked. If they won't turn, that means your tcase is in 4wd or something is up with your ADD.

AxleIke

Ohhh, good point, if he is running in hi 4 and doesn't know it, that will take care of the axles.

fisherxo

Ok. I got a sharpee and put a mark on the axle and then a mark on the break right next to it. I drove around and got it up to 30 mph. Came back and the mark on the axle is offset from the mark on the break. So, the thing is moving. Now i don't know if it just moved a little bit just from going over speed bumps but none the less its moving while im driving. Its also a lot stiffer to turn than the passenger side, and that could be because there is friction due to no grease. Which then leads me to believe that something would have to be forcing it to turn.

slosurfer

Did you try turning your cv's with the rig running? Turn it on, run it through the gears, and then put it in Park (or N if you're a 5spd) and leave it running. Then see if you can turn your cv's by hand. This will rule out whether your tcase is in 4wd or if your ADD system is wacky.

fisherxo

Oh yeah did that too. Turns the same just as if the car were off.

OutlawMike

Myself and another poster mentioned the steering hard stops. The outer CV joint will see deflection through the entire range of the steering, from one hardstop to the other. Has anyone adjusted the hardstops so that the tire swings through a longer arc?

I agree with what has been mentioned above, usuall you see the inner CV boot fail from too much angle, not the outer. But, in 2wd, the outer CV is seeing deflection from the suspension angle and also from tire rotation.

I'm not saying this is what is wrong, but it might explain the outer boot failing.

Mike

fisherxo

Mike. Kinda confused but if what you are saying is that the steering alone would rip the boot that makes sense. I haven't been wheeling at all since i put the suspension on due to how fast this problem occured. Are adjusting the hard stops difficult? Another thing i noticed when i was under my rig is that the shock on the passenger side is so close to the bumbstop that its being scratched (pictures explain better). First picture is the passenger side, second is the driver side and the third is showing the scratch on the passenger side shock. This makes me think something is maybe adjusted tighter on the passenger side than on the diver side. I dunno. What do you think?

OutlawMike

In your first picture, from the top down, there is a bolt at the bottom right of the shot that is kind of rusty on the head. That is one of the 2x hardstop bolts on that side. I think you can just see the other one to the left. They are easy to adjust, put a wrench on that bolt and turn it in to get more turning radius, turn it out to get less. I do notice that your hardstop is missing the factory plastic cap. Do you get a really bad metal on metal sound while turning at full lock? That is due to the missing plastic cap on the hardstop. They sell them at the dealer for $4 a piece, you need 4x of them, 2per side. The one on the left that you can just see looks likeit has the cap.

The hardstops hit on the curved looking piece of metal on the control arm. I am not sure that they are the problem, but, you have a wierd problem, so, it might be something wierd like the hardstops are too far in.

As for the shock hitting on the bump stop, I'm drawing a blank on that one right now. What is the diameter of the OME shock tube? The shock should be able to go through the entire suspension travel without scraping like that. I will need to get under my Runner to investigate that one further. Interesting.

Has this rig ever been in a front end wreck? Just curious.

Mike

bad@$$4runner

even if he WAS if 4 high, he shouldnt be snapping axles like that. id put my money on the hubs being the problem. even though they arent that old, you dont know if they originally got a half a$$ed grease job, and they could be binding after heating up. 2nd guess would be in line with the question of whether or not its ever been hit in the front and something got bent..... also maybe bad or wrong sized hub bearings maybe? do you ever get a rubbing sound like tire rub sound coming from only one side?

i think outlawmike is on the right track.......

Jay351

Dosnt the lift kit he sells have 2" Bj spacers? I'd lower the front end .5" and see what happens.