First, let me say that everything worked fine, no binding before I pulled the axles.

I pulled my front axle shafts out for a third member swap. Passenger side looks great- birf and axle. Moves freely, actually looks new. But when I got to the drivers side, the birf was scarred like it was hitting the inside of the knuckle. The inside of the knuckle was also scarred.

Here are pics of the birf.





Also, on this same side, there was some stiffness in the movement of the birf, like something was catching. It would free up with more hand pressure, but it wasn't smooth like the other side. I did some searches and found that this is fairly normal for the 30 spline longfields, somebody even quoting Bobby Long as saying so.

Well, I put it back together and took it for a test drive. 2WD, everything is free and happy. Put it into 4WD and the truck turned left on its own. I tried turning right, and nothing doing. It would turn a little, then when I released the steering wheel, it went left again. It felt like I was trying to turn my right tire into a wall.

It took some time getting it out of 4wd because It was binding up. I was eventually able to get it out of 4wd by rocking it back and forth while tapping the t-case shifter towards 2wd. WHen it was back in 2wd, everything was free again, no complaints, and I was able to drive it without incident back home.

I pulled it back apart, and found that maybe the driver side axle splines weren't fully engaged in the birf. I double checked everything on the drivers and pass sides. Still the stiffness in the driver's birf, but everything else checked out, including trunnion bearings. I did a complete tear-down of both sides this time.

Before I drove it again, I put it on jackstands on all 4 corners and engage 4wd while all the tires were in the air. No problems, in 4wd or 2wd, high or low. Then took it on another drive, and same problem.

Anybody have any ideas? I kind of think the driver's birf is binding in the knuckle, but I can't think of how to check that. There weren't any obvious spots in the knuckle that it would be hitting. Plus, I don't know why it wouldn't do it in the air...

I'm getting really frustrated and am at wits end with this pig!

I need to get wheeling~

 

I believe the 30 spline birfs have to be clearenced on some occasions. I know trail gear said clearancing the knuckle may be required. take something into the knuckle and tri to clean up any high spots by the spots that was rubbing then take the burs off your birf before installing it again and test fit if it still rubs take some more out of the knuckle.

 

The were clearanced. I'll probably do this as I don't know what else to do, but they were already clearanced. Right side was, but no scarring on the birf. Driver's was as well, but scarring on the birf. I just wonder why it would all of a sudden do it after being put back together. And I know now that the axle is fully seated in the birf and the birf was far enough in the knuckle.

 

Well, I feel like such a newbie! I am one to toyota's, so maybe I shouldn't feel that bad... So, I thought about something and did some searching... I test drove the 4runner on dry pavement. Seems in the yota community this is REALLY bad news. Plus I'm aussie locked up front. Took the truck out on a dirt road, and no binding issues whatsoever! Couldn't flex or anything like that, it was just a plane ol' dirt road but it road beautifully, minus a new coolant leak coming from the back of the motor. I also drove it around on the pavement with the hubs locked but no 4wd. No binding, no noise, nothing. It only happens when it's in 4wd.

I'm a prior zuk guy and dry pavement never bothered the t-case, so this was new to me.

My new question is this, however...

My love is Moab and slickrock. If I bound up that bad on the pavement, won't it also bind on slickrock? Especially on trails like Hell's Revenge, where it's almost entirely slickrock? It didn't take long for the drivetrain to bind up as soon as I was on the pavement.

Thanks for your help!

 

It should not bind, but I would avoid turning when locked. Something's gotta give. I popped a flange in the rear (full floater) one day when absent-mindedly turning full lock on slickrock. I figgered the tire would chirp and release.

It did.

So did the flange. BANG.

I can only imagine how much the chro-mo axles were twisting and releasing. DOH!

 

So it shouldn't be binding... any ideas on what it would be? With hubs locked, 2wd, no bind. In 4wd on pavement, get a bind. In 4wd on dirt, no bind.

Never had a problem like this, so it's really perplexing me.

 

Turning on pavement in 4wd SHOULD bind. Which is why you don't drive in 4wd on pavement. So I don't understand why you are asking why it's doing what you would expect on pavement.

 

The reason I'm worried about it is the slickrock that I've wheeled on is extremely close to pavement, and I don't want to be in a situation where I keep binding up, and it bound up immediately. And I've NEVER bound up on slickrock. Then again, that was on an open diff different rig that wouldn't bind on pavement.

I'm new to yota's and lockers so I didn't know what to think of this situation. I knew that it was rough on pavement, but the feeling that I got when I drove it was not that the t-case was binding, but that it was in a birf.

Thanks for the definitive "yes it should bind".

I also just got off the phone with Bobby Long about the stiffness in the birf. He told me that's pretty common when people don't properly clearance the knuckle. Shavings get in there and make for an "unhappy birf". So I'm sending that in for a rebuild. It's only $50, and I'm going to have to do it sometime down the road anyways, so I'm getting all my ducks in a row and calling it good.

Thanks for the replies!

 

Exactly what he said, that's why they say not to use 4x4 on pavement. Think of it this way, 4x4 wants all of the wheels to turn at the same speed(yes even open diff trucks, it's when one wheel slips that it directs all of the power over there) So when you go to turn your inside wheel spins faster then your outside wheel due to a decreased turning circle circumference. This difference in speed causes the wheels to bind up, which is what your experiencing. Notice that if it's raining then your tires don't bind because the water is allowing the inside wheel to slip which lets the two wheels stay synchronized. Sorry for the long read but I hope that explained it well.

 

So is slickrock really that forgiving? For shoes, it grips a lot better than pavement, you'd think it'd be the same for tires. I know the sand will release from the sandstone, but still, that's a ton of grip!

I'm just afraid that I'm good to go on the trails that I run down here in az, with dirt and some slickrock, that when I make my first trip to moab in this truck, I'm going to have binding problems. I still don't understand why it would only happen one way, though. Turning left, fine! Turning right, not fine! But I'm not about to take it out on the pavement again to find out if I can get it to happen the other way. So still a rebuild birf, and good to go!

One more question: When you've broken a birf, or had one bind, did it bind the t-case up as well? That's just for my info...

Thanks again for the replies.

 

I didn't catch the fact that it's only binding when it's turning one way, sorry about that. But whatever side is binding is acting normal, my truck binds up pretty bad on pavement but as soon as I get on a surface that allows slippage I'm fine. It sounds like something might be broken on the other side? Just a guess I've never had that problem before.

 

The fact that one sides birfield is scarred up a bit and may be rubbing might make it bind up worse on that side. So in other words, it's still binding turning left or right, but it's just more noticeable on the side with the messed up birfield. So if you get that cleaned up it might reduce the binding to a more manageable level.

 

Yeah, I'm just looking for it to be manageable. When I threw the locker in there, the clearances were good and I did the test before I ran it that Aussie says to do, to make sure that it freewheels.

I'll send the birf in and while it's gone, I'll clean up the housing and make sure that there aren't any issues. I've heard of Bobby having really good customer service, and I must say, he's pretty damn awesome! I thought I'd have to fork out a couple hundred to buy a new birf, but he said if they can't rebuild it, they'll ship me back a new one! Nuts! And I told him I bought the axles secondhand... pure amazing in a time when most companies will look for any excuse to not warranty their products.

I'll let ya'll know what ends up happening.

 

Forgiving enough. Completely lock up the front (spool, ARB locked, etc.) and you won't be able to turn much.