Spindle nut nightmare

Definitely the most frustrating day of wrenching I've ever had. I just wanted to swap in some new pads and rotors, how hard could that Be? I Googled and lurked all the tacoma forums regarding an outer spindle nut with 6 indentations rather that 4 and could not find anything. I've called the parts and service department of two local dealerships both dead ends with service technicians not having any idea what I'm talking about which may be because I have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm going to attach the thread I found referencing the four "lug" spindle nut and a few mediocre pictures of what is behind my hub body which is much smaller than the 2 5/8 rental kit I rented today. Thanks in advance for any help and guidance.

 

Dude. You are doing it wrong. The spindle nut is on the backside. and it has 4 holes. you need to get the factory service manual or at least those few pages....

Can currently download it off of the wayback machine...

http://web.archive.org/web/20110102225436/http://www.ncttora.com/FSM/

More specifically, you need this one. Download it and go to page SA-21:

http://web.archive.org/web/20110102225436/http://www.ncttora.com/FSM/1996/96_repair_searchable.pdf

 

And wait, if you are just changing rotors and pads, you do not need to even remove the spindle nut.... you just remove the wheel, remove the brake caliper, and then pull off the rotor...

Either way, download that manual and start reading. Yours is the one "with free wheel hub".

 

Even with manual hubs you should only need to remove the tire and brake caliper in order to take the rotor off. Are the rotors fused on by rust?

 

^This!
Rotors are very easy to remove, no need to pull apart the hub. Just move the caliper aside and pull the rotor off. It may need to be beat with a hammer if it's really rusted on there.

 

My 99 taco rotors were a pain to take off. Stripped a Jack screw and had to hammer it off while spinning the rotor for 20 minutes.

 

Penetrating spray of your choice!

light taps with a hammer the Rotor should pop right off .
You might want to think of Never Seize when installing things

 

Thanks guys I've gone through most of a can of pb blaster I guess they are fused together pretty good, I was trying not to be too mean to the wheel bearings. My poor hubs are missing both of the gaskets in that diagram, which brings me back around to the pictures I posted above, grease cap?

 

In your picture, the round thing with 6 grooves is a bronze bushing that the axle shaft rides on. There's another one on the back side of the hub.

Try spraying PB between the rotor and wheel studs. Then take a BFH and start wailing. It'll come off eventually.

 

Are you talking about the gasket that goes between the hub body and hub? If so, you can see by the clean area on the hub that you had a gasket installed. It's probably still there, but you can't see the edge due to the rust.



You probably know this by now, but you don't need to remove the locking hub to change the rotors and calipers.

 

beat the shit out of the rotor with a large hammer until it comes loose

 

Yeah it came off relatively easy today maybe that blaster soaking overnight helped. Thanks for all the "your doing it wrongs" I dare say I made a memorable entrance to the board.

 

I can only speak for myself I have done far worse then have issues getting a Rotor off.

If my Toyota Parts person would not have told me the Rotors were outboard I would have been taking every thing all apart myself

 

Man if that's all I did I wouldn't feel so bad. Day ended with my wheel taking flight as I shifted into second. Luckily that was before I figured out how to get the rotors off. Jobs all done now swapped in a new radiator and some fresh coolant yesterday after the brakes took me a measly hour. Definitely learned a couple things; take breaks when you get frustrated, if your lugs seem stripped they probably are, and don't work all day without eating anything. Oh and have a general idea of what needs to be done before you start..

 

You can also read up and ask questions before you start a repair. The good people of TacomaWorld are always happy to assist.

 

Okay on to the next one how do I remove that bronze bushing without destroying it? The otc and rental tools that are 2 5/8s are way to big.

 

Fsm doesn't say much about the bushing except not to damage it. I don't have any sort axle nut outside of the bushing is that normal? It must be behind it?None of the videos I can find reference this bushing at all. Seems like no one else has one.

 

It seems like maybe once I disconnect the ball joints I can just slide the hub and knuckle right off the spindle?

 

That is a brass bushing and it is pressed into the axle hub. You definitely do not want to pull it out while everything is still all connected. (see the factory service manual I linked above on how to disassemble it all) And further, according to Toyota, that brass bushing is NOT a serviceable part. What that means is that you cannot order that brass bushing separately from the axle hub. On the axle hub, there is an outer bushing and an inner bushing and a needle bearing inside of it--all three are non-serviceable parts. You have to buy the axle hub and those parts all come new, pressed inside of the axle hub. There was a company, Off Road Solutions, that was having those inner and outer bushings made and they sold them individually, however, they have recently sold out of the inner ones and they are discontinuing them. You may be able to get an outer from them still... but...

Why are you trying to pull that bushing? What are you trying to do?

 

So why are you still trying to remove the brass bushing? I thought you were just changing pads and rotors.

The brass bushing you show in your picture does not have to be removed for any reason. Even when pressing in new bearings you keep that one in place. The back side of the spindle has another brass bushing like that and a brass "nut" with 4 holes that's torqued to 202lbs iirc. Again these aren't things you have to touch unless you are changing wheel bearings.

And to add those brass bushings can be bought from ORS.