*Check your spindle gussets for cracks with B/S talk

Maybe 15k? I believe it was sometime early last year that they were installed.

Had a wet rag over the CV boot, abs wire/sensor and tie rod for both grinding and welding. But great idea to spread the message to those that plan on doing this to theirs.

99.9% of Tacoma's out there will never see this happen.

 

@stairgod - some good info here.

 

After reading all of this I'm going to check mine first thing tomorrow. I did the all pro with the sway bar. Maybe now it wasn't the best decision but at the time I was thinking something was better than nothing. On a positive note when my fabricator friend welded them for me I asked him to add an additional gusset to the steering knuckle. Without knowing any of this, it may help offset a poor decision. If they're not cracked yet then time will tell. Thanks to all who have shared their failures and successes.

 

I disassembled my front suspension. I'll have detailed photos of the spindles tomorrow. @Mach375 if you are in Fontana any time soon we can set something up to grab your spindle, or I can drive out to you Monday or Tuesday.

 

What inner boots are those?

 

mine are cracked in the exact same spot, I've got TC non sway bar gussets.

 

Those are CVJ remanufactured axles with their optional silicone boots, I don't know who manufactures the boot though.

 

I only get through Fontucky when I'm headed to the dez.
I do expect to be headed somewhere this coming weekend, haven't yet decided where.

 

Some photos of the fuck ups...


I tried to take measurements and compare the new spindles to my intact passenger side, but I can't find any significant differences, most I can tell, if it is bent, it is by less than a 1/16 of an inch. No idea why the fit up on the gussets was so shitty, unless they came that was from TC.

 

Is that rust or dirt at the start of the failure?

 

At the shear of the spindle it is just dirt. If you are asking out of curiosity of if the shear was sudden or gradual(as evidenced with rust) it appears to be sudden (or very recently that the crack started).

 

This stuff is getting scientific. Nice work documenting it so far tetten, I'm learning a lot.

How do you determine where the crack started?

 

I'm just going off where the start of the weld is in the vertical riser. That's where the shear occurred. Its hard to see in the photos but there is a flatish/smoothish (the weld bead) area where the shear started. After that the roughish grain area of the forged steel in the spindle is visible.

 

very interesting. I almost feel like this thread might have a small section where metallurgy discussion is heavy.

 

I've never been a big fan of the non-swaybar gussets but have offered them with an added gusset when I couldn't convince the buyer to run the swaybar version. I generally keep a few sets of gusseted spindles in stock and ready to ship as soon as the order comes in. I had this set spindles sitting on my shelf and decided to add an internal gusset to it to help strengthen the failure point

 

Do you have to remove the cv dust seal when welding the gussets on ?? Off the truck ?

 

Most definetly on the newer style and of you're preheating for the older style. Takes about 30 seconds with a hammer and drift pin. I haven't damaged any yet while removing them. You'd be more likely to damage them putting them back in, but I haven't had any problems their either

 

I use, I think, a 1" black pipe flange to drive those seals. Might be 1.5", but I think either a large enough.

 

Checked my tc non sway version. Cracked on one side indeed. Added the steering gussett outta 3/16". Cooled in a bucket of heated sand over night.

 

Will I be able to clear the sway bar tc gussets with 4.75 bs with 35s ? Or should I go with the non sway bar ones