Run to the Hills! - Jason's 100% Build-Free Colorado GTFO Build

hmm how do you know your shaft is bent?

My driver side wheel wobbles down the highway a bit..so i suppose mine could be too haha

 

Welllll...

It wobbles when it goes down the highway

When I noticed it the first time was on 128 coming into Moab. Didn’t think anything of it at the time. After I gassed up and headed out 191 toward Monticello, I felt it again, but worse. Looked back and saw noticeable runout on the driver side while the passenger side tracked perfectly.

I thought I might have lossened some lugs, so I pulled over and jacked it up, set the e-brake and the torques were perfect. That told me that it was probably a bent shaft, and when I took the e-brake off and tried to rotate it, it would spin for 90 degrees and then I couldn’t turn it. My thought was that the shaft being bent meant that I was rubbing the brake shoes during part of the rotation. (Exactly what was happening).

Took it to the Jeep guys at M40 (yeah yeah), and they confirmed that it was a bent shaft but NOT a bent housing.

Drove just fine below 60, except at 35 it shimmied like crazy. Must be resonant at that speed.

 

huh. Well good thing im swapping axles anyways haha sounds like something i have. Oh well.

 

Yeah mine wobbles. So I assume it’s bent. My housing is also bent. You can see it.

 

huh..i wonder what caused that.......

 

http://www.trail-gear.com/product/5151/longfield-rear-axle-chromo-95-04-tacoma

Probably the best price for drop in shafts for #BestGens

 

yummaaaayyy

 

Ha as much as I want to own that I can’t I’ve overloaded the bed with dirt several times.

 

hauling dirt...i bet that was it..was it also at the....mall...

 

Monte beat me to it!

 

So @TMFF, since there are no stupid questions, only stupid people...

I’m assuming that the shafts are the same for both sides on my e-locker axle?

 

Yes

 

So basically I need an axle (or two ) seals and bearings? And then have a shop press the bearings on? Install seems pretty easy after having installed my third.

 

Need a way to press the back plate off the current axle which means pressing the old bearings out. Can just use a large piece of tubing to put the new bearings in. Most important part is tapping the retainer rings into the right spot. Which again you can use just a long piece of tubing. Whole process is pretty simple. Just takes the right tools. Brett fabbed up his own and did his and we did mine. Worked great. Not sure I'd have a shop do it

 

Awesome. Thanks, Monte. I just thought that you had to have a press with some gawd awful tonnage.

 

Nah. 20t harbor freight one will work to press it out plus the tool.

 

Tim has a press. Just saying. Right @TMFF

 

Mebbe time to go full float?

http://frontrangeoffroadfab.com/full-floater-conversion/

 

It’s tempting, but I think I’ll stay semi-float for the time being. FF would be sweet for sure, but it’s a rabbit hole of it’s own with sourcing all of the small parts that it requires.

The longfields are reasonable cost, in addition to being a nice upgrade in strength with the chromo shafts. For what I do, that feels like the right approach. I also have to shell out $170 for new 650# coilover springs, so that’s a factor as well.