Suspension Popping

[Raikinx]

I just replaced the inner and outer tie rods, the adjusting sleeve, and the idler arm. The instructions on the parts said to tighten the castle nuts until I can get the cotter pin inserted. This isn't very tight at all. I was wondering if I should follow those instructions or go ahead and torque it to the proper specs. The problem is that there is a popping sound from the front when turning under light acceleration at low speeds. I'm not sure at higher speeds and it's kind of freaking me out.

[geezer101]

Hi Raikinx, welcome to mightyram. If the tapered shaft isn't anchored in and seated, it's too loose. The popping is the shaft dancing around. It will destroy the shaft and oval out the locating hole. Worse case scenario is it will snap the top off the shaft. Lock it up. :thumbup:

[claych]

^^^ This !!!

Also Raikinx,
Torque to spec, if the slots do not line up with the 'pin' hole at spec,
Not to worry ! most if not all Castle Nuts have 6 slots --- 360 deg/6 = 60 deg /2 slots = 30 deg
of additional TIGHTENING !!!
Simply, torque to spec, & tighten further until the slots & 'pin' hole are aligned.
P.s,
Do not loosen to get alignment !!!

[Raikinx]

Thanks guys the popping stopped so it's a great relief.

[geezer101]

Good to hear. Hopefully your joints weren't beat on too badly - you were lucky nothing came apart.

[Raikinx]

I was replacing the stripped lug studs yesterday and the ball joint boots are torn. Should I replace the ball joints. Bought it for 750 last month and the previous owner really beat this thing up.

[geezer101]

You 'might' be able to find replacement boots but it's a long shot. If the joints themselves are still serviceable just keep them greased on a regular basis. All the dirt and junk going into them will seriously shorten their lifespan so buy a set of joints and put them aside for the day when they start clunking and your steering starts to feel tired and sloppy. Chances are the ball joints are already worn out - check the control arm bushes as well visually and with a pinch bar. Some of these poor trucks go above and beyond the call of duty :(

[Raikinx]

I was going to change out the control arm bushings. I'll post some pics later of what the tie rods looked like and what the previous owner did just so he didn't have to pay for some new ones. I figure while I'm there I might as well change out the shock absorbers and the wheel bearings as well. Anything else I should have a look at while I'm down there?

[Raikinx]

Will I need a spring compressor or is there a safe way around that. Also just so I don't have to do this for a while. Do the springs go bad, and if so how would I check that.

[geezer101]

Spring compressors are the safe way. You've heard the tales and most of them are true. Only way to check a spring is to remove it and measure it's uncompressed height and compare it to factory specs. If the front of your truck doesn't look level, you more than likely have a tired spring. But if you're going to have spring issues it will be the rear leafs. I've been in a car where a leaf spring snapped. Not an awesome experience. I was lucky I was only travelling at low speed coming out of a street corner. If it did that over a pothole or a drain, the car would've gotten badly messed up and me with it.

[BradMph]

Our truck springs are fairly much under pressure and you wouldn't want to have one pop on you. I had a valve spring jump out of a fork spring compressor and almost stuck in the wall.
As for your torn boots, If there are not missing pieces of the boot, you may also try to silicone glue the rips back together to protect the joint. Those boot are dust and dirt protectors and a little grease after will be fine if your not into spending too much.
Your springs are on a 1995 truck, I have a loop cut out my front springs and the truck is an '86 and lowered and the springs are still great. I am very surprised at how well my alignment has been for all these years and never needed an alignment. Tire wear is superb ever since I owned my truck. Check your shocks I would imagine first if your having soft front ends.

[DroppedMitsu]

No you don't NEED a spring compressor, a jack under the control arm to control the release is all I've ever used for my truck, and I've had my front end apart tons of times. And as long as your springs aren't cracked/rusting away(never seen a MM with broken springs) you should be fine

[BradMph]

No you don't NEED a spring compressor, a jack under the control arm to control the release is all I've ever used for my truck, and I've had my front end apart tons of times. And as long as your springs aren't cracked/rusting away(never seen a MM with broken springs) you should be fine

Cool DM, good to know about the tension on springs. I thought I read in here someone having problems with the them, but probably was the way they were releasing them that caused their issue. Thanks :)

[DroppedMitsu]

Yeah no problem, don't want to see people spending money on a loaner tool when they don't need to, a jack works perfectly fine and most people have one lol.

[Raikinx]

I have the parts but I'm having an issue with the metal cap over guide bolt on the caliper. I just cant seem to get a decent grip on it to take it off even with vice grips. Any suggestions on an easier way or just keep at it?

[geezer101]

I got a feeling you're not meant to pull the cap off. I think you are meant to swing the caliper all the way up clear of the caliper body and disc, and then slide it off the guide. Give the slide pins a big clean, inspect for scuffing and wear, look at the grease boots for splits and if all is good - grease them up and put it back together.

[DroppedMitsu]

Totally lost as to the metal cap you are talking about? To remove calipers all you need to do is unbolt the two 17(19mm?) head bolts holding the caliper to the spindle.

[Raikinx]

Yeah, this is the first vehicle I have seen with the bolt blocked off with a cap. They show it in the manual.

[Raikinx]

16168

[Raikinx]

Previous owners tie rod fix. Complete moron.
16169
16170
He told me that they needed to be replaced, not that it was unsafe to drive.

[Raikinx]

16171
Cant really see it but that top caliper bolt is the one that has the cap on it. Other side is the same. Dont worry about the tie rods. Those were the first things I replaced. I can get better pics of the cap tomorrow.

[BradMph]

I check mine with a channel lock and grip the entire joint and squeeze them together. If there is any play...they need replacing. Good thing with the '86 MM is all the ends and joints have zerk fittings or holes for a fitting. I grease them twice a year and never replaced one of them yet. Try to get replacements with those holes for greasing. Moog also has heavy duty replacement parts for our trucks. Idle and pitman arms they sell were the only ones that lasted. When I pulled our boat it would destroy the idler arm bushings and they fall out. Hasn't happen yet with the Moog's heavy duty arms.

[Raikinx]

The idler arm bushings were gone on this one but I didn't know that I could replace the bushings. I hadn't come across this forum yet either and just bought a cheap one from rock auto. The plan is to get it drivable first and then upgrade it. At least with rock auto I've already saved myself about $100 overall.

[geezer101]

As I mentioned earlier you don't need to take the caps off. Just remove the bottom caliper bolt, flip the caliper up like you would when replacing the pads, then push the caliper into the wheel well and slide it completely off. When cleaning the dust boots you can freshen them up by spraying them with cheap tire shine and kneading them between your fingers. It softens the rubber and makes them look like new again too. It is really important to give the slide pins a good clean up and fresh grease. It goes a long way to ensuring your calipers don't cause the pads to drag on the discs.

[Raikinx]

Ok I'll give that a try. I noticed that I am getting pad drag on the passenger side on the outside. The outside part of the disc is more worn than the inside.

[Raikinx]

Is there a check to see if wheel bearings are still good or are they sturdy on this vehicle and just need a greese up after removal.

[Raikinx]

Nevermind that last question. Read the new owner post by camoit. That was a fantastic post that he put up there, very informative. I've already done half of those recommendations and most of the rest were on the to do list.

[Raikinx]

I believe the guide pin may be seized. I have to use a bar to get the caliper in the upright position. When I tried to move the caliper to any side there is no movement. So I tried to persuade some movement with a hammer and still nothing. I did remove the cap finally. Reached inside with my pinky and there is some hard and very sticky grease. I can feel the pin inside and there is no head or indentation so I cant use a tool to remove the pin. I doused the whole thing with wd40. I am coming to the conclusion that I may have to remove the caliper carrier as well unless there are anymore ideas. Regardless of what happens that caliper needs work and probably wasn't functional.

[geezer101]

You inspection has revealed the reason why your disc is showing excessive wear on the outer section of the rotor - your guide pins are bent. Or more likely the mounting bolts holding the slide pins down are bent. If you can get it apart you might be able to rescue the caliper assembly depending on how messed up the slide pins are. The 'pivot' pin (the upper slide) is a bolt with either a 10 or 12mm head. You have to get the caliper off to undo it. But seeming the disc rotor is fubar you might as well go looking for a complete replacement assembly from a JY.