'89 R3500 Crew Cab 2wd to 4wd conversion & beyond

[Kay86K5]

After 6 days of wheeling in Moab, both my axles looked like that. I know I have a small leak on the driver front from a inner axle seal, but the rears looked like that too. I washed my truck up and tried to check for any leaks and didn't find anything. However I didn't have any gear oil splatter anywhere around the rear axle like what you found.

From my understanding people weld the axle tubes when they beat on their rigs really hard because since the axle tubes are just tacked in multiple spots on the inside carrier, those tacks can break and you can spin an axle tube....once again when you are beating on it really hard. I don't think it really has anything to do with containing gear oil

 

[mrk5]

Guess I might pick a 2000's 14blt sooner than planned. And I'll see about welding the tubes on it

 

[mrk5]

After 6 days of wheeling in Moab, both my axles looked like that. I know I have a small leak on the driver front from a inner axle seal, but the rears looked like that too. I washed my truck up and tried to check for any leaks and didn't find anything. However I didn't have any gear oil splatter anywhere around the rear axle like what you found.

I probably have the splatters on the rear bumper from driving to Moab and back. I don't beat on mine but I'm not easy on it either. Plus I've been wheelin this axle for 9yrs.

You gonna weld yours?

 

[Kay86K5]

I probably have the splatters on the rear bumper from driving to Moab and back. I don't beat on mine but I'm not easy on it either. Plus I've been wheelin this axle for 9yrs.

You gonna weld yours?

Maybe, I don't have access to a set up to do it right (since you are welding to the center section). If I find an access to it, then yes I would

 

[kgblazerfive]

mine is welded

 

[Bent77]

Is there anything special that needs to be done, certain rod or anything?
My diff is on the garage floor. Be all to easy to do it now.

 

[kgblazerfive]

Depends on who you talk to, I just cranked up the mig and went to work. Others say you have to heat the pumpkin and cool it properly etc. I just welded it and it has been fine.

 

[Bent77]

Looks like a job for 6011, my little mig won't get that done.

 

[mtnman]

Looks like a job for 6011, my little mig won't get that done.

Sir James Watson used 7018 for the trail repair on mine, though it was sort of a different deal. The factory plug welds blew out and the tube was twisting in the diff, he just made new, bigger plug welds where the originals had been.

 

[Bent77]

Yes that was my other choice. I will do some reading and be back

 

[mrk5]

Upon closer examination today, it might be a pinion seal leak that is running back along the housing. Probably due to highway driving. Cleaned it up so I can see for sure. Leak was probably started due to driving 200 miles with a bent drive shaft.

 

[mrk5]

I mentioned previously I really tore up my tires on the trip to and from Moab. The insides of the tires are worn down a lot. I also have a bit of wobble at 40mph, not full on death wobble but like the start of it.

I started out this weekend by inspecting the king pins. I decided while I was at it I would do some upgrades. I hit up ORD for some bronze bushings and polyurethane spring eliminators. This is how they went together.

A roll pin is driven in to the key way:

Here is how the steering arm sits before torquing down the nuts. So the polyurethane gets "squished" down to provide the pre-load.

 

[mrk5]

Forgot to add I didn't find any problems with the king pins. However the tie rod ends seemed like they may have been loose, like maybe I didn't have the castle nuts tight enough. I torqued them down a little more and it seems tighter now.

Gonna take it down to an alignment shop to see what they might find. I'm wondering if my home brew toe-in adjustment is wrong. I figure it's either that or something else is going on that they will discover on the alignment rack.

 

[454Sub]

Anyone I have talked to who used the bronze bushings was not let down. They are pricey, but nothing but praise for them.

 

[mrk5]

Only done one thing since the forum move.

Factory tinted rear windows! Really cuts the light in the cab.

 

[82355]

The factory tinted windows are much nicer than aftermarket tinted windows.

Martin

 

[mrk5]

Yeah they are thick and the tint is very nice. Looks way better than stick on stuff. Wish I could get a rear sliding window with tint like those rear door windows.

 

[mrk5]

Took the truck to the alignment guy and the toe was WAY off. Spec in their system is +/- 0.12° and it was at -1.07°. Almost 10x what it was supposed to be. Now it's at 0°. Charged me $80 to do it. Should have done it before and saved $500 tires.

 

[mrk5]

Haven't done much major, but I do have some things in the works.

Awhile back in the thread I had bent my hydro-assist ram before I installed bump stops. That ram was 1.75" and I replaced it with a 1.5" unit. I haven't been that happy with the power of the smaller ram on the trail so I decided to go back to 1.75".

I only need 5" of ram travel on the high-steer setup. So I needed to pull the added stop out of the bent ram. It's a matter of pulling the "gland nut" off and sliding the piston out. Finding a gland nut wrench or face spanner to fit the ram was not easy. I finally landed on one for $20 thru Amazon:

Only trick was the pins are 7/32" and the holes are 3/16". So I used a drill to carefully enlarge the holes to fit the tool.

To use the adjustable gland nut wrench you open the jams to match the hole spacing (1.5") and push the pins into the holes. The pins slide in the jaws so that once the pins are fully seated in the holes you can slide the wrench down snug against the gland nut. Then use a 1/2" drive ratchet/breaker bar/torque wrench in one of the 2 square drives on the tool. Too tighten I used the drive hole furthest from the camera in the photo. To loosen I used the closest drive hole.

Here is the gland nut removed.

The seal is a tight fit on the shaft (for obvious reasons) so you have to thread it off the end.

This is the delrin spacer that limits the travel by an inch.

It's a nice snug fit on the shaft. The spacer is one that PSC installed before sending me the original ram.

The other thing I did was to add a little catch can/vent for the steering reservoir. Without something on the lid I would get a little puddle of fluid on the top all the time.

Next up is to install the new assist cylinder and I'm adding an air tank to my air system.

 

[mrk5]

Just as a note to anyone doing the Reid bronze bushings; they are tight. I knew they were tight when I had the knuckles all put together and they were tough to move. It definitely makes for some odd steering characteristics. I did some searching and the tightness is normal and after some time the bronze bushings will bed-in and loosen up.