ta-da!

[datzenmike]

The idler arm is likely the most worn part. It mimics the movement of the Pittman arm but is on the right side. It will have bushings likely and a hole on the end like the Pittman for the ball joint on the cross rod to fit to.

[84720FourWheel]

You want the zerks.

 

You are probably going to need to replace your idler arm and bracket, or put new bushings in it, and replace the cross rod if there is play in those joints.

[that-son]

rtfm.

 

did not get a lot done but did manage to remove and install one upper ball joint without removing the calipers.

got some questions though.

 

1.  how much is too much grease?  pumped grease in there and some some clear grease plus the red that i pumped oozed outbut the rubber did not expand.

the other ball joint swelled like a balloon but when i removed the zerk to let some grease out it just made this farting noise but no grease came out.

 

2.  can i install the lower ball joints without removing the caliper?

 

3. is torquing the castle nut to 72 enough to seat the ball joint or do i need a special tool?  can i just retorque after i install the tires and drive over a couple of speed bumps?  hahaha.

 

4. is the torsion bar attached to the lower ball joint?  and is it under tension?  is it a bitch to reinstall?

 

5.  what are all these rubber bushings i'm seeing?  can't seem to find them at rockauto.  ok to just zap em with silicone oil?

 

5.  what else can i take check and fix while i'm there and everything's exposed?

 

thanks again!!!

[84720FourWheel]

Boots should be firm and a bit of grease should squeeze out. You may want to clean off excess grease to keep everything from getting dirty.

 

Bushings are probably for the sway bar link and tension rod. If not cracked, they are fine, no lubrication necessary unless they are the red bushings that require graphite lube.

 

Support the lower arm with a jack, with jack stands on the frame. Torque the castle nut to the spec, and tighten or loosen it so the slot lines up with the hole.

 

As for the other joint, your grease gun probably had some air in it. Give it a couple pumps and make sure you have grease coming out.

 

While you're in there, make sure your CV shafts are good, and its generally good practice to repack your wheel bearings.

[that-son]

hmm... i think i'll save the cv, bearings and shocks for next time.  i've got all ball joints in but i found one old ball joint washer/shim?  i guess it's to protect the rubber boots?  can i buy these or should i just make my own milk jug washer?  pics coming soon.

[that-son]

 

well here it is.  again, i think it's to protect the rubber from rubbing against whatever it goes into.  is it necessary?  going to napa tomorrow and if they don't have em... diy tupperware or milk jug washers?

 

the angled zerk came with the lower ball joint.  i don't see how it can be useful...  maybe for the upper ball joint.  idk.

[84720FourWheel]

Point them in opposite directions, so you can turn the wheel one way and access all the zerks for greasing.

[that-son]

thanks!  any thoughts on that big washer?  anyone?

 

again, i think it's to protect the rubber boot of the ball joint but i could be wrong.  is it really necessary?

[84720FourWheel]

I doubt it's necessary. I've never seen a ball joint with that on it.

[that-son]

well... don't know if i mentioned it but i only found that one washer when i was cleaning up.  i was going to leave the ball joints the way they are but i found this earlier today.

 

http://www.nicoclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/datsun_720_ball_joint_replacement_002.jpg

 

i called up the auto parts stores around here and they couldn't help me so i went to lowes.  i guess they're going in tomorrow. 

 

i also found a ball joint thread here today so i'll be sure to put in my 2 cents.

[that-son]

so i'm admiring my work today and the wife looks over my shoulder and says... "go ahead and get the axle shafts then."

 

pls. tell me the axle shafts can be pulled out without removing the ball joints? 

and if not, can the ball joints be removed without getting destroyed in the process?

[that-son]

yes!  i did it!  here are the tools i used. 

 

 

i ended up taking the caliper/brake assembly out of the way and pulling the rotor and mount out.  i used the tool on the right (tie rod tool) for the upper and the tool on the left (idler arm tool).  i'm just waiting for shocks and looking for axle shafts now.

 

rockauto carries bearings, seals and cv boots...  that everything i need to rebuild?  the only axle shafts i've seen online are for '83 and up.

[84720FourWheel]

You'll want to replace the inner wheel seal. Not sure if you'll be able to find CV shafts.

 

The shafts are held in by a snap ring behind the locking hub assy. Remove the bolts at the diff, and that side should be able to drop out of the way and the axle can be pulled out of the hub.

[that-son]

i read somewhere that it's better to just replace the axle shafts if the boots are torn.  and that's the only reason i'm thinking about replacing them.  but since i can't seem to find them anywhere should i just replace what i can and repack with grease?

[84720FourWheel]

I want to say you can modify the later CVs to fit.

 

As long as there isn't excessive play or damage to the joint, a thorough cleaning, greasing, and rebooting is still a viable option.

[datzenmike]

This. Another option is to find some used ones.

[that-son]

datzenmike - unfortunately, none of the jy's around me have a 720.  i even have a neighbor who drives 50-70 miles to look at barracudas in jy's.  he tells me he's always asking and looking out but nada.  anyway, glad i listened to you about the pitman arm.  i almost bought a new one only because there's a ton of them now on the internets.  pulled out the idler arms and crossrod today and i saw for myself.  there really is nothing to wear out on the pitman arm. 

 

i do have a question though.  does the pitman arm need to be fully seated?  after cleaning out all the grease and mud, i noticed theres maybe a 3/8 in. gap between the p arm and whatever it goes into.  i tightened it as much as i could, to the point where i feel like the truck will fall off of the jack stands but only managed to close the gap by maybe an 8th of an inch.  there's still about a 1/4" gap there.  of course i loosened the nut again and made sure the lock washer did not flatten. 

 

also, the haynes manual says i need a hydraulic press to work on the shafts and knuckle.  is it really necessary to remove the knuckle from the rotors to repack the bearings?  the manual says to just grease the bearings and the sides of the seals spacers...ect.  but my two neighbors who are retired mechanics tell me to fill 'er up and pack it full.  how much is enough?

 

thanks again guys.  the tips i get here are really invaluable!

[84720FourWheel]

It doesn't go all the way down. It's a tapered/splined seat on it so it just needs to be tight as the torque spec, but I'm sure that it doesn't hurt to get it nice and tight.

 

The Haynes manual is correct if you are going to replace the races in the hub. But you don't need a press, a brass punch and some skill can get the races out.

To correctly repack the wheel bearings you'll have to remove the hubs. You are going to undo everything that holds them on to remove the CV shaft so it will be a great time to do that.

 

Be sure to lay everything you take out in the order it came out.

[that-son]

right now i'm just cleaning/removing grease a whole lot of grease and mud.  tried contacting cardone to see if they can rebuild my axle shafts and what exactly they would replace.  they didn't pickup yesterday and they didn't pickup today either.  maybe i have the wrong number. 

 

i've decided to just rebuild the idler arm.  rockauto carries bushings for less than a dollar.  energy suspension also has them for $14.  maybe someday i'll have brass bushings machined for it.  tomorrow, i'll clean and completely take apart the crossrod.  i'll decide then if i'll just rebuild it or replace it.  i think i found some bushings for it as well.

 

i can't seem to find wheer my engine oil is leaking from.  thought it was from the drain but it's coming from higher up.    are the seals accessible or will the engine have to come out?

[84720FourWheel]

Is it coming from the exhaust side of the engine?

[that-son]

i wanna say it's all around but i think mostly it's between the engine and firewall.  i'll find out for sure tomorrow.  i ran out of time this morning and did not want to wash up just to go look for my flashlight,.

[84720FourWheel]

Valve cover maybe? I noticed mine leaked from the rear semi circular plug.

[that-son]

so just to update...

 

the screws holding the hubs are frozen tight.  tried pb blaster yesterday, sprayed some more this morning then gave them screws a good whack...   still nothing.  bought a $20 impact wrench from hf, destroyed one hf t40 bit, bought a better quality bit and managed to unscrew one sumb!tch.  tomorrow i'll return the impact wrench and buy the $50 one.  if that doesn't work... i'll bring it to the high school.  or maybe a tirecenter...

[84720FourWheel]

Put a bit of antisieze on those bolts when you put it back together. You'll thank yourself later.

[720inOlyWa]

i wanna say it's all around but i think mostly it's between the engine and firewall.  i'll find out for sure tomorrow.  i ran out of time this morning and did not want to wash up just to go look for my flashlight,.

 

It took me a while to get the hang of totally shutting down any leaking around the valve cover. It starts with a serious and relentless prepping and RTV sealer treatment on both semi-circular plugs. A new rubber valve cover gasket is a must, even if your old one looks fine. Also, scout for the best valve cover screws sets at the junk yards. Fresh rubber screw grommets are a must. Lastly, don’t be afraid to get out your big phillips head and tighten those screws down. Not stupid tight- but good and snug. My rule of thumb has become ‘re-tighten until all signs of seepage stops. It took a bit, but I think I am pretty much there.