king pin questions

[KenzMan]

So I got checking out the front end of my truck and noticed the driver's side wheel has movement up and down . I took everything apart to have a look at it and everything looks to be alright other than the steering knuckle being able to move vertically on the king pins . On the bottom there is the bushing and the plate , on the top there is the bushing with a steel puck in the middle of it and then the steering arm goes on top of that . The first pic is with the steering knuckle jacked up tight to the axle housing and with a straight edge across the top of the bushing I have a .022" gap . The second picture is with the knuckle hanging . I have no idea why I have a .022" gap . So my questions are , is there only the one puck on top or one top and one bottom ? and also how much total clearance to I want to have everything assembled properly ? The puck I have now is a little over 3/16" . I also have a bad oil leak on that side of the housing and I'm thinking this situation isn't helping that either .

Thanks in advance ,
Kenzie

 

[Floridianson]

Puck on the top only. How is the bottom plate?
Has it worn a hole in it?
I ordered new bottom plates for both sides as they had worn a nice hole in them and it is alot better now.

 

[gringeltaube]

As Floridian stated there is only one spacer (“puck”) that goes under the top plate (pass. side) or steering arm (drivers s.)

I have always found them in thicknesses of little over 3/16” with minor differences (0.217” +/- 0.003”, not considering wear) and it has helped in some cases replacing them with the thicker OEM ones. Not your solution I guess…
The manual doesn’t care to mention this as a possible problem or point of wear to be adjusted.(see TM 9-2320-209-34-2-1: Table 10-1.: Front Axle Assembly (Steering Knuckle) Wear Limits.

As we know all of the truck’s front weight is supported by the (2) lower plate center rubbing directly against the (lower) pin’s face, so as wear progresses, that gap will only increase. Even if not critical for handling and steering 0.022” seems a lot, also meaning that the our poor already aged inner oil seal has to absorb close to that much of additional up/down movement of the inner axle shaft… time to replace that seal anyways!

If you find your lower plate worn replace it! (see post above!) Any still remaining gap can be adjusted to 0 with either a new custom made oversize spacer or what I usually do reducing the thickness of the lower sleeve plate for the same amount and thus restore the original - knuckle to axle housing - relative position. I would not recommend shimming the spacer!
In any case check the other points of wear if they still are within limits. I’ve found some kingpins being far from cylindrical shaped (and they still only replaced the bushings!)

Good luck!

G.

 

[KenzMan]

The lower plate looks very good , just a slight wear mark . only thing it is only for a portion of the diameter , like the pin isn't 100% square to the plate . Being the plate looks pretty good I think I will go with a thicker spacer , I don't know if I trust a machinist around here with my plate , they mess it up and then I have to order away for one . I think I will leave it at that for now , I'm scared to look for anymore trouble than I have right at the moment and I am pretty well out of both time and money .

Thanks again for the replies guys , told me pretty much everything I was looking to know .
I can't say enough about what a valuable resource this site is .

Kenzie

 

[Evilone]

Steering end-play

KenzMan -

As gringeltaube and Floridianson said, there is only one shim. I have found that when given an inspection that says the end-play is out, I re-check to confirm. Often the check was performed incorrectly by just jacking and giving the wheel a shake to see if there is "excessive" movement. You must confirm that the wheel bearings are servicable, greased, seated and torqued properly. All the nuts and bolts on the upper and lower bushing sleeves/plates/steering arm are also greased and torqued to spec. If anything is deemed un-servicable, fix or replace the faulty part(s). Then use the dial indicator to check for end-play. This procedure will give a much more accurate end-play reading. There is a 7-piece shim kit, NSN 2530-01-079-8450, that contains different thickness shims. The kits should be available from one of the many dealers that carry the other repair parts. Below are a pic of the exploded knuckle and the procedure from the manual for a reference. You might have to right click on the photo to open in new window. By the way - Cape Breton, N.S.? Is the truck a surplused MLVW?

 

[gringeltaube]

................There is a 7-piece shim kit, NSN 2530-01-079-8450, that contains different thickness shims. The kits should be available from one of the many dealers that carry the other repair parts. ....................................

Very interesting! I've always wondered about a practical way for depot mechanics to eliminate that vertical play. There sure is a reason for the existence of such a kit to simply select the correct one at the time of a complete rebuild.
Anybody familiar with these, knowing increments or range of thickness covered?

G.

 

[KenzMan]

I can't find anything that tells me too much about the truck but the man I got it from told me it is a '63 Reo . I checked this with the wheel, hub and spindle all off , the .022" measurement may not be 100% accurate but it wouldn't be far off . Is there any other options I have at this point ? With this amount of travel how do I know where the knuckle belongs to keep the axle centered in the housing ?

 

[Evilone]

KenzMan -

Even without seeing the axle u-joint and the axle housing seal/thrust washer combo, this may also be part of your problem with the described up and down play. Likely a damaged seal is to blame for the oil leak, probably from the worn parts beating around. Hopefully not, but check that these parts are serviceable before putting anything back together. Have a look at where the seal rides on the inner axle shaft. If it is worn badly a new seal won't make a difference for long, if at all. A replacement axle shaft would probably be $$$ to purchase, so if this is necessary you may want to look into a speedi-sleave or know someone who can spray weld. Checking for end-play with the steering arm and lower plate and sleeve w/ bushing will not get you an accurate assessment of end-play. As for the shim kit, I will order one tomorrow and get the different thickness's of each disc. That's if the snowfall amount we're getting doesn't get me a day off from work.

 

[KenzMan]

I didn't pull the axle yet (too close to my wall at the moment) , it has the fork and ball style joint which itself looks to be in good condition and the stub feels good in the spindle bushing , I am going to pull the axle out far enough to have a look where the seal rides tonight . I think it's time to start a parts list .

 

[Evilone]

Came across this thread while looking for a picture from a ways back and realized I never got the information on the kingpin spacer sizes from the kit. Just to tie up loose ends I attached this pic of them and there sizes

 

[wcolt45]

Anyone know of any suppliers that have this kit?

 

[KenzMan]

I am not aware of who would carry it . Just to follow up on my problem , I took my lower sleeve plate and done as Gringeltaube stated and had the thickness reduced at a machine shop . I can't remeber the measurement now but it was bowl shaped on the bottom , if memory serves me right it was .012 or .015" we took off it before it completely cleaned the face of it up and then another cut to leave me the clearance I was looking for .

 

[wcolt45]

Had the front on stands and noticed a little up and down play as well as some side to side,guess bushings are in order as well

 

[wcolt45]

After reading a few posts about the tools required and precise measurements in not looking forward to the task of bushing replacement.