"Mitsy" '86 Repairs, Renew, Rebuild, Replace

[BradMph]

What a pain in the arsk pulling the axel out of these 86 trucks. I bought a bearing for the passenger side axel and after removing the E-brake cable from the truck so I could pull axel I finally got it out. I managed to get the slotted retainer bolt and locking washer off the bearing. Now I got to figure out how to press bearing off. The manual shows to use a flat plate with holes lined up to fit the back plate of the drum housing and use 2 bolts to work the bearing off the axel, but it doesn't make sense how the plate is going to stay put on the axel. Then the manual says I have to shim the damn thing too when reinstalling. Never had so much BS to do when replacing a rear wheel bearing like this. I think I'll just drop it on my machinest work bench first thing in the morning and let them do the press work. I don't have the tool for this, though a hydraulic jack could make an attempt.
He'll get an axel and the brake shoe housing still attached with an e-brake cable dragging along.

[BradMph]

I did a bunch of research on this bearing stuff and evidently there is a tool to remove the bearing from the 1st gen axel bearing housing. The part number is MB990787-A and before you rush out and buy one, don't!. All the part is, is a plate about 4x6 with a hole in the center for the axel to fit through. I decided to price these things and they are over $100. This has got to be a mistake I thought at first, but no it's true. This simple little plate (tool) slides over the axel as it stays attached to the brake housing. But, before you slide it on you have to remove the bearing lock washer, nut and washer, then replace the locking nut back onto the axel and thread it on a few turns. Place the plate onto the axel against this nut and thread a couple bolts onto the brake assembly back plate studs. The plate puts pressure against the bearing as you tighten the 2 bolts onto the back plate studs. You tighten them evenly of course to slowly push the axel shaft and bearings through the bearing housing. It's a pretty corny way to release the axel from the brake assembly, but that's how the manual explained it. You also are not suppose to remove the E-brake cable from the brake assembly either, so you have to remove the E cable atleast on one side of the vehicle to remove the axel from the vehicle. It is a process that is definitely more work then it should be compared to all the other wheel bearings I have replaced in the past.
I had to remove the vehicle's hydraulic brake line from brake assembly, as well as E-brake cable out of vehicle, I took a dremel and started cutting the bearings off the axel. Grinded a seem in the race and broke it off also. This allowed the axel to finally be separated from the brake housing assembly. I sent all the parts to a wheel professional since my machinest specializes in engine work only. I printed the procedures out for this place so they wouldn't install the bearings and seal, etc. wrong. Not every shop carries manuals for our old trucks, so supplying the directions to the place prior to the work gives you a better chance to get it done correctly. I pick the part up tomorrow morning and will reinstall after.
You may think your done at this point, but your not.
There is one thing, well actually more then one, that must be done to the reinstall axel when your ready to place the axel back in the truck. The first time you install axel, be careful not to damage your new seals because the axel is only going in to check the tolerance distance between the brake housing and bearing assembly. You check this by placing a typical gap tool between the 2 parts I mentioned and you have to do this before you reinstall any shims that were removed during the disassembly. So save your parts and try not to damage anything as you first remove the axel. There is a very thin O-ring in the housing also that can be overlooked, so be sure you read the steps very carefully when changing rear wheel bearings. This O-ring is very hard to see since it fits into a channel. Once you have checked the gap, you need to install a new shim the exact same size as the measurement you got when checking the gap. In addition to the shim, you need to insert a second shim as well that measures between 0.0020-0.0079in (0.5-0.20mm). This is so your wheel isn't flopping down the road as you drive.
After you have installed your shims, replaced your seals, applied silicone sealer to the 2 housings, reinstalled your E-brake cable, re-attached your hydraulic brake hose, and tightened all your bolts, you are finally able to look back at what a pain in the ass this all was. Afterwards, you will need to test drive your work and hope to god it is all done correctly.
Now, if you decide to do both sides of your vehicles rear bearings, just do this all over again on the other side.

Note: The axel bearing locknut has a final torque of 131-159ft.lbs. So you will probably need the help from a gorilla to tighten this nut to proper torque.

Not me...I'll do that side when my wheel falls off going down the road. lol.
Again this was the 1st gen procedure for replacing rear wheel bearing.
Here is an image showing the $100 tool and where it gets placed to remove the bearing. I'm sure you could make this part for about $5 and it would make things easier, but you still have to cut those parts off your axel and housing.
bearingview.gif

[BradMph]

All went good with reinstall of the axel and new bearing. I had time to clean off the E-brake cables and swivels of all the years of road warrior driving. Also properly adjusted them and what a difference that has made. My hand E-brake no longer travels as far as it did. I maybe go about 4-5 clicks now. The axel bearing seems to have corrected the very stiff rotating of the wheel. I also have not heard the loose bolt sounds I was experiencing before. While under the truck I also repacked the U-joints and center support bearing and sprayed oil cleaner on a couple needed areas. I notice on the center U-joint that the cap has a little bit of play in the socket. I added it on my things to do list. I'm still pending a rear main seal replacement also, but I have the new parts and the anaerobic gasket sealer needed for the fix. Ever since I RTV'd the plate where the OEM fuel pump was and valve cover gasket resealed, the oil drip has almost stopped completely. It is maybe leaving a drop or two over night now.
It's almost time for the first oil change which will be done in the next few days.

[BradMph]

Truck is running great, very happy with everything so far. The bug fixing is also going well, I'm still keeping an eye on real main seal. It will leave a 4in x 4in shiny spot on cement over the course of a day or two. I hope to change out seal and gasket when I do next oil change.
The exhaust is beginning to be a little loud for me and I think Rick's setup with the pipes continued over axel and out the sides after the rear tires is going to have to be done. Back in the day the loud exhaust wouldn't bother me, but I think it would sound even better, as well as quieter to run them as mentioned above.
The truck pulls the boat much better now. I need some more low end torque though to get the truck out of hole faster. Once it hits about 2800-3000rpms, the power increase is noticeably better. Pulls great on freeway entrance. I will check MPG on my next fill up, certainly curious if it got better from the 24MPG it had before rebuild.

[BradMph]

Changed oil for second time since rebuild. Put in the good old Castrol Oil again and a big bottle of Zinc. The truck is doing very good and no complaints at this time. I hope to hit the wrecking yard in the next few days and make a haul of those hard to find parts.

Here are our wrecking yards. Both are owned by the same person and his motto is, "sell it as cheap as possible" lol.

The top image is probably the biggest yard in the country and would take more then a day to walk through. The bottom image is their new place about 3 miles away and is now full of cars. Google needs to update their satellite images obviously.
OurYards.jpg

[ikeepzitclean]

great job on the build and u got her back on the road quickly. looks great!
btw, when I read about ur oil leak after the fresh rebuilt, I realized I wasn't alone w/ this issue.. I have 2 leaks now and part of the reason why I haven't put my shield back on (the one bolted to the frame, it's in front of the oil pan). A few days after I got the truck running I noticed a leak up by the oil pump case and kinda trickles down the timing cover in the area around the crank pulley and drips down (maybe front seal?). Then there's a smaller leak between tranny and block (rear main seal?). Camoit helped me w/ installing the Balance Shaft Elimination kit on my rebuild, so there's no shafts in there..maybe one of those plugs on front case is the source of the leak? idk, nvr had a chance to look at it.

not like I can fix it anytime soon..for now I just check the oil and level is consistent. anyway, any update on the leaks yours had?

[BradMph]

great job on the build and u got her back on the road quickly. looks great!
btw, when I read about ur oil leak after the fresh rebuilt, I realized I wasn't alone w/ this issue.. I have 2 leaks now and part of the reason why I haven't put my shield back on (the one bolted to the frame, it's in front of the oil pan). A few days after I got the truck running I noticed a leak up by the oil pump case and kinda trickles down the timing cover in the area around the crank pulley and drips down (maybe front seal?). Then there's a smaller leak between tranny and block (rear main seal?). Camoit helped me w/ installing the Balance Shaft Elimination kit on my rebuild, so there's no shafts in there..maybe one of those plugs on front case is the source of the leak? idk, nvr had a chance to look at it.

not like I can fix it anytime soon..for now I just check the oil and level is consistent. anyway, any update on the leaks yours had?

You should try and fix those leaks as soon as possible. If not, you will grow accustom to them and end up never doing them. lol. The front leaks may be able to be fixed by re-torqueing the bolts for oil pump or removing it and using the red RTV heat proof silicone. If you going to remove front covers, might as well pull the leaky seals and stuff and seal them for good. First front seal I put on ended up flipping the seal lip and popping the little seal spring off the seal. Didn't even notice the spring had popped off seal and the seal edge got folded backwards until I had to remove the seal again to do some other things. The 2nd time, I oil lubed that seal real well and the crankshaft and slid it on slow and even, finishing it up with a wood block and dead blow hammer. Make sure you use RTV where the Head, valve cover, cam journal meet too. Manual says to do it so oil doesn’t seep out.
My rear seal install, I somehow forgot to think before installing the parts. I even told myself to be sure to do it correctly, but that show you I can't even listen to myself, lol. Anyways, here is the how you can get that rear main seal to not leak. These steps should be followed on the 2.0L G63B.
seal.gif
Notice the rear main seal parts above. You need to oil the seal and the crankshaft a lot so that the seal does not flip the seal lip over while sliding it into place. Grab both sides of the seal and turn it as your pushing it on, sort of like driving a car and turning wheel back and forth. Do it evenly until it cannot go any further. The next thing to put on is the seal ring. This will determine if you’re going to have a leak or not, if done wrong. The ring has to go on the seal and protect it. The ring also has a hole on one edge that looks like a drain hole or lube hole. This hole must be at the bottom or 6 o'clock position when placed onto engine. But, before it goes on you need to put this stuff called anaerobic sealer on the seal and the ring's lower 1/2. This special sealer glue will not dry when left in the plain air; it only hardens when everything is bolted together and creates an air tight seal from the air. This glue stuff keeps the rear main seal from spinning and leaking and seals the ring up against the main seal. This is important if you want the seal to not leak.
Like I mentioned above, I told myself to do it right, but somehow blew it off and I now have to re-separate trany from engine and redo the seal correctly with anaerobic sealer. You can use this stuff on the gasket as well when you put the final rear seal plate on. Remember to wipe off the excess sealer that is squeezed out from torqueing because it is chemically formulated to only dry when it is sealed off from the air.
This sealer can be purchased from Permatex or Loctite and auto parts stores. Permatex is usually the cheaper one to get it from. Strangely it's the same sealer repackaged and sold by both companies which Loctite owns them both.

[BradMph]

Ordered These Nitro 2 Shocks for the truck, all the way around.
belltech.jpg

[thillskier]

Brad, VERY impressive build! Obvious that this was done RIGHT..it will last a very long time, I'd bet! Thanks for the vacuum gauge tips..I'd heard that but never saw that list! Printed out and in my shop manual now, for handy future reference. Smoky Yunick (and old NASCAR engine Guru and general innovator and hot rodder) said he could diagnose ANY engine issue with A VAC GAUGE, A SCREWDRIVER, PLIARS, AND ADJUSTABLE WRENCH! Wow! Those were the good old days....now computers and other "nannies"! I am finishing my A/C total rebuild today hopefully today, anyways, and I just ordered shocks Gabriel "Ultra's". (just fronts for now..budget reasons! Rears can wait..thinking those Delco;'s on rock auto with helper springs for 66.00 I think..Lifetime warranty, also! I'll post how these work once installed. Can you let us know? I may get different ones when I do rears by then. ANyway, beautiful work!

[BradMph]

Ordered These Nitro 2 Shocks for the truck, all the way around.
belltech.jpg

OK, bad news for Belltech Shocks. After removing my present KYB KG5433 Gas-a-Just Monotube Shock PG13 I compared the Belltech 8000 to mine and I have to say, Belltechs are not the shocks for me. Just holding the 2 types of shocks in my hands I can tell the KYB's are a better built shock for my use. Belltechs are not suppose to cavitate and they do right in my hand as I compress them. They also are just a smidge stronger then OEM which a lowered truck like ours needs more strength to keep that front from smacking stoppers. I am choosing to send them back and probably just re-replace my present shocks with the same. These KYB's have been on the truck for 20+ years and feel pretty damn good still with no leaks. I think I will stick with KYB, Sorry Belltech. These are not going to work in my truck.

[Fordubishi]

Remember Brad a shock will need to be upright for awhile before they pump up fully. This is because they are laying on their sides when they are in the box and sometime transfer fluid through the valve. A few cycles on the truck and they will become stiffer.

[pennyman1]

If you want a really great lowered truck shock, get a set of tokico trekmaster - they have an internal bump stop that prevent shock damage when bottoming the shock out. I have had a set on Geronimo since the late 80's and still going strong. The ride is great - the only shocks better were the John Baker design-tuned monroe shocks - best compression - rebound tuned shock ever on a D-50. They wore out and John replaced them with the Trekmaster shocks under warranty, as monroe discontinued the style the shock was based on.

[BradMph]

Ya, but my shocks never bottom out, they might bump the frame rubber stops rarely and that happens before the shocks would over compress. These KYB's I have are pretty strong. They lasted years as well and are still in great condition. Surprise the hell out of me when I pulled the one out to replace and thought why replace these? I would of installed these Belltech shocks if they would of fit, but I would of been unhappy with them. There is no doubt that they probably do well on other trucks, but not mine. Perhaps I should of look into them harder, because they are an OEM replacement with a little more strength and I needed much more.
I need the mono tube and I like the smooth freeway ride with aggressive handle characteristics when it is required. I also am not going to dish out more then what I feel is adequate for the driving I do. The truck handles perfectly and in the pouring rain, I can roll empty at 80mph with no hydo action, though this is the tires doing this. But, I been satisfied with KYB's and they are world class and also guaranteed for life. I decided to put a matching set on the rear and they are being shipped and keep the fronts on.
I ordered the ACDelco Advantage Front Sway bar links too. The price was only about 10 bucks for a great quality brand name and the entire kit was included.
Swaybar LinkKit.gif

[BradMph]

Remember Brad a shock will need to be upright for awhile before they pump up fully. This is because they are laying on their sides when they are in the box and sometime transfer fluid through the valve. A few cycles on the truck and they will become stiffer.

Your right Fordubishi and testing by using a hand compression is no way to test a shock since there is no way to test at the speeds the shocks move while driving, with your hand.
My KYB's were close to twice the strength though and to be told that I would have to hacksaw the metal dust cover off a pair of brand new shocks by the company rep really dissatisfied me. In addition to taking a dremel tool also to the truck??? not me, lol. This info should of been on the page where they said they fit my truck. I will give a company an honest chance, but sheesh come on this isn't quality.
By all means, these KYB's are no basic shock...the quality of their shocks are always present and the price is the way it should be. They are not high priced because of a sticker.

[BradMph]

schneider_bannerlong2.jpg
http://schneidercams.com/

Cams Grinded for our trucks @ $125.00

[BradMph]

KYB has discontinued the 1st Gen Rear Gas adjust 2wd Shocks model# KG5445. After contacting Tech Service for KYB, they have given me a new compatible shock with almost identical rates and also a little stiffer. The new model# is KG5434 which replaces the discontinued KG5445.


1ST GEN TRUCKS:

KYB
KG5434 REAR GAS ADJUST SHOCKS
20.39 EXTENDED / 12.91 COMPRESSED / 7.68 STROKE / E1 - UPPER & LOWER MOUNTS

KYB
KG5433 FRONT GAS ADJUST SHOCKS
13.78 EXTENDED / 9.06 COMPRESSED / 4.72 STROKE / S1 - UPPER & E3 (56.6X77X0) MOUNT KIT#C0272

[BradMph]

Sent my cam to the Schneider Cam grinders and should arrive there today if not there already. This place should be pretty good, I read the history about these guys and Crower and Schneider were in business together back before any of us were born, lol. Apparently they didn't get along to well and went in their own direction. Well, same direction but in different ways. They both still shave cams, but their kids are involved now.
Going to get some new valve springs and a Cam sprocket gear adjuster soon as possible.

I want to thank Rahtid for the input on this great advise and the links. I appreciate the help very much.

[BradMph]

Got my sway bar kit today.
swaybarkit.jpg

Sure looks different from the image shown above. I would of liked the red bushings, but for 10 bucks I can't complain. The bushings feel good and are poly. Put them on in a couple days.
Still waiting for the rear shocks to show up. It always seems that if you have a problem with something you order online and either they are out of the item at factory or whatever, it takes days to get the stuff. Well, I'll update the thread when they arrive.

______________________________________

When replacing the parts, I decided to re-use the bolts and nuts since the ACDelco bolts were a bit shorter and I was not about try and compress the bushings so the locking nuts could catch threads. I also liked the 2 nut locking system instead of the single plastic insert lock nut and re-used the original nuts as well.

I installed sway bar bushings and here are the old and new.
Swaybar_bushing.jpg

Here you can see the years put on them. The washer has obviously been worn and this was present on both sides
compare.jpg

[ikeepzitclean]

You should try and fix those leaks as soon as possible. If not, you will grow accustom to them and end up never doing them. lol. The front leaks may be able to be fixed by re-torqueing the bolts for oil pump or removing it and using the red RTV heat proof silicone. If you going to remove front covers, might as well pull the leaky seals and stuff and seal them for good. First front seal I put on ended up flipping the seal lip and popping the little seal spring off the seal. Didn't even notice the spring had popped off seal and the seal edge got folded backwards until I had to remove the seal again to do some other things. The 2nd time, I oil lubed that seal real well and the crankshaft and slid it on slow and even, finishing it up with a wood block and dead blow hammer. Make sure you use RTV where the Head, valve cover, cam journal meet too. Manual says to do it so oil doesn’t seep out.
My rear seal install, I somehow forgot to think before installing the parts. I even told myself to be sure to do it correctly, but that show you I can't even listen to myself, lol. Anyways, here is the how you can get that rear main seal to not leak. These steps should be followed on the 2.0L G63B.
seal.gif
Notice the rear main seal parts above. You need to oil the seal and the crankshaft a lot so that the seal does not flip the seal lip over while sliding it into place. Grab both sides of the seal and turn it as your pushing it on, sort of like driving a car and turning wheel back and forth. Do it evenly until it cannot go any further. The next thing to put on is the seal ring. This will determine if you’re going to have a leak or not, if done wrong. The ring has to go on the seal and protect it. The ring also has a hole on one edge that looks like a drain hole or lube hole. This hole must be at the bottom or 6 o'clock position when placed onto engine. But, before it goes on you need to put this stuff called anaerobic sealer on the seal and the ring's lower 1/2. This special sealer glue will not dry when left in the plain air; it only hardens when everything is bolted together and creates an air tight seal from the air. This glue stuff keeps the rear main seal from spinning and leaking and seals the ring up against the main seal. This is important if you want the seal to not leak.
Like I mentioned above, I told myself to do it right, but somehow blew it off and I now have to re-separate trany from engine and redo the seal correctly with anaerobic sealer. You can use this stuff on the gasket as well when you put the final rear seal plate on. Remember to wipe off the excess sealer that is squeezed out from torqueing because it is chemically formulated to only dry when it is sealed off from the air.
This sealer can be purchased from Permatex or Loctite and auto parts stores. Permatex is usually the cheaper one to get it from. Strangely it's the same sealer repackaged and sold by both companies which Loctite owns them both.

thanks for all the info man.. I'm gonna have to wait a few weeks before I can even try to look at it.
I'm still trying to remove some weird file extension(courtesy of them pigs in sheriff's forensics dept. when they went through my shit) off the hundreds of pix from my engine build so i can finally put my build thread together. I have step by step pix of my engine build, just have to finish recovering from my old device and converting them so I can open/view them. still have a few hundred to go. lol

and I did use RTV on the rear main seal case and gasket when I installed it.. Camoit came by and helped me install the seal and ring and I think he aligned it w/ the hole on the 6 o'clock. LOL here he is fast at work on the rear main seal:
IMG01713-20130318-1520.jpgIMG01715-20130318-1522.jpgIMG01716-20130318-1528.jpg

[ikeepzitclean]

Got my sway bar kit today.
swaybarkit.jpg

Sure looks different from the image shown above. I would of liked the red bushings, but for 10 bucks I can't complain. The bushings feel good and are poly. Put them on in a couple days.
Still waiting for the rear shocks to show up. It always seems that if you have a problem with something you order online and either they are out of the item at factory or whatever, it takes days to get the stuff. Well, I'll update the thread when they arrive.

______________________________________

When replacing the parts, I decided to re-use the bolts and nuts since the ACDelco bolts were a bit shorter and I was not about try and compress the bushings so the locking nuts could catch threads. I also liked the 2 nut locking system instead of the single plastic insert lock nut and re-used the original nuts as well.

I installed sway bar bushings and here are the old and new.
Swaybar_bushing.jpg

Here you can see the years put on them. The washer has obviously been worn and this was present on both sides
compare.jpg

wow. this kit looks good for the price and they're all polyurethane? and looks like a huge difference between the old and new ones side-by-side.. still, ur old bushings look considerably more intact than on mine. i def. need to redo the whole front end suspension on mine. lol I have so much camber wear on my michelins that I just flipped them around(so i can use the other half of the thread pattern) on both front wheels and I keep driving until I have time to work on the suspension. lol ghetto fix for now so i dont get an unexpected blow out

[thillskier]

Brad,
Where did you buy the Delco kit? I need some as well, and for 10 bucks also! The Ultra (Gabriel front shocks are "OK" ..Not as good as what I was expecting..SHoulda gone with Tokico or the Gas a just KYB's... Not NEAR enough dampening, IMHO. Don't forget the Idler and pittman arm Moog rebuild kits (for 10 bucks approx). EASY install and WOW, what a difference! they made. ALso the Moog HD has the lifetime warranty, and my inserts/bushings were worn a pretty good bit, with resultnt slop...NOT NOW! Drives and turns like new!

[BradMph]

Brad,
Where did you buy the Delco kit? I need some as well, and for 10 bucks also! The Ultra (Gabriel front shocks are "OK" ..Not as good as what I was expecting..SHoulda gone with Tokico or the Gas a just KYB's... Not NEAR enough dampening, IMHO. Don't forget the Idler and pittman arm Moog rebuild kits (for 10 bucks approx). EASY install and WOW, what a difference! they made. ALso the Moog HD has the lifetime warranty, and my inserts/bushings were worn a pretty good bit, with resultnt slop...NOT NOW! Drives and turns like new!

Amazon.com
Strangely the item said shipment in 2-3 months also. SO I thought I was in for the long haul. Then they just shipped it out of the blue.

ACDelco 46G0016A Advantage Front Sway Bar Link
Price: $9.81

[BradMph]

Finally got the call from Schneider Racing Cams and the cam will be ready Oct. 3rd (tomorrow). They said they have an excellent grind for my truck and it will give it it's deserved potential. They have had many compliments about it that they mentioned. I am going to also purchase the valve springs that they have for the install. I asked them for more bottom end to help with acceleration which is needed with the 2.0L pickup and I asked for some lumpy cam sound also. Who doesn't like that sound, lol. They liked that idea and I feel they will do a great job. Kevin said if there is anything I'm not happy about with the cam, that I would not have to pay for the grind, just send out another cam and they will make sure I am 100% satisfied with their work.
I'll be sure to run a video on the startup and test drive. This next video will be a little different from the fresh rebuild video I made. I will definitely be putting my foot into more. The exhaust is on my to do list still to help quiet it down some and I will be getting my rear shocks tomorrow from UPS. I have to try and correct the small drip on the main rear seal when the cam goes in. My driveway is pretty funny looking though with these tiny circles all over it. It's not terribly bad though and I haven't even noticed any drop on the oil dipstick from it, but it needs to be fixed. I can stop cleaning my driveway every few days also.

Going to go play in wrecking yards tomorrow and see if I can find some parts. Like to find an EFI from a 2.4 to do a future carb swap on mine or whatever I can dig up for the forum.
found.jpg

[BradMph]

I had to post this World Tour route my shocks took to get to Spokane WA. Sort of reminds me of the cartoons when I was younger. When they throw the bad guy in the trunk and send him to Timbuktu and he comes back with all these city stickers pasted on the trunk.

Check out this list of places they got to go and remember not only are these arrival scans, they are also departure scans too. Well, besides the final destination. Someone at each stop had to remove them and put them on a truck or plane for the next hop.

Started in:
1) Gastonia, NC, United States
2) Greensboro, NC, United States
3) Columbus, OH, United States
4) Maumee, OH, United States
5) Chicago, IL, United States
6) Hodgkins, IL, United States
7) Spokane, WA, United States - Final

And this is why we pay so much for shipping a package.

[pennyman1]

I see your parts - they are in the red truck on thebottom left of the pile in the photo...