Symptoms
Grease or gear oil weeping from the knuckles, wheel bearing play, clicking from worn birfields on tight turns in 4WD.
The fix, step by step
- Pull the hubs, spindles and birfield axles, clean and inspect the joints, then replace wheel bearings and seals and rebuild the knuckles (trunnion bearings and wiper seals).
- Repack with fresh grease and set bearing preload on reassembly.
- Trail-Gear's Classic front lift kit for 1979–85 solid-axle trucks bundles a knuckle rebuild kit and wheel bearing kits for exactly this reason.
Tools & part numbers
- Hub socket
- slide hammer
- snap-ring pliers
- knuckle rebuild kit
- wheel bearing kits
- Longfield or RCV axle upgrades if you're running bigger tyres
Where to buy the parts
Solid axle knuckle service kit with wheel bearingsLC Engineering ↗Amazon ↗
Toyota knuckle rebuild kit (Japanese trunnion bearings)LC Engineering ↗Amazon ↗
Longfield 27-spline birfield axle kitLC Engineering ↗Amazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Toyota 4Runner 1st Gen parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.