Symptoms
Grease weeping from the knuckle balls, torn wipers, and play in the knuckle when you rock the wheel top to bottom. One IHPA forum owner described his 1968 800 this way: "the wipers for the knuckles are shot and the king pin bearings are worn out."
The fix, step by step
- With the axle supported, pull the wheel, hub, spindle and axle shaft.
- Inspect the axle U-joint while it's out.
- Remove the knuckle seal retainer and the kingpin caps, then replace the kingpin bearings and races and set preload with shims.
- Fit the new seals and wipers, reassemble, and repack the wheel bearings.
- The IHPA seal kit fits the small eight-bolt knuckles, not the large 12-bolt ones, and you need two kits per axle.
- We couldn't source the kingpin preload figure, so use the IH shop manual.
Tools & part numbers
- Floor jack and stands
- hub/bearing nut socket
- seal driver
- torque wrench
- inch-pound scale for preload
- wheel-bearing grease.
Where to buy the parts
Front axle knuckle seal kit, 1961–71 Scout 80/800 (SL915664)IH Parts America ↗Amazon ↗
Kingpin bearing or race, Dana 27/30/44 closed knuckleIH Parts America ↗Amazon ↗
Front knuckle seal kit, Scout 80 and 800Super Scout Specialists ↗Amazon ↗
Front axle universal joint, 4x4 Scout 80 and 800Super Scout Specialists ↗Amazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for International Scout 80 / 800 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.