07-17-2021, 01:37 PM
|
#77
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
07-17-2021, 03:11 PM
|
#78
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: North of Dallas
Posts: 1,661
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: North of Dallas
Posts: 1,661
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gamma Ray
Holy crap, it was hot today.....
|
today yes, but also for the last few weeks
__________________
2020 4Runner SR5 Premium 4x4
Barcelona Red, Graphite/Grey
Sunroof
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
08-05-2021, 07:53 PM
|
#79
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
08-08-2021, 11:23 AM
|
#80
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
08-14-2021, 07:24 PM
|
#81
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
09-05-2021, 11:35 AM
|
#82
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
I've been dealing with the lower arms of the IFS falling apart on my Enduro Trailrunner for the past while. They're held together by a metal ball stud and a plastic rod end. The original rod ends held together for almost a year, but then they started going. I got a pack of replacement rod ends, but they weren't holding together so great. Either the pack of rod ends was no good or the metal ball studs wore down. However it actually went, I was having problems, and it was ruining my RC outings. I got some hardware from the hardware store to try some things. It turns out the simplest thing I tried first appeared to work the best. You can use a 4mm nut and bolt. The length of the nut isn't so important as long as it's not too short. You're going to want to have a little bit coming down in the end after you cut off the excess. Disassemble the suspension and remove the CV axle. Remove the ball stud and put the bolt downwards into the hole of the steering knuckle. Reinsert the CV axle and get it into assembled position. Then put the bolt into the rod end of the lower arm. Use a bit of thread lock on the bolt where the nut's going to rest, and put the nut on. Putting the nut on requires finesse. You don't want it too tight or too loose. Try a few positions before you leave the thing alone to let the thread lock set. After the thread lock sets, take a dremel and cut off the excess part of the bolt hanging down below the nut. This will keep your tire from rubbing on it while it's squished. Then do this all over again on the other side.
I went to NJ Devils Way this morning to test it out, and it went very well. I had nothing to worry about. It stayed together like it was new. the nut and bit of bolt does hang lower than the original ball stud/rod end combination, but it's a small price to pay for much better durability. And it's so far over to the side that the tires are going to be negating the extra bit of stuff hanging lower anyway.
Potential drawbacks to this include the following: The ball stud and rod end on the upper arm may be more prone to being popped apart now. Sometimes you get a branch between the arms and the CV axle, and the bottom would always torque itself apart. It was always the bottom that torqued apart. Performing the same modification on the upper rod end may be appropriate to mitigate potential future separation. There's a similar setup for the steering linkage near the upper arm, but that's probably at far less risk for popping apart than the upper arm. The rod ends themselves may also break apart under the extra stress. Replacing the rod ends with something sturdier like metal rod ends may be an appropriate fix. Other plastic parts further down the line may be increasingly affected by modifications, so that's a concern. Also, once the nut and bolt modification gets performed, the most practical way to access the CV axle becomes removing the skid plate and the pins that hold in the lower arms. The pins will have to be removed while letting the lower arms swing out to allow for further accessibility. However, the area of the CV axle only becomes a point of concern when major failure occurs like bearing failure or front differential failure. Should the CV axle itself fail, it will potentially snap in such a way that three or even two wheel drive in the rear will still be possible. All in all, I believe the simple nut and bolt modification will prove to be a benefit to the durability of the Enduro IFS system. I will be continuing to put this modification to the test when taking my Trailrunner out.
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
09-12-2021, 10:51 AM
|
#83
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
My lower arm modification seems to be working great. I went to Walter D. Faith Memorial Field today, and it did fine on all the rocky gravel and anything else I threw at it. I even got stuck in some grass in a deep puddle, and nothing popped apart when I had grass torqued around the axles. I'm very happy with my Trailrunner right now.
I also saw a Nissan Skyline R32 on my way to the place. Nice!
And here's a video: Enduro Trailrunner - 9/12/21 - PFC Walter D. Faith Memoria… | Flickr
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
09-25-2021, 06:00 PM
|
#84
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
10-17-2021, 01:40 PM
|
#85
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
I thought I wasn't going to run my Trailrunner for a few more weeks, but I got its repairs and upgrades done ahead of schedule. It now has a fresh pinion and spur gear. I went with stock parts, but the pinion actually looks different from what the truck originally came with. I also got a different motor. The stock motor got some extra life out of it with the WD40 trick, but I decided to get ahead of any potential future failures and swap it with something close to the stock motor but is fully rebuildable. It appears there's some exposed stuff on the end that faces the front of the truck, so we'll see how long that lasts. However, if I'm able to more effectively clean it by being able to take it apart then it should be a good upgrade. Finally, I got some M3 hex cap screws and M3 lock washers that I had to special order from Fastenal for mounting the motor. It originally came with allen key head screws, and I always strip those things. I couldn't get the stock motor tight enough after cleaning it, and I lost gear mesh and stripped the original spur. These new hex cap screws and lock washers let me get the motor mounted up really securely. I'm hoping this lasts a long, long time. I gave the gear mesh the paper measurement trick, and everything was fine, so I should be good to go!
Today's outing was Julian Capik Nature Preserve in Sayreville, NJ. I went in through the back route, but it was challenging. The brush really grows in thick over the summer. At one point I had to pick up my Trailrunner and wade through the brush. It was up to my nipples! I was out for a couple hours, and everything was fine. The truck held up to everything I threw at it. There were no signs of gear mesh slippage. My front end stayed together with the lower arm modification I made last summer. Twigs got into the IFS a couple times and seized things up, but nothing popped or grinded. One time a twig even got stuck in there, the truck came to a stop, and the twig got snapped as it exerted force on the twig and moved forward while a piece of the twig went flying out the side. Nice!
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
10-24-2021, 01:03 PM
|
#86
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
11-10-2021, 08:49 PM
|
#87
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
I got my Enduro Trailrunner reworked with a new Fire body and a whole bunch of stuff going on under the hood. I did a single layer of the drywall tape and shoe goo reinforcement. I may do more, but I don't want to add a whole lot more weight up top. The shoe goo was really sticky, but it's interesting when it's dry. It still retains flexibility. When gluing the spare tire holder magnet into the inside of the body this time, I only used shoe goo. I glued it first directly contacting the drywall tape and existing shoe goo, and then I gave the magnet a covering of shoe goo. I'm hoping this stays in one spot now. I also redid the placement of the outer magnet. You can barely see it now. All of the hard plastic body accessories got glued in place except for the front grill which never needed gluing. I finally got the rear fender flare modified to go with the rear bumper, too. This is probably the nicest this body is ever going to look. I can't wait to take it outside!
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
11-13-2021, 11:26 PM
|
#88
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
11-21-2021, 12:51 PM
|
#89
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
11-25-2021, 06:23 PM
|
#90
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 721
|
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Rate This Thread |
Linear Mode
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is On
|
|
|
|