Front wheel binding on UCA install?

[slimjj]

Update:

Had some time to do some more investigation on this today. Binding occurs at full droop when front is jacked up and wheels are off the ground.

Put it in neutral (instead of park):
Passenger side wheel spun freely, no binding
Driver side wheel still binds

Jacked up driver side LCA a few inches and wheel spun freely.

I’m concluding that the driver side CV axle is binding due to the additional droop allowed by the SPC UCA. Not sure if CV axles are different lengths, but perhaps that is why one side binds and the other doesn’t?

Going to order a diff drop kit and see if that fixes the issue. Anyone have a recommendation on Toytec vs Wheelers Off Road drop kit?

I’ve also noticed some decrease in gas mileage and wonder if the binding is causing additional drag at highway speeds when going over rougher road. I guess I’ll find out after the diff drop install.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[81runner]

Update:

Had some time to do some more investigation on this today. Binding occurs at full droop when front is jacked up and wheels are off the ground.

Put it in neutral (instead of park):
Passenger side wheel spun freely, no binding
Driver side wheel still binds

Jacked up driver side LCA a few inches and wheel spun freely.

I’m concluding that the driver side CV axle is binding due to the additional droop allowed by the SPC UCA. Not sure if CV axles are different lengths, but perhaps that is why one side binds and the other doesn’t?

Going to order a diff drop kit and see if that fixes the issue. Anyone have a recommendation on Toytec vs Wheelers Off Road drop kit?

I’ve also noticed some decrease in gas mileage and wonder if the binding is causing additional drag at highway speeds when going over rougher road. I guess I’ll find out after the diff drop install.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Diff drop kit was the way to go for me. Once installed, the driver side axle turns at full droop. It's a little tight, but it turns without me putting much effort in to it. That's good enough for me. And as far as ground clearance afterward (lol) when you pull the skid plate off, there's a few inches between it and the diff. When I put the plate back with the spacers it lined right up with the front like before. So I really didn't LOSE anything then.

 

[slimjj]

Update:

I was about to install a diff drop when I started wondering if it was actually a bad CV axle. Found another post from someone who had the same issue.

Dealership replaced my CV axle with an aftermarket one 3 years ago. After my most recent lift and SPC UCA install, driver's side axle started binding. It would turn about a quarter turn, be hard to turn through for a bit and then spin freely again until it hits the binding spot. I thought a diff drop might help, but then I started thinking about the aftermarket axle and wondered if it could actually be the CV axle itself that's bad.

I lifted it off the ground, put it in neutral and was able to spin the passenger side freely, but driver's side was still binding, so I knew it was the driver's side. Put it in drive and both sides would bind. It helped when I jacked up the driver side so it wasn't at full droop, but I could tell it was still binding while driving due to the drop in gas mileage and the lack of power and a rougher feel.

I skipped trying another aftermarket axle and just went back to OEM. Took it to the dealership (against my better judgement) because I didn't want to mess this one up. Something about drivetrains kinda stresses me out.

So, huge bill of course, but they confirmed my suspicion that it was in fact a bad CV axle. They swapped it out with OEM and now I'm a happy camper. No binding, super smooth, lots more power and better gas mileage. I would have gone with CVJ and done it myself if I felt like it wasn't a bad issue, but I wanted if fixed asap.

 

[Runn4est]

Update:

I was about to install a diff drop when I started wondering if it was actually a bad CV axle. Found another post from someone who had the same issue.

Dealership replaced my CV axle with an aftermarket one 3 years ago. After my most recent lift and SPC UCA install, driver's side axle started binding. It would turn about a quarter turn, be hard to turn through for a bit and then spin freely again until it hits the binding spot. I thought a diff drop might help, but then I started thinking about the aftermarket axle and wondered if it could actually be the CV axle itself that's bad.

I lifted it off the ground, put it in neutral and was able to spin the passenger side freely, but driver's side was still binding, so I knew it was the driver's side. Put it in drive and both sides would bind. It helped when I jacked up the driver side so it wasn't at full droop, but I could tell it was still binding while driving due to the drop in gas mileage and the lack of power and a rougher feel.

I skipped trying another aftermarket axle and just went back to OEM. Took it to the dealership (against my better judgement) because I didn't want to mess this one up. Something about drivetrains kinda stresses me out.

So, huge bill of course, but they confirmed my suspicion that it was in fact a bad CV axle. They swapped it out with OEM and now I'm a happy camper. No binding, super smooth, lots more power and better gas mileage. I would have gone with CVJ and done it myself if I felt like it wasn't a bad issue, but I wanted if fixed asap.

Glad you got it fixed. There's a lot of reports about binding aftermarket CVs.