Bronco problems! Help newb identify.

[Greg Bell]

Hey guys,

I was filling up my tank (I was on empty) and it took about 22 gallons. I am guessing I have some sort of aftermarket tank.

I noticed GAS LEAKING!!! I noticed it leaking from this area where the filler hose mated with another hose which had a cheesy looking fastener. I used a flathead to tighten the fastener and it stopped.

Anyway, look what was located RIGHT NEXT to the leaking gas.

Holy crud! I will be totally ripping that stuff out this weekend.

Anyway, while digging around, I noticed this potential bad news.

I can't tell if it is oil leaking or tranny fluid or what. HELP! Tips?

This hub also had the fluid (drivers side) but the passenger side did not.

http://gallery.me.com/timetravelfoundation#100038/IMG_0305&bgcolor=black

 

[73stallion]

yep, you got a few projects ahead of ya.

1, best i can tell from the pic the gas is leaking from the breather hose on the filler neck. looks like someone used heater hose on it.

2, wiring, i've seen worse. BTW, the shackles are on backwards.

3, front pinion seal. not too bad a job, but be sure and get a new lockmnut when you replace it.

4, inner axle seal. that means the axle shafts have to come out (which means spindle teardown), and the diff has to come out to replace it. do both while you're in there.

 

[Greg Bell]

Do number 3 and 4 mean I need to take it off the road immediately?

 

[Greg Bell]

What about the shackles. Help me out, I am not sure what you are referring to.

 

[73stallion]

Do number 3 and 4 mean I need to take it off the road immediately?

since the front axle parts aren't moving unless you have the hubs locked in or in 4wd, no it doesn't mean it needs to be taken off the road. it just means it's leaking axle oil. you could milk it for a while if you wanted to, just keeping fluid in it.

not the first time i've seen shackles mounted backwards, just turn them around when you get the chance. not really hurting anything.

 

[broncnaz]

3 and 4 are no worry. #1 is what I would be concerned with. You need a new hose you might get away with just tightening the clamp but heater hose is not the best thing to use for gas.
3 and 4 are only a concern if your running in 4 wheel drive as during normal driving the front axle is not turning so bad seals or low oil is not a issue if you want to drive it a while and use 4wd then just fill up the front diff with oil and drive it. It shouldnt leak out to fast so you should be able to use it but it really needs to be fixed unless you like oil puddles in your driveway.
The shackle is the piece of metal that conncets the rear spring hanger to the leaf spring.

 

[Greg Bell]

Thanks dude.

If you don't mind, if I am too lazy to handle it myself, how much would you guess it would cost to get those things fixed?

 

[Greg Bell]

Broncnaz,

I will fix 1 and 2 immediately.

3-4 might be out of my current skill level. However, I WANT to learn these things so I might do it because I like to understand my toys.

 

[broncnaz]

A good repair manual, a torque wrench, about $40 worth of seals and oil, and a weekend and you can have that front end fixed.
If you try taking it to a shop I'm sure it will cost you well over $400 easy probably double that.

 

[Greg Bell]

Screw that! Sounds like I have plenty of debugging projects. I believe the front end is the Dana 44. It has front disks. How do I determine this?

 

[broncnaz]

A D44 it has ball joints. A D30 has kingpins. Yours appears to have king pins so its a D30 which is what a 67 would have come with.

 

[73stallion]

yours is a dana 30, you can tell by the 4 bolts on the kingpins. if it had 1 big castle nut on the top, it's a 44. easiest way to tell.

 

[Mark]

Owning an older vehicle will teach you to be a mechanic and there is no better or easier vehicle to learn on than these old Broncos.

 

[lonesouth]

When I got into broncos 6 years ago, I knew a little less than you do. The best advice I can offer is this:

1. Get a bronco manual from Chilton or Haynes.
2. Find your closest Napa or Carquest and go meet the people there, see if you can setup a shop account
3. Do not be afraid to tackle a project. There is a VERY small chance that you will screw it up worse than before and you will have learned something even if you end up getting it fixed professionally.
4. Learn how to use the SEARCH function here. Search can be hard to use for various reasons, but there is a wealth of knowledge here and having the ability to find it is essential.
5. There are no dumb questions. Do not hesitate to ask what a throwout bearing is, or how to change your coil springs. We are all happy to help and equally happy to see another EB on the road.
6. Finish the first project before starting the second project. This will keep things in order and help you retain information and parts/tools specific to that project.

Above all else, have fun. Get your bronco into driving condition and enjoy it for a few weeks/months. At that point, start upgrading one thing at a time, starting with safety items. Get a feel for how you want to use your bronco and build to it. Good luck!

 

[OKShooter]

I'm by no means an expert, but since you will already be in there for the other work in #3 and 4, you might as well look into rebuilding the king pins. It doesn't take that much extra time and can save you some "I shoulda" regrets later. Just a suggestion.

 

[Greg Bell]

I have disk brakes on the front. I guess you can convert a Dana 30 to disks?

 

[broncnaz]

Yes the same conversion will also fit a drum brake D44 so if you ever decide to upgrade you can swap the parts over.