“Another Texas Baja” is going to Montana!!!!!

[nilza]

The sender is easy, it's just an adjustable resistor.
Just take it out, put a multimeter between the sender plug and the body of the sender, select ohms and get someone to move the arm slowly up and down. you should be able to watch the resistance change on the meter. This is different for different brands, last vdo sender i bought went from 10-180 Ohms

[Hedrock]

What's up with the hubs? Was it the same side?

[TexasBaja]

What's up with the hubs? Was it the same side?

It was not. It was the opposite side(Drivers). The last time we replaced them I did both of them with different type disks. We checked the axle nut regularly and every time we would tighten more. The day he spun it out I told him that the rear tire didnt look right and we should check. He assured me it was just the swing arm that is bent a little. 5 minutes later he is calling me to tow him home because he spun the hub. I am going to order a new disk but when he goes to Arizona for a month I am going to tear the rear hubs completely down and check the spacers and repack the bearings. I think the spacers are crushing.

[Big Dave]

Sounds about right. Off road wheels and tires put a lot more stress on the rear bearings and hubs. Remember, the stock torque value of the a le nut was for a car with 40 HP, and short, skinny tires mounted on rims that kept them inboard as much as possible. To combat the nut working loose, you have to torque that nut to at least 400 ft lbs, and to do that you need the HD bearing spacers.
Swap the spacers, clean and repack the bearings (for IRS) with a little extra grease between the two bearings and then reassemble and tighten the crap out of the axle nut.
Before I had air tools, I used the old 'wacker' tool and mini sledge and hammered the snot out it. There isn't an axle nut I can't break loose with one of those, but it can take quite a bit of effort.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I used to use one of those "Whackers" and I couldn't get enough load on using the one I had (axle/hub flex I think). I bought one of the early model gear driven units (torque dude?) and I stopped having squeaky hub problems. Also, those axles (and stubs) are getting quite old and the metal could be stretching more easily now so be careful with over torqueing. I have seen several stub axles that have broken at the base of the threads where they join the splined area.

Also, the spacers that are being sold now days are not always the quality of the older VW supplied spacers and are wearing/compacting so they need to be inspected and watched. I have/had a German spacer that was looking like it had been hammered on when it was pulled out. There were ridges along the edges of surfaces where loads were applied, kind of like the head of a cold chisel would have over time.

Lee

[TexasBaja]

That's what I use is the wacker tool and as Big D says hammer the snot out of it. The disks are 1" wider too. I think my biggest problem is the disks are Empi and we all know what that means.

Cant wait to win the lottery so I can put micro stubs on it.

[dustymojave]

A guy local to me here had the same issue of tearing the splines out of his EMPI discs. I believe he finally switched back to drums.

Tim had the stock stub with 930 flange modification break at the base of the threads in his 1st test session.

[bajananyone?]

As I type I am sitting in a parking lot waiting for dad to come tow me home because I spun out the driver side hub. This time it happened going downhill at about 45 mph.

[TexasBaja]

I am at a loss. David once again spun the hub out of the same side. He had checked them the day before and tighten them at least a half a turn. I pulled it all apart today and this is what I found. The spacer is worn a little but the way that it is worn is boggling me. It is like it has been machined out on one side. There is no way this can happen because of the pieces that go on each end are a lot wider. The only thing I can see is that the threads on the axle nut are kinda boogered up but everything else looks fine.





I am going to order another hub and spacer kit tomorrow but what do you guys think is happening?

[Big Dave]

How is he tightening the axle nuts? Looks like a case of the nut jus not being tight enough. I used to have that issue on my old swing axle Baja. Spun a few drums after doing the old "jump on the breaker bar" thing. Even broke a few craftsman 1/2" breaker bars. Still not tight enough. Now I put the impact gun on it and let it hammer away.

[TexasBaja]

He tighten them with or impact gun at the shop but when I put it on it was with the wackier tool with a 3 lb sledge hammer. I am really considering getting a torque buddy and trying that. That way I know I have 400 lbs on it.

[TimS]

The only thing I can see is that the threads on the axle nut are kinda boogered up but everything else looks fine.

Could you have the cheapo axle nuts, like I did, and when tightening them, the nut strips and slowly gets looser and when you tighten them up it doesn't really help and the threads move again?? I stripped out a nut just tightening it to where I had the original nut. it felt fine, but I had to remove it to check clearances and saw that it was stripping.

I've been thinking of doubling up the axle nuts

[Devastator]

Is that spacer hardened? You can tell by running a file against it. If it digs in, it's soft steel, (bad), if it "rings", however, it's hard, (good).

[TexasBaja]

Well the Baja is back together and on the road. Come to find out it was the bearing race that was causing the groove in the spacer. It must have seized up inside the bearing. Completely replaced the bearings and spacers on both sides and rebuilt the CV's. That is a total PITA to do by yourself but it is done.
Going to keep an eye on the rear rotors for a while just to make sure.

In the meantime I am selling my other Baja that is in AZ. Dylan is going to school in Northern Colorado and needs something a little warmer for the winter. I was going to keep it and bring it to Texas but that is time and $$$ I don't have right now. Spread the word.
http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic ... 5&t=139959

[bajananyone?]

What jets are everybody running? Its time to rejet my carb because it likes to billow black smoke when I give it full throttle and I dont like the horrible gas mileage or the fouled spark plugs. Its a weber 44 single idf. The current jets are 135 mains, 50 idles, f11 emulsions, and 190 air jets. Its a 1915 with stock ignition. It runs super rich. Where should we start?