Offroad Trailblazers and Envoys

Completed - Modded steering stops.

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by fishsticks » Mon May 16, 2011 5:59 pm

I broke another CV axle yesterday... same side. :oops: Also missed a great photo op of the TB balanced on the passenger front tire and the driver rock slider. :mrgreen:

Anyway, the CV axle has a lifetime warranty and since I opted to pick up mine from Oreilly, I simply exchanged it this morning for a new one. Replacing them gets old however, and even though I keep a spare I don't want to have to do this on the trail.

Since both failures were on the driver's side outer CV joint, I traced the failure to extreme angle at near or full steering lock when extended. Apparently this has been a [problem for a long time, but has only recently come to light.

Before the front locker, the spider gears would simply spin if either CV bound up, so I never noticed. Once the locker was in, there was no give in the system while under power anymore. The CVs held up to scrubbing 32" tires, but the extra leverage from the 35's seems to be too much for them.

I'm not ready to try lowering the front diff yet (if ever), and I don't feel like tearing my struts apart to remove the little extra space on them just to have that not work. So I opted to restrict the steering a bit. 360's have insanely tight turning radii for an SUV, and honestly, I can stand to lose a little to keep my front drivetrain alive.

So, here's what's responsible for steering stop on the LCA. (In the center with the wear mark on it)
Image


And here's what I did.
Image

Pardon the blurry pic. I simply tacked a 3/8" nut to the inner part of the stop on either side. The area doesn't take a lot of force so no need to lay a huge bead on anything there. The nut itself is about 3/8" thick, and removes a corresponding 3/8 turn from the steering wheel from center to lock. I went from ~1 5/8 turn from center to lock in each direction to ~1 1/4 turn. I used nuts so that if this proves to not be enough, I can install short bolts and have some adjustment capability.

Pretty simple mod. I'll report back if the truck explodes because of it. ;)
11 Silverado LTZ - 6.2L/6l80, 2/3 drop, self tuned
85 Hilux - 3RZ, dual cases, caged, 40s, chromo everything
02 TrailBlazer LTZ - 35s, lockers, balls - Gone but not forgotten - Build
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by Nakashige » Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:13 pm

Did It work? I am trying to figure out what to do the cv axle outer boot falls off on mine
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by DirtyBacon04 » Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:26 pm

Another pioneering move by the fish. Please keep us posted if this works.
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by bgwolfpack » Fri Feb 03, 2012 2:51 pm

DirtyBacon04 wrote:Another pioneering move by the fish. Please keep us posted if this works.
He did this last summer. We would know if it hadn't worked. :poke:
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by navigator » Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:17 pm

:Iagree:
"Please consider a search before posting. Folks on this site PIONEERED functional offroad use of these trucks."
The answer to many common lift questions can be found
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by DirtyBacon04 » Fri Feb 03, 2012 4:37 pm

Wow, that whole date thing is useful! Just saw it under active topics...
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by navigator » Fri Feb 03, 2012 5:28 pm

Ben, did you get big hose clamps for your boot and replace the factory clamps? It is pretty common for the lifted ones to come off unless you use the big hose clamps.
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by Nakashige » Fri Feb 03, 2012 10:53 pm

hose clamping the shit out of it on monday both sides
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by fishsticks » Sat Feb 04, 2012 9:21 am

It work *alright*. If you crank the wheel hard it will simply deform the LCA bushings a bit and keep going. The true "stop" is when the rack itself runs out of length. You can feel it in the wheel when turning though so it provides a good indicator.

I did it to stop breaking outer CV joints. I haven't redone it on my new LCAs yet.

Also, don't just leave the nut on, put a small bolt in there than you can turn down flush if you need. The knuckle will wear on whatever it bumps into there over time.
11 Silverado LTZ - 6.2L/6l80, 2/3 drop, self tuned
85 Hilux - 3RZ, dual cases, caged, 40s, chromo everything
02 TrailBlazer LTZ - 35s, lockers, balls - Gone but not forgotten - Build
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