Adventures with a Pete 587

[JimT]

(11-02-2022 )tree98 Wrote:  I think you got a king pin that was to big. It absolutely shouldn't go in that hard. Did you check the fit of the pin into the axle eye without the spindle before you put it all together? Also did you mic the axle eye bores to check for excessive wear? A lot of times (unless the truck is less than 5 years old) your axle eyes are wore out and need resleeved if the king pin comes right out with little effort. Who reamed the spindle bushings for you?

I didn't think it would be that hard to reassemble either. Not sure what mic'ing the axle eye bores is, so no. That step wasn't in the instructions. When I say it came out easy I mean I didn't need to beat the snot out of it to get out. I did use a mallet and bar to knock it free. The only significant wear on the old pin was along the two bushings. You can see it but barely feel the wear. The only movement I had prior to the replacement was about 1/8" vertical. Like not enough spacers were used or the spacers and/or the thrust bearing had worn down.

Anyway, as for the last part, reaming. It appears I missed that step in the instructions. I remember looking at it thinking it was part of the steps for "converting from conventional front non-drive steer axles to Easy Steer™ axles." Looking back over it occurs to me that this might be why it was so tight to insert.

So, the question now is what, if anything, do I need to do? Do I need to pull it back apart, replace the new bushings, ream and then reinstall? Or is reaming moot now that the king pin has been inserted?