tcruz0004

Thanks, Techrep. I bought some rubber vacuum line and wire loom from Oreilly's today. I believe it was 5/8.. I was able to cut the broken section and then slide the rubber line over the original line to bridge the gap. There was dirt and debris in the old section so I cleared that out.

I put a piece of duct tape over each end going to the IWE individually and then ran the engine to feel for vacuum on the open end. I'm glad to report that it now works again. On Thurs when I replace the IWE's I'll post some pictures and report back with any lessons learned.

techrep

iTrader: (1)

I would replace all the vacuum line when you got a chance.. You don't want all that crap to get into your new wheel ends.

tcruz0004

I replaced both IWE's so that's the good news. The bad news is that one of the bolts which secures the IWE on the driver's side broke off. (For the record, this was not my doing but that doesn't really matter.) I tested the system extensively, and it worked. It held the vacuum just like it should without leaking.

My question - what effect will this have on the IWE? It looks fully sealed (2 out of the 3 bolts are snug) but I was considering putting RTV around it to make sure its sealed. Ideas, opinions?

techrep

iTrader: (1)

To fix it correctly, you need to extract the broken bolt.. But I guess a little RTV won't hurt till then.

tcruz0004

We tried everything we could. It's broken below the threadline. We even tried drilling into it but that wouldn't work either. Any ideas and I'm all ears.

techrep

iTrader: (1)

you are gonna need a good drill bit and an easy-out of the correct size or you can drill out the entire bolt and re-tap. use an old bolt as your drilling guide for the latter.

tcruz0004

That's exactly what we tried but our bit was worn down so it wouldn't tap the bolt. I think I'm just gonna have to leave it like that till I will be able to do that with a good bit.

techrep

iTrader: (1)

Roger that..

VTX1800N1

This. Keep the system as clean as possible.

VTX1800N1

Do you mean one of the three bolts that hold the IWE to the steering knuckle? If so, they don't have any "sealing" function, other than to keep dirt and water out of the interface area between the IWE and hub. It's not a vacuum seal there. Those bolts are rather small, and there are only 3 of them. I would worry that over time, with repeated cycles of the 4x4 system, additional stresses on the other two bolts might weaken and snap them off. Your best bet at this point, if you cannot get the bolt drilled out yourself, is to remove the steering knuckle and take it to a machine shop. Paying to have that bolt removed might approach the cost of a new steering knuckle from somewhere like Rock Auto, so shop around.