RedApe
05-03-2009, 12:25 AM
This is a copy and paste from another BBS...work on truck and article written by me. Apologies on the double post of some of the pics.
Tyoka gets a perk me up
4Runners are notorious for sagging rear springs, especially in the 2nd Generation (90-95).
Our 4Runner was not an exception to this trend. I estimated that the rear had sagged by well over an inch. The stance was an obvious sign that something was amiss. Driving was also a hint: we were actually hitting the bump stops at highway speed when hitting imperfections in the road. Not a pleasant feeling.
A phone call to our favorite 4x4 shop and parts supplier, Wil of North Shore Offroad (NSOR.com) got us into some decently priced replacement parts. Located in Vancouver's North Shore, Wil had the parts to my front door in 2...yes 2 business days! Props to Wil, and they way NSOR runs their business.
This article gives details on the replacement of the rear.
Parts list:
OME900 medium duty coil
OMEN72F medium duty rear shock
OMEN98 medium duty fron shock
Duration for 1 person: 4.5 hours, including test drive.
Specialty Tools:
Coil spring compressors
drop head box end wrench set
Air tools
Standard shop tools
Pre-Work: soak all bolts, nuts and fasteners on the truck with penetrating lube 1 week in advance.
Shock removal:
So, this was certainly tricky, but doable. The top shock mounts in the 2nd Gen 4Runners have the shock pin running through a drilled hole in the upper coil spring bucket. This has you, as the backyard mechanic, on the ground, looking up at the underside of the bucket and the shock pin and bolt on the top side of the bucket, facing the tub. Great, let's chalk up boo-boo #1 in this initiative to Toyota R&D and Engineers. I used a box end wrench, with a 1” drop from the handle for this job. Once the wrench made it's way to the nut, I rotated until it was against the frame rail, and I began to sping the body of the shock.
This worked flawlessly on both sides. It's worth noting that the drivers side is far easier to remove than passenger. The bracket for the upper “lateral bar” (Track Bar) mount is EXACTLY where I wanted to put my elbow for leverage.
The score is now Toyota R&D 2, me 0.
With the method described above for upper shock mount removal, not much leverage is needed (do I get a point for this??)
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/shock1.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/shock2.jpg
Coil removal:
Coil removal was about as straight forward as possible, compared to the TJ and XJ work I've done in the past.
Steps I used are as follows:
1. Remove passengers side rear sway bar from frame mount
2. Remove lower axle mount rear track bar (Lateral Bar)
3. Compress drivers side coil.
4. Floor jack under passengers side drum housing, jacking up 1”
5. Pushing down on drivers side drum housing, rotate and remove compressed coil
6. Repeat 3-5 for passengers side
I recommend removal of the drivers side first. It's easier to remove because of accessibility, and lack of obstruction. Once one coil is out, the more difficult side becomes easier.
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/oldcoil.jpg
OME Coil Install:
Install of lift coils (1-2”) is difficult. Upper and Lower control arms, track bar etc are usually not being replaced, which means you're dealing with stock suspension geometries being pulled, pushed, compressed etc while trying to get the axle housing into such a position that the new coils maneouver into the coil buckets. Fun. I believe I reached the END of my spring compressor's abilities, and I'll likely replace them after this install job.
The only real comments/advice I have here:
1.have a 2nd pair of hands to help with pushing the axle housing into place
2.Disconnect sway bar
3.Disconnect rear track bar (lateral bar)
I went with installing the passengers side first, as it is certainly the more difficult, and didn't want to be fighting compression of the drivers side coil.
All said and done, 12 minutes to install passenger side and 15 to install drivers'. Not bad, and a point for me.
Placement of your coil spring compressors on install is critical as well. You'll want to make sure of final coil arrangement within the coil buckets will still allow for you to get your impact (with extension as needed) into position to take the compressors off.
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/newcoil1.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/newcoil2.jpg
Shock install:
This was the easiest part of the day. I used the same method as the unninstall, with the same box end in a different size.
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/sticker.jpg
Overall impression:[/b][/u]
WOW. The ride quality, handling etc are a far-n-away improvement over what we'd been dealing with. Me, at 225Lbs (hey, I'm 6'5”), standing on the class IV receiver with the previous setup would have the rear sagging an additional inch or so. Now, adding my weight to that leverage point shows only a slight drop in the suspension travel (1/4” if I had to make a guess). This speaks to the quality of the spring; weight bearing, yet still a fantastic set of driving characteristics.
NSOR.com's recommendation was a sound one.
A follow up article will come in a few months with updates on offroad capabilities, after a few trips in the 4Runner. Stay Tuned.
Before and After
Before
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/before1.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/before2.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/before3.jpg
After
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/after0.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/after2.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/after6.jpg
Links:
http://www.nsor.com
http://www.rocky-road.com/4runner.html
Disclaimer
This is not the documented process per shop manuals, or aftermarket manufacturer. This is the "backyard mechanic" chronicles, and should not be considered the definitive method for install.
Safety precautions (proper jacking procedures), and safety gear - use vehicle manufacturer recommendations.
Tyoka gets a perk me up
4Runners are notorious for sagging rear springs, especially in the 2nd Generation (90-95).
Our 4Runner was not an exception to this trend. I estimated that the rear had sagged by well over an inch. The stance was an obvious sign that something was amiss. Driving was also a hint: we were actually hitting the bump stops at highway speed when hitting imperfections in the road. Not a pleasant feeling.
A phone call to our favorite 4x4 shop and parts supplier, Wil of North Shore Offroad (NSOR.com) got us into some decently priced replacement parts. Located in Vancouver's North Shore, Wil had the parts to my front door in 2...yes 2 business days! Props to Wil, and they way NSOR runs their business.
This article gives details on the replacement of the rear.
Parts list:
OME900 medium duty coil
OMEN72F medium duty rear shock
OMEN98 medium duty fron shock
Duration for 1 person: 4.5 hours, including test drive.
Specialty Tools:
Coil spring compressors
drop head box end wrench set
Air tools
Standard shop tools
Pre-Work: soak all bolts, nuts and fasteners on the truck with penetrating lube 1 week in advance.
Shock removal:
So, this was certainly tricky, but doable. The top shock mounts in the 2nd Gen 4Runners have the shock pin running through a drilled hole in the upper coil spring bucket. This has you, as the backyard mechanic, on the ground, looking up at the underside of the bucket and the shock pin and bolt on the top side of the bucket, facing the tub. Great, let's chalk up boo-boo #1 in this initiative to Toyota R&D and Engineers. I used a box end wrench, with a 1” drop from the handle for this job. Once the wrench made it's way to the nut, I rotated until it was against the frame rail, and I began to sping the body of the shock.
This worked flawlessly on both sides. It's worth noting that the drivers side is far easier to remove than passenger. The bracket for the upper “lateral bar” (Track Bar) mount is EXACTLY where I wanted to put my elbow for leverage.
The score is now Toyota R&D 2, me 0.
With the method described above for upper shock mount removal, not much leverage is needed (do I get a point for this??)
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/shock1.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/shock2.jpg
Coil removal:
Coil removal was about as straight forward as possible, compared to the TJ and XJ work I've done in the past.
Steps I used are as follows:
1. Remove passengers side rear sway bar from frame mount
2. Remove lower axle mount rear track bar (Lateral Bar)
3. Compress drivers side coil.
4. Floor jack under passengers side drum housing, jacking up 1”
5. Pushing down on drivers side drum housing, rotate and remove compressed coil
6. Repeat 3-5 for passengers side
I recommend removal of the drivers side first. It's easier to remove because of accessibility, and lack of obstruction. Once one coil is out, the more difficult side becomes easier.
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/oldcoil.jpg
OME Coil Install:
Install of lift coils (1-2”) is difficult. Upper and Lower control arms, track bar etc are usually not being replaced, which means you're dealing with stock suspension geometries being pulled, pushed, compressed etc while trying to get the axle housing into such a position that the new coils maneouver into the coil buckets. Fun. I believe I reached the END of my spring compressor's abilities, and I'll likely replace them after this install job.
The only real comments/advice I have here:
1.have a 2nd pair of hands to help with pushing the axle housing into place
2.Disconnect sway bar
3.Disconnect rear track bar (lateral bar)
I went with installing the passengers side first, as it is certainly the more difficult, and didn't want to be fighting compression of the drivers side coil.
All said and done, 12 minutes to install passenger side and 15 to install drivers'. Not bad, and a point for me.
Placement of your coil spring compressors on install is critical as well. You'll want to make sure of final coil arrangement within the coil buckets will still allow for you to get your impact (with extension as needed) into position to take the compressors off.
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/newcoil1.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/newcoil2.jpg
Shock install:
This was the easiest part of the day. I used the same method as the unninstall, with the same box end in a different size.
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/sticker.jpg
Overall impression:[/b][/u]
WOW. The ride quality, handling etc are a far-n-away improvement over what we'd been dealing with. Me, at 225Lbs (hey, I'm 6'5”), standing on the class IV receiver with the previous setup would have the rear sagging an additional inch or so. Now, adding my weight to that leverage point shows only a slight drop in the suspension travel (1/4” if I had to make a guess). This speaks to the quality of the spring; weight bearing, yet still a fantastic set of driving characteristics.
NSOR.com's recommendation was a sound one.
A follow up article will come in a few months with updates on offroad capabilities, after a few trips in the 4Runner. Stay Tuned.
Before and After
Before
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/before1.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/before2.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/before3.jpg
After
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/after0.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/after2.jpg
http://redape.macdaly.com/4runner/after6.jpg
Links:
http://www.nsor.com
http://www.rocky-road.com/4runner.html
Disclaimer
This is not the documented process per shop manuals, or aftermarket manufacturer. This is the "backyard mechanic" chronicles, and should not be considered the definitive method for install.
Safety precautions (proper jacking procedures), and safety gear - use vehicle manufacturer recommendations.