Hey Dudes and any Dudettes,

@infamousRNR and I did another repair video this past week. If you were thinking of replacing your Steering Rack Bushings, Front Sway Bar Bushings and End Link Bushings, this would be a good tutorial for you to follow to get the job done.

We replaced the steering rack bushings with a polyurethane kit from Energy Suspension and they fit great. The sway bar kit is also polyurethane and was made by Prothane. The Prothane 18-1115 kit sway bar bushings fit great but the end link bushings didn't fit well. The diameter of the hole in the bushing was too big for my end links which causes a lot of slop. Hopefully Prothane will address this so others don't have this problem. The issue is supposedly Toyota has different end link diameters within the 3rd Gen years. I gave them a suggestion on how to rectify this and I hope they take my advice.

Please let us know if the video was helpful and any comments on how we could do a better job.

Thanks and enjoy the show.

I hope I'm still wrenching when I'm 50. Good job! You guys are putting out great material.

Well I have to admit doing physical work is getting a little tougher as I age but this is nothing compared to how hard I have to work sometimes as a firefighter with all the gear loading me down and then working super hard at a fire or other emergency scene.

Age is just a number and it definitely helps working out and keeping yourself in shape. I'm hoping to be active my entire life but there's obviously going to be a point where crawling underneath my truck isn't going to sound so appealing when I'm a seriously old codger. I'm one of the oldest people in my fire department now. The jokes about my age keep coming, but it's fun, and I dish it out pretty good too.

Thanks for the compliment. Sean (aka @infamousRNR ) gets all the credit for the video work. He's quite the computer geek and knows how to do all that propellerhead stuff that I would struggle with.

Great work!

At what age are firemen normally able to retire?

Great video! Thank you for making it. I've done the endlink bushings and swaybar bushings but have yet to tackle the steering rack ones. Having watched your video I feel more confident in tackling this project.

Also, I had the same issue you had with the prothane endlink bushings being too "big". I ended up using energy suspension's endlink kit instead (part no. 9.8105R/G) and they fit correctly.

Well, it depends when you were hired and what retirement program you have. When I was hired, the minimum retirement age was 50. So, I could technically retire right now. The most recent guys hired now can't retire until age 57. The age you retire also depends partly on what age you started and whether you'll have enough money to live on. I've got 21 years into CalPers which stands for California Public Employees Retirement System. I would like to put in another 5 years, but if I'm feeling good, I might shoot for age 59 and retire at maximum benefit.

So, it boils down to what retirement program you were hired under and how many years you need to work to support yourself and your lifestyle after retirement.

Unless the hedge fund managers feel like making billions that year... short the market... and f@=## all the retirement plans.

Lulz

Just kidding, good explanation

I found the issue with the end link bushings as well. Luckily I had a rubber set I could toss on there. Before I didn't think much of it and drove it around until the clunk got to be too much. GREAT video!

Thanks for this thread and the video!

I heard clunks last night while driving and then found this under the truck in the morning.

Found this greasy rubber part under my 4Runner (makes noise now)

Here's my writeup of what was said in the video, with respect to the sway bar R&R (please correct if I made a mistake), plus what I found in a few other videos and DIYs just now.


I had never heard of a sway bar before, but looking it up, apparently the (anti) sway bar reduces body roll on turns (forcing the inside tire down) and on uneven roads. Apparently offroaders disconnect one end and some even remove the entire sway bar, and many (apparently) don't even notice it being gone when they do remove it or when the ends are sheared off.

1. Steering Rack and Front Sway Bar Bushing Replacement
2. Prothane Front Sway Bar and End Link Bushing Review

I just watched this 30-minute video shown in the first of two links in my last post (where mtbtim did more than just the sway bar) and he said they had the same problem with the Prothane 18-115 kit end link bushings, which were too loose (the hole was too big).

Mtbtim said that the problem is that Toyota used different diameter sway bar end links for the various 3rd-generation models.

So, the problem is to get the right diameter - which may not be easy.

Here's my summary of the sway bar part of that video:

Suppliers:
prothane.com +1-888-776-8426

energysuspension.com +1-888-913-6374
Sway Bar & End Link Bushings

Issues:
You must first measure the end link post diameter before ordering the endlink bushings!

Summit: Energy Suspension Sway Bar Bushings 8-5118G
Front Sway Bar Bushings - Toyota 4Runner - 181115
Front Sway Bar and End Link Bushings - Tacoma, 4Runner

Parts:
Energy Suspension frong swaybar bushing kit, 27mm, 8.5118G (black) or 8.5118R (red)
Installation instructions: http://imagesrv.catalograck.com/imgVD/ENE/17039.pdf

Prothane Front Sway Bar & End Link Bushing Kit, 26mm Bar 18-1115 (many people find the endlink bushings too large!)

Torque:
12mm Sway bar body bushing bracket nut & bolt 19 ft-lb
14mm Stabilizer bar links top nut 14 ft-lb
19mm Steering rack bushing bracket 123 ft-lb
19mm Tie-rod nut 67 ft-lb

Procedure:
Lock steering wheel (if you plan on removing the steering rack)
Chock the wheels prior to jacking
Loosen front wheel lug nuts
Jack up and place the truck on four 6-ton 15-inch jack stands
Remove front wheels
With a 14mm socket, remove the top nut of the sway bar end link
Mark the top of the top washer (as they are unidirectional)
By hand, pull off the top washer & rubber bushing off the sway bar end link
Wear safety glasses (to prevent crud falling down into your eyes)
Spray the two sway bar body bushing bolts with PB Blaster or equivalent if they look rusted
Mark the sway bar body bushing brackets so that you don't put them on backward
With a 12mm socket, remove the 12mm nut on the top sway bar body bushing bracket bolt
With a 12mm socket, remove the 12mm nut on the bottom sway bar body bushing bracket bolt
Grease both the ID and OD of the sway bar body bushings with silicone (non petroleum!) grease to prevent squeaking
Add removable locktite (blue?) to the bolts and nuts

Caveats:
There is a 26mm and a 27mm sway bar body bushing ID; get the right one!
There are different sizes for the sway bar end link diameters also; measure first!
It's hard to get a 19 ft-lb torque wrench on the passenger side bracket
Put the wheels back on and lower the truck so that the weight of the truck is on the tires before torquing the end links.
Some tighten the sway bar end links until they just start to bulge, and then back out the nuts 1/4 turn.

Other DIYs:
How to: Replace A Sway Bar Link on 3rd Gen 4Runner - YotaTech Forums
Worst luck ever during sway bar bushing replacement
Mertztr's Front Sway Bar/End Link Bushing Replacement 3rd Gen 4Runner
J.A.'s 1999 Toyota 4Runner Highlander - Additions and Modifications
Toyota 4Runner Handling Modifications Sway Bars Energy Suspensions

HOW TO replace sway bar bushings 1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf-M-wMrWqk

3rd Gen Toyota 4Runner Steering Rack and Front Sway Bar Bushing Replacement tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YywcR0E9bM4

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@foo you're missing a couple torque specs we mention in the video. The upper bolt on the steering rack that is perpendicular to the ground is torqued to 123 ft lbf. The long bolt is torqued to 141 ft lbf.

You also didn't mention the Energy Suspension Steering Rack Bushing Kit #8.10103R - The R means Red. You can get black ones too.

Thanks for catching the omissions.

I'm mostly interested in the (anti) sway bar & endlink bushings because that's what I need.

After talking to both Domenic at Prothane and Dave at Energy Suspension, I'm more confused than ever about sizes because both seemed to be hearing about the mismatched size problem for the first time (which can't possibly be the case).

Prothane #18-1115 kit: 888-776-8426 (the problem is apparently the endlink bushing size is apparently 5.5mm too large at 0.6 inches)
Energy Suspensions 8.5118{R,G} kit: 888-913-6374 (the problem is apparently the swaybar body bushing size is apparently 1mm too large at 27mm)

I measured the midpoint of my sway bar & endlink rods with calipers to be:
1. 1.042 inches (roughly 26.5mm) for the sway bar
2. 0.395 inches (roughly 10.0mm) for the endlink rods

Since Domenic suggested that the bushings should have a preload of 20 thousandths of an inch (i.e., they should be roughly 0.5mm smaller than the metal rod they surround), the actual ID of the bushings "should" be:
1. roughly 1.022 inches (26.0mm) for the sway bar body bushing
2.roughly 0.375 inches (3/8-inch, or 9.5mm) for the endlink bar bushings.

I'm not yet sure what the actual diameters are for the respective bushings, but I can now tell why people are forced to buy BOTH kits, just to get a decently fitting set of swaybar body & endlink bushings!

If we assume the bushing is 20 thousandths smaller than the measured steel rod diameter, then:
a. The Prothane 26mm bushing should be something like 1.024 inches - 0.020 = 1.004 inches
b. The Energy Suspension 27mm bushing should be something like 1.063 inches - 0.020 = 1.043 inches

There is a lot more detail in this recent thread:
Found this greasy rubber part under my 4Runner (makes noise now)

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@mtbtim , outstanding video! Have a 1998 Limited with 184K. How do you check to see if you have steering rack free play? When I changed the OTREs, LBJs, and sway bar end links, rack bushings looked okay (no flange cracks etc). Just received OEM ITREs (from Amayama Trading thanks to this forum) and trying to decide if I should change the steering rack bushings at the same time.

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To check the bushing play, you'll need someone to help you. While you're looking under the rig at the steering rack (in between the tires and looking toward the front of the truck), have someone start the vehicle and turn the wheel back and forth to the left and right. I think with the OEM rubber bushings, you'll see a tiny bit of side to side movement of the steering rack. @infamousRNR truck had big time excessive play, at least 1/4" in each direction. His bushings were wasted and deteriorated. On my truck, my OEM bushings were still intact and in good shape. But, even with my bushings in good shape, I did experience improved steering response with the polyurethane bushings from Energy Suspension.

I did the ES kit too and sway bar bushings. I just replaced the end links. I was trying to reduce the "slop" and later replaced the rack guide. Last Summer I also replaced my LBJ's, OTRE's as they clearly were in need of attention. The thing that I found made the biggest difference was the rack bushings and rack guide. I would like to do the steering shaft mod in the future as I can just feel a slight bump when I turn the wheel. However, I don't relish taking the steering column apart!
You're only as young as you feel! I'm 52 and loving my renewed interest in wrenching. I did an engine replacement in 2014 and dropped the suspension on my son's Eclipse a few weeks ago! I finally have the tools I wish I had when I was 20! I think my 3 (18 to 23)kids appreciate I'm keeping their cars on the road! I have to admit I'm enjoying it! The only bummer is the eye sight! This year I may have to break down and get glasses, otherwise, it's just about working smarter! As far as retirement is concerned, I could go at 55, but I plan on 60, then I'm going to take on some fun projects!