05 Ltd xreas and ras: help - runner becomes bucking bronco

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BigEd

New member
Help. Ive got 43k miles, did front spacer level, put on BFGs and catback earlier this year. Aside from that relatively stock, see sig.

Somehow my rig has in the last few weeks turned into a bucking bronco on any kind of bumps. Fairly substantial up/down motion. Bouncing seems a little more prevalent in rear but that could be my imagination.

What's the deal? Is the xreas going? How can I tell? I thought xreas was 2 pairs cross linked, I can't detect any localization to the bouncing other then it may be coming slightly from the rear. After the level the ride sits about level so I'm thinking it's not the ras.

What is causing this?

If it is xreas or ras is this under warranty?
 
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I hope you have a warranty...but chances are you have a leak somewhere in the system and the Xreas is now shot. It's big $$$ to repair, as it is dealer specific. Best to swap it all out with traditional shocks/springs. Fj springs and bilstein 5100's are popular. I doubt you are under warranty unless you have an extended one. Good luck
 
Have you noticed the rear being higher than usual when driving? People up north have had issues with the system getting stuck on the high position. They salt the roads so much it corrodes the sensors pretty quick. If you live in an area where they do that then it's most likely the problem. If that was the case, I would think you could pin it down as coming from the rear. Is it doing it all the time or just over bumps?
 
I don't think the rear is any higher then normal. After I did the leveling kit it really did pretty much level out the runner and there is maybe at most a slight forward rake left but its essentially level.

Is this bounciness what is normally associated with a dying xreas? I thought a dying xreas would primarily result in crappier cornering and handling. I seem to notice a bigger problem with going over bumps and bouncing then I do with poor cornering. If anyone has experience with their xreas going I'd appreciate to hear the symptoms.

I'm at least generally aware of the costs and alternatives but want to make sure it is bad xreas before I look into or take any further actions.
 
That is a shot shock system. I have xreas on mine, it isn't leaking so I may not know from experience; but the bronco up and down syndrome is caused by fried shocks.

Since you say you have XREAS, I can them assume it is a dead XREAS system. Caused by what, I don't know. Leaking shocks or ruptured line or who knows what else.

The purpose of shocks are to absorb and buffer the ups and downs of the road. If you feel like you are driving a bucking mustang, then you need to assume shocks.

My bet is you have a leak or a rupture and have lost all of the fluid from the xreas system... therefore you no longer have any buffer capacity in your shocks, so every bump SHOOTS your tires UP and then they SLAM all the way down. There is no mediation going on, which is what shocks primarily do...

Also. You are not receiving any cornering benefit from it, as it is dependent on the flow up the fluid in an X pattern to help with body roll. That you appear not to notice is probably more a product of the toyota stock design than anything else. The 4runner handles better than older SUVS, with or without XREAS... After the roll overs from the SUV's in the 80's and 90's; across the board the SUV's were lowered and widened.. resulting in much better on road performance. XREAS gives the truck just a bit more of a sportier ability, but you have to push it to feel it.

Hope that helps.


It is hella expensive to replace.
 
Kind of depends how xreas is setup. Most shocks are a sealed unit with some sort of bladder/second chamber that deals with the expansion of volume during motion. If the Xreas just controls the second chamber pressure you would loose some damping. (This what I would expect).

Sounds like you blew a seal in the shock and now the damping is gone. I don't think Xreas is anything special so replacing it with 5100 is a good option.

A side note my brother replaced the shocks on his gen3 4runner with KYB Gas charged shocks and imediatly noticed a better ride and less skipping on bumpy cornering.
 
I agree, sounds like shocks, not the ras. Couple questions for you.
When was the leveling kit installed?
Did you do the install or did you have a shop do it?
When did you first notice a decrease in ride quality?
I would check the shocks for leaks (just look at them and see if you notice any fluid). If a shop did the leveling kit install, it leads me to believe that they might have incorrectly disconnected the xreas shocks, resulting in a loss of fluid and that would explain why your xreas is toast at such low mileage.
 
I had the leveling kit installed in July by a pretty experienced 4WD shop who knows all about xreas, and we discussed the xreas complications with a lift and they were already aware of the procedures and issues. I doubt that messed with the xreas as subsequently I've gone on a long vacation several thousand miles drive since then and several months of regular driving.

This bouncing just seems to have hit in the last few weeks.

It seems coincidental that this xreas has just failed however. Perhaps the lift process or the catback install dislodged something in the xreas system which caused a slow leak. Or maybe the xreas just failed.

Its a little hard for me to see anything as I don't get home till dark but stuck me head around with a flashlight and didn't see any obvious leaks in the shocks or related lines.

I called the dealer and they told me I'm out of warranty for this and it is $100 for a diagnosis which would take most of a day. They also said its likely to be $$$$. I may do this diagnosis just for grins to find out what they say. Seems fairly clear that there is an xreas malfunction but I'd like to know what it is.
 
Sound like xreas just bit the dust then. You're not the first one this has happened to at around 50k miles but I do think that's odd that it goes so quick.
 
So on further examination the rear now rides about an inch lower then it used to. Since I have the front level kit on, I've now got a slight bro rake.

Also the boucing does seem more prevalent in the rear.

I'm now thinking this may be RAS failure? Has anyone experienced this?

I should hopefully be able to take in tomorrow for diagnosis and should learn more.

Anyone with experience with RAS failure?
 
Where are you located at? RAS failures (even at low mileage) are common where they get a lot of snow in the winters. Nothing much you can do besides hope it's covered under warranty. It is stuck in the low position, the compressor or a sensor may be shot. The low position, according to the factory service manual, is suppose to be .79" lower than the normal position. If yours is an inch lower, I'd definitely say the system has issues somewhere.
 
I am in a snow area and we get salt so perhaps that is something which has impacted the systems. I will report back after I get some diagnosis info.
 
Dealer is telling me that one of the RAS sensors is shot and its thrown off the RAS system. Estimate is about $570 parts and labor. Not great, but at least better than I was expecting if it was an XREAS malfunction...
 
No. Not a 2005, unless you bought some AWESOME extended warranty from Toyota. They usually have a mileage/month limit, whichever occurs first.
 
I don't think it'll be covered, but that's just a guess. If it isn't, I'd really consider exploring other options. If one sensor is bad, the other is probably real close, not to mention other components as well. I'll have to try to dig it up, but I've seen a post where someone took the sensor apart themselves and cleaned them, seemed to work if I recall correctly.
 
Ok I had the RAS sensor replaced and paid the man, came in around their esitmate. Suspension is back in order, proper control and right rake.

So if you have RAS and a sagging rear end with a lot of bounce, the problem could well be RAS sensor failure.
 
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