2000 suspension work

[fotorunner]

I have a 2000 4wd T4R that needs some suspension work. I've got a serious side to side rock when I hit certain bumps at speed. I took it to a shop in Denver and had the owner drive it and he said one way he could fix it would be to lift it. Problem is I probably can't deal with getting in and out of a lot of lift. The 2000 were pretty low so I'm thinking if I had something that was about the same as the early 99s I'd probably be ok.

I was looking at OME stuff but the amount of combinations is mind blowing. So what components would you recommend as a fix for the rocking 4runner? Price is obviously a consideration.

Most of my driving is highway or gravel. And of course the gravel is mostly washboards which it sucks at right now.

forgot to add.... current tires 265-75-16
Thanks for your input.

 

[Drew76]

When I experienced the rear end getting squirelly over bumps it was because one of the rear struts had rusted out and was no longer attached to the top mount. Either way it can be fixed without lifting if you don't want/need a lift. Did the mechanic get under it to do an inspection? I would check to make sure everything is where its supposed to be, tight, and check the condition of the struts, rear control arms/panhard bar and bushings etc and go from there.

 

[fotorunner]

When I experienced the rear end getting squirelly over bumps it was because one of the rear struts had rusted out and was no longer attached to the top mount. Either way it can be fixed without lifting if you don't want/need a lift. Did the mechanic get under it to do an inspection? I would check to make sure everything is where its supposed to be, tight, and check the condition of the struts, rear control arms/panhard bar and bushings etc and go from there.

thanks for your reply,

Yup, he put it on the hoist to make sure everything was hooked up and we didn't have something busted or disconnected underneath. There didn't seem to be. This guy is pretty good and doesn't try to sell a bunch of un needed stuff. Just to be sure I'll take another look under there later this week.

 

[phattyduck]

The best suspension geometry will be at stock height (well, originally designed stock height). Lifting makes everything but looks and off-roading worse.

I think we will need a better description of the rocking. It could be sagging suspensions and weak shocks, it could be any number of bad bushings, it could be a bad steering rack, tie rods, etc.

Any noises/clunks along with the rocking? Any pull with acceleration or braking? Anything change in 2WD vs. 4WD?

-Charlie

 

[VernySanders]

In my personal oppinion with no real info on your truck besides the rocking issue I would say go out and buy literally every bushing for the rear. Unless something is broken or the shocks themselves are blown / in need of replacement due to wear and tear and being old, bushings will fix your problem. In addition to this (this may sound stupid but idk how long you've been the owner of your truck) make sure there is a rear sway bar as some owners do take them off.

 

[VernySanders]

Lol as soon as I left this thread I went onto [MENTION=118730]AssBurns[/MENTION] build thread and saw this

 

[fotorunner]

More info:
Vehicle has 230000 on it. Shocks were replaced at 184,000. I had a local guy do it, I’m an older guy and crawling around under the runner isn’t really an option. However, I was a moron and didn’t specify what to put on it so he replaced them with some stuff from NAPA. Right off the bat the ride was different from stock, more of a floating ride, didn’t do too bad on gravel. However within 30,000 miles things seemed to change and it seemed like the floaty feeling increased. And now that has a side to side element in it as well. At speed a bump can really make the vehicle feel like it's taking off.

There is a clunk in the rear when you go over pot holes etc. The front is really, really stiff.

The tie rods ends are worn and need replaced. Sway bar is hooked up, that was the first thing Jesse said he looked at.

I think the tie rods probably should be the priority at this point. I hadn’t thought about bushings. Are those a ***** to change?

 

[3bears]

you said you do tlike crawling underneath anymore....or something like that...so I would say the bushings for you are a pain in the arse

 

[RandyBobandy]

I would definitely say to have someone check the bushings in the rear, sway bars and both upper and lower control arms

 

[VernySanders]

Bushings are not a pain. If you have a shop do it you'll pay way more on a labor rate than the actual cost of bushings. Unless your mechanic is willing to do them cheap. If a bushing was completely blown that could result in metal on metal contact and could explain the clunk sound.

 

[fotorunner]

Ok I'll get under there in the next few and check the bushings.

Thanks for the input.