Front Shocks

M

Mannheim62

New member
Hello again,

I have an '04 4Runner SR5 V-8. I've noticed as of late the my front end makes noise "clunking" when I'm driving on bumpy road etc ... Also when I hit the brakes hard, the front end dives. I've taken it to the shop and they've said that everything is tight, no leaks, steering etc... is all good. My question is this: Is there a recommended time to change the front shocks? The back shocks were changed last year but the fronts are original. It's one of those things that just drives me nuts when I'm going down the road. I hope someone can relate !!! As always thank you in advance for any help or advise that can be given.

Mike
 
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It could be your suspension or it could be the sway bar bushings. Do a search on sway bar bushings to read up on it more. I replaced my suspension but the "clunk" was from a bad bushing.
 
Mannheim62 said:
Hello again,

I have an '04 4Runner SR5 V-8. I've noticed as of late the my front end makes noise "clunking" when I'm driving on bumpy road etc ... Also when I hit the brakes hard, the front end dives. I've taken it to the shop and they've said that everything is tight, no leaks, steering etc... is all good. My question is this: Is there a recommended time to change the front shocks? The back shocks were changed last year but the fronts are original. It's one of those things that just drives me nuts when I'm going down the road. I hope someone can relate !!! As always thank you in advance for any help or advise that can be given.

Mike
Click to expand...

I KNOW my shocks are toast, working on new ones, and they make those noises badly and has terrible nose dive. In fact, if there are bumps when I hit the brakes it will kick in the abs on me. I also get a lot of body lean in corners, makes it kind of hairy, especially in the snow we have right now. lol
 
t-man said:
I KNOW my shocks are toast, working on new ones, and they make those noises badly and has terrible nose dive. In fact, if there are bumps when I hit the brakes it will kick in the abs on me. I also get a lot of body lean in corners, makes it kind of hairy, especially in the snow we have right now. lol
Click to expand...

It's been MANY years since I've purchased shocks ... Is there anything I should be aware of or anything in particular I should look for??
 
Mannheim62 said:
It's been MANY years since I've purchased shocks ... Is there anything I should be aware of or anything in particular I should look for??
Click to expand...

I'd say go OEM or get some good aftermarket shocks. GOOD aftermarket... A lot of aftermarket stuff is much weaker than OEM. If you don't have XREAS you can probably just switch out the fronts without messing with the backs.
 
Mannheim62 said:
Hello again,

I have an '04 4Runner SR5 V-8. I've noticed as of late the my front end makes noise "clunking" when I'm driving on bumpy road etc ... Also when I hit the brakes hard, the front end dives. I've taken it to the shop and they've said that everything is tight, no leaks, steering etc... is all good. My question is this: Is there a recommended time to change the front shocks? The back shocks were changed last year but the fronts are original. It's one of those things that just drives me nuts when I'm going down the road. I hope someone can relate !!! As always thank you in advance for any help or advise that can be given.

Mike
Click to expand...

Mike - when you hit a bump, does the front end settle after one compression and rebound of the shocks or does it oscillate/bounce a couple times. Good shocks will pretty much isolate the bump with one compression and then one rebound.

Also when you hit a bump does it feel like the shock bottoms out or tops out?

When you going into a turn does the shock control the weight shift and keep it stable or do you feel any oscillation from the loaded shock side?

How does your front tire wear look?
 
EHNWI said:
I'd say go OEM or get some good aftermarket shocks. GOOD aftermarket... A lot of aftermarket stuff is much weaker than OEM. If you don't have XREAS you can probably just switch out the fronts without messing with the backs.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. Can I get OEM's at an auto store or is that strictly a dealership thing?
 
Mannheim62 said:
Thanks for your reply. Can I get OEM's at an auto store or is that strictly a dealership thing?
Click to expand...

You can probably find them online and order them yourself and get them installed at a reputable shop. Doesn't need to touch a dealer if you don't want it to.

I get a lot of stuff here, but I haven't ordered new shocks anywhere, except the Icons I bought last month.

Conicelli Parts Center
 
ebg18t said:
Mike - when you hit a bump, does the front end settle after one compression and rebound of the shocks or does it oscillate/bounce a couple times. Good shocks will pretty much isolate the bump with one compression and then one rebound.

Also when you hit a bump does it feel like the shock bottoms out or tops out?

When you going into a turn does the shock control the weight shift and keep it stable or do you feel any oscillation from the loaded shock side?

How does your front tire wear look?
Click to expand...

When I hit a bump, the front end seems to rebound then settle. When I hit a bump, I can't really tell if the shock bottoms out. I don't hear any loud bangs or metal on metal bangs if that's what your asking. When I turn a corner, the truck leans to the load side a little more than I'd like. The tires are fine, under a year old.
 
Mannheim62 said:
It's been MANY years since I've purchased shocks ... Is there anything I should be aware of or anything in particular I should look for??
Click to expand...

As far as I have read there isn't anything real special or all that hard about swapping out shocks. You don't want to replace the OEM X-Reas system unless you want to spend over $2000. You will get a great ride with some Bilstein 5100's, or some OME (old man emu). Most people say the Bilsteins give them much better ride quality over the factory X-REAS system too. If you go with other shocks, you HAVE to do all 4 at once though because of that factory set up. You cannot run those X-Reas without them being all hooked in together.
 
t-man,

I think the X-REAS system you speak of is an auto leveling system of some sort. I'm not sure I have that on my SR5 because I had the rear shocks replaced at the dealership about 2 years ago. I would think if I had the X-REAS system on my truck the dealership would have told me the front shocks needed replacing also.
 
Mannheim62 said:
t-man,

I think the X-REAS system you speak of is an auto leveling system of some sort. I'm not sure I have that on my SR5 because I had the rear shocks replaced at the dealership about 2 years ago. I would think if I had the X-REAS system on my truck the dealership would have told me the front shocks needed replacing also.
Click to expand...

No, they are not a load leveling system. There are a ton of threads on here about the system. What it does is there is a tube that connects the front right shock to the rear left shock, and then a seperate tube that connects front left shock to right rear shock, thus creating an X shape. It is mainly used for cornering on highways at speed, and works fairly well for that, but if you go off-road or on really bumpy roads it is not so good of a system. This system, once compromised by, let's say a hole in the tube like my truck, now the WHOLE system has to be replaced. Shocks, Tubes and the hydraulic chamber that is hiding on the frame rail on each side of the truck. You cannot just disconnect the system without replacing all of it. It's a stupid design that had good intentions of making the 4runner a pavement pounder.
You probably don't have the X-REAS system on your truck, cause dealerships charge a FORTUNE to do anything on that system. lol
:fencing:
 
Mannheim62 said:
t-man,

Thanks for enlightening me .... Your right, I don't have anything like that on my truck. I appreciate the heads up.
Click to expand...

I reread over everything, and I have to admit I confused something I read on another thread with some of yours. Wasn't trying to insinuate anything. You CAN change shocks with the X-REAS system, but only if they haven't leaked or any part of the system has leaked. I don't know why they couldn't refill the system myself, just doesn't make sense, but they say if it leaks then you have to replace it all. When I said you can't change just the front (or rear for that matter) shocks, I meant that you cannot put regular shocks on the front, and keep the X-REAS system on the rear shocks only. You would just blow the oil out of the system and be screwed. Did I explain it right that time??
 
You explained it much better, thank you. I wondering when they say "if it leaks then you have to replace it all"; that may have something to do with system contamination ... just a thought. Thanks again t-man.
 
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