I have been reading about spacer lifts for over a month now. I decided to tackle mine today. I got the rear in easily in an hour. I started the front and got to the point of dropping the strut out to install the spacer. It WON'T budge!!! I have the bottom out and the lower control arm jacked up past the bottom of the strut so it can be relatively straight to drop out. Any ideas would be appreciated. I figured the hard part would be re-installing the strut. As a matter of fact, I have seen several videos that warn of the strut falling right out.
HELP!!!! I cant get the strut to drop out!!!!
- Thread starter qikazel
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ARunner
New member
Well, sounds like you have a good bit of tension still. You need to ensure you have disconnected the lower control arm to allow maximum droop and also taken the sway bar loose. Then after that a hammer or other object to drive the strut out could be required. im a little confused about you saying you've jacked up the lower control arm. The opposite is what you need. You need to maximize the space between the top and bottom of your strut, not compress it.
I have removed the sway bar and lower control arm bolts at the ball joint. My lower control arm won't go low enough to clear the strut. I didn't want to loosen the lower arms if possible. I barely got the strut out of the lower control arm. So, after reading several other posts, some have actually raised the lower arm high enough to get past the bottom of the strut and that allows the strut to be straight up and down. I think the top of the strut is crusty and has rusted itself to the top mounting bracket. I have pried down on the strut coils with a three foot pry bar and it won't move.
you have to put an allen key on one side while you loosen the nut on the other side
I am not talking about the sway bay end link bolts, I am talking about the bolts that hold the sway bar to the frame. The nut that is inside the frame(I assume that it is tack welded in there) broke loose, so now the one bolt won't come out and just spins. There is not an opening in the frame to get anything on the nut to keep it from spinning.
I did above this morning. No luck. It appears that the domed section of the upper plate that goes through the hole in the strut brace had corroded itself in and wont break free. I can't seem to get a pry bar point up that high nor is there room to hammer anything downward. I am close to putting it back together and letting a shop deal with this. I am not a rookie by any means having r&r'ed engines, transmissions etc. on my Grand National and my motorcycles. The only thing left that I can thing of is heating it up with a torch.
simple
Senior Member
It's been a long time since I did this, and I'm doing it again in a few weeks... Except I'm a lot older now and I think I'd rather almost pay someone now, haha.
But I think I remember compressing the springs on the vehicle. I used the kind from autozone that they rent out. The two brackets on a giant bolt. Again it's been awhile but I'm pretty sure that's how I did it. That, and some gentle love taps with a mallet
But I think I remember compressing the springs on the vehicle. I used the kind from autozone that they rent out. The two brackets on a giant bolt. Again it's been awhile but I'm pretty sure that's how I did it. That, and some gentle love taps with a mallet
ARK_SWAMP_RIDER
New member
Read through this post. I've used this method multiple times and never had any issues.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/77183-leveled-her-weekend.html
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/77183-leveled-her-weekend.html
Ah ok, apparently that happens pretty often.
Read through here:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/34115-swaybar-bushing-upgrade.html
a couple guys wrote about the same issue and how they used carriage bolts to remedy the issue.
Be careful with the torch just in case you end up having to take it to a shop. a melted out bushing will the difference between drive it to the shop and have it towed. you could try putting the lower shock bolt back in and using the lca as a pry bar of sorts? Also you'll probably have to replace the ABS wire and wheel speed sensor.
Not uncommon, it's probable it's just disconnected rather than broken. This is another reason I suggest people buy matched springs and struts as I did with my OME last month. That way you can buy them pre-assembled.
If I disconnect it and re-connect it, will that turn off the lights? Or does it need the codes cleared? And how can I determine if it is the wiring or the sensor? I'd like to know before I spend $100+ on a sensor that I may not need or may not work due to the possible bad wiring.
