J-money$$$
New member
take your front sway bar off and see it it changes what you are talking about before you buy new bushings. It may have nothing to do with your sway bar at all and this will let you find out if it does or doesnt
Jitters on bumps
- Thread starter 1985taylor1925
- Start date
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
How difficult is it to replace the steering rack bushings? time estimate? anyone who has done it?
brian2sun
Elite Member
Read, he said his shocks are brand new kyb shocks a couple times now.
I don't think steering rack bushings would give your symptoms (mine just had really sloppy steering when mine wore out). But there's any easy way to tell if they're bad. Get down on your left knee right by the driver's door. Rock the steering wheel back and forth a few inches with your right hand as you look at the rack itself under the truck. If it moves at all, your bushings need to be replaced.
I agree with j-money$$$ that the sway bars shouldn't make a difference for this issue. I run no sways too and don't have your problem. Your stock coils may be shot or more likely, your control arm bushings are worn.
notrayray
New member
Look toward the bottom of this thread.....
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/69744-tutorial-documentation-reference.html
You need to rule out control arms/inspect front and rear suspension......but that being said, I'd venture that 95% of the 96-02 4Runners on the road have worn out rack bushings........and mine had similar issues before I did mine.
The point is to fix the problem, not throw as much money as possible at it hoping to fix it.
JohnsD90
New member
He took sway bars off for extra flex, but lower your tires to 32-36psi, the ride will be much more comfortable. Did you check if your sway bar links are busted?
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Gerdo
New member
Stock tire pressure is 35 psi.
Every tire has a "max pressure" on the sidewall. P series (passenger car tires) are lower (psi and load capacity). LT tires have different load ranges (C,D,E). The higher the LR the higher the max psi and capacity. There is absolutely no reason to run the max psi on a LT on a 4runner.
Every tire has a "max pressure" on the sidewall. P series (passenger car tires) are lower (psi and load capacity). LT tires have different load ranges (C,D,E). The higher the LR the higher the max psi and capacity. There is absolutely no reason to run the max psi on a LT on a 4runner.
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
What i really need is a 4runner expert to ride in the vehicle and listen and feel it. Unfortunately I dont know anyone here who can do that.
brian2sun,
thanks for catching that the shocks are brand new. I dont how many people have told me to get new shocks! Already done it. They were shot without a doubt. As far as the springs, i removed the front strut/spring unit and brought it to a shop to put in the new struts. They didnt mention anything about the springs being worn. I just brought it in to get the rear done as school started and time became an issue. Also, the vehicle doesnt have any sag, front or rear. It sits pretty well. And sat well before installing the new shocks. So unless there is another way to know they are bad, I think I can rule that out. I will take your advice and look at the rack today while turning the wheel
brian2sun,
thanks for catching that the shocks are brand new. I dont how many people have told me to get new shocks! Already done it. They were shot without a doubt. As far as the springs, i removed the front strut/spring unit and brought it to a shop to put in the new struts. They didnt mention anything about the springs being worn. I just brought it in to get the rear done as school started and time became an issue. Also, the vehicle doesnt have any sag, front or rear. It sits pretty well. And sat well before installing the new shocks. So unless there is another way to know they are bad, I think I can rule that out. I will take your advice and look at the rack today while turning the wheel
How's it going I'm new to this web site and I'm also having the same issue has u are I also replaced all 4 shocks , balance tires , new stabilizer links , new pads and rotors the truck drives alot better but once u hit some certain bumps the truck has this horrible shake , that really can't be normal all suspension components are tight one thing I did find today was middle suframe bushings are gone any one else can help with this issue ??? Thanks guys
panzer
New member
Ideas
I've had vibration problems in my wifes 2001 4runner (145K miles). Her truck looks almost identical to my truck in my signature.
I replaced the all the sway bar bushings on my front sway bar (Toyota calls it a "Stablizer Bar" from here:
Anti-Sway Kit for Toyota 4Runner from Wheeler's Off-Road $24
For the rear sway bar I just replaced the bushings that connect to the end links, search Amazon for "Energy Suspension 9.8105G" and they sell them in packs of 8.
I replaced the steering rack bushings from here:
4Runner Steering Rack Bushing Kit - Wheeler's Off-Road, Inc $17
Steering rack writeups to look at are:
02 Steering Rack Bushing Replacment
Tacoma Steering Bushing Replacement
The steering rack bushings are more difficult than the sway bar bushings. My advice is to use a C-clamp to press out the steering rack bushings. People have said that you can "hammer" them out but that will likely not work.
The other item that I think is mostly overlooked is getting a proper balance of the tires. I had my wheels/tires balanced 4 times on a Hunter GSP 9600 (not the newest GSP 9600). The last time I even told them to take each tire off the wheel, find the high spot in the tire and wheel and put the wheel/tire back together with the high spots opposite each other. Then I had them road force balance the tires. I even went into the shop on the last tire and asked the kid to put it back on the spin balancer to veryify it was good. When he put it back on the machine it told him it need another 2.50 ounces of wieght!
I then had a civil argument with the manager on why it would ask for more weight on a tire that just came off the balancer saying it was zero-ed out. He tried to tell me that there are multiple factors that can can change when putting a tire back on the balancer... at this point I realized I was talking to a doofis. The end result was NO GOOD, still had my shake in my steering wheel.
Finally I drove to another Discount Tire several miles away from my house. Told them the issue and they balanced my tires using a "new cone" that they were testing out for aftermarket wheels and LT tires. The previous Discount tire was connecting a 6 lug flange to my wheel then putting the wheel/tire on the balancer. The result is that my wife's truck drives/rides correctly again. The gist of my long story is that even though you've had your tires balanced... doesn't mean they were done correctly. I'd try another shop to balance your tires before you spend money on other things. If you have OEM wheels then I'd check to see if they have the Haweka adapter that Toyota recommends to use on balancing OEM rims. Into on this adapter can be found here:
http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/tsb/ToyotaLandCruiser/tsu00296.pdf
I also suggest reading Gadget's info on wheel balancing here:
Vibration Problems
Other thoughts past the above are you upper ball joints, lower ball joints, outer tie rod ends... I'm sure there is more...
Like I said above, I have 2 2001 4runners with the exact same suspension, front bumper, wheels, tires, etc. So I was lucky in that I knew how my truck drove and how my wife's was not performing the same. I had multiple people tell me the vibrations in my wife's truck were because of mud tires, the lift, etc., etc... when I told those people I have the same truck that rides great, they looked at me like deer in headlights.
Sorry for the really long winded post, good luck in correcting your jitter issues.
Take care.
I've had vibration problems in my wifes 2001 4runner (145K miles). Her truck looks almost identical to my truck in my signature.
I replaced the all the sway bar bushings on my front sway bar (Toyota calls it a "Stablizer Bar" from here:
Anti-Sway Kit for Toyota 4Runner from Wheeler's Off-Road $24
For the rear sway bar I just replaced the bushings that connect to the end links, search Amazon for "Energy Suspension 9.8105G" and they sell them in packs of 8.
I replaced the steering rack bushings from here:
4Runner Steering Rack Bushing Kit - Wheeler's Off-Road, Inc $17
Steering rack writeups to look at are:
02 Steering Rack Bushing Replacment
Tacoma Steering Bushing Replacement
The steering rack bushings are more difficult than the sway bar bushings. My advice is to use a C-clamp to press out the steering rack bushings. People have said that you can "hammer" them out but that will likely not work.
The other item that I think is mostly overlooked is getting a proper balance of the tires. I had my wheels/tires balanced 4 times on a Hunter GSP 9600 (not the newest GSP 9600). The last time I even told them to take each tire off the wheel, find the high spot in the tire and wheel and put the wheel/tire back together with the high spots opposite each other. Then I had them road force balance the tires. I even went into the shop on the last tire and asked the kid to put it back on the spin balancer to veryify it was good. When he put it back on the machine it told him it need another 2.50 ounces of wieght!
I then had a civil argument with the manager on why it would ask for more weight on a tire that just came off the balancer saying it was zero-ed out. He tried to tell me that there are multiple factors that can can change when putting a tire back on the balancer... at this point I realized I was talking to a doofis. The end result was NO GOOD, still had my shake in my steering wheel.
Finally I drove to another Discount Tire several miles away from my house. Told them the issue and they balanced my tires using a "new cone" that they were testing out for aftermarket wheels and LT tires. The previous Discount tire was connecting a 6 lug flange to my wheel then putting the wheel/tire on the balancer. The result is that my wife's truck drives/rides correctly again. The gist of my long story is that even though you've had your tires balanced... doesn't mean they were done correctly. I'd try another shop to balance your tires before you spend money on other things. If you have OEM wheels then I'd check to see if they have the Haweka adapter that Toyota recommends to use on balancing OEM rims. Into on this adapter can be found here:
http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/tsb/ToyotaLandCruiser/tsu00296.pdf
I also suggest reading Gadget's info on wheel balancing here:
Vibration Problems
Other thoughts past the above are you upper ball joints, lower ball joints, outer tie rod ends... I'm sure there is more...
Like I said above, I have 2 2001 4runners with the exact same suspension, front bumper, wheels, tires, etc. So I was lucky in that I knew how my truck drove and how my wife's was not performing the same. I had multiple people tell me the vibrations in my wife's truck were because of mud tires, the lift, etc., etc... when I told those people I have the same truck that rides great, they looked at me like deer in headlights.
Sorry for the really long winded post, good luck in correcting your jitter issues.
Take care.
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notrayray
New member
Check my thread here for an easy removal procedure for the bushings....
Steering rack bushing replacement
Rockdawg84
New member
This doesn't sound like bad tires or unbalanced stuff to me. if it is only happening after a bump I would say something is loose. And I would start with rear wheel bearings and then look at the front wheel bearings then the ball joints. if after a bump you get jitters then it settles back to normal then something is loose and that is a disaster waiting to happen. Is there any noise associated with the jitters. drive around with the radio off and the windows down and listen for weird or strange noises when the jitters are happening. Crawl underneath the truck and check all of your suspension links making sure there are no bushings missing or bolts missing. Just my thoughts good luck.
TheDurk
Elite Member
Don't rush to judgment on those middle frame bushings. Do they look like they split in the middle? That's the way they were born. The question gets asked frequently. I thought mine looked weird, too.
Oh thanks alot for your input.
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
Rockdog,
i think you are right. My guess has been that something is loose, or a bushing is shot. I just dont have the expertise to pinpoint it. But im continuing to learn. I know a mechanic here at school that im gonna have ride along with me. see what he thinks
Marco,
sounds like the exact same problem. The suspension feels fairly smooth on dips in the road. But when you hit a series of bumps it turns into a death shake. Everything in my vehicle goes into convulsion mode. Its far from just being a normal part of the 4runner's "stiff" ride. i have driven two others, and they did not feel like this
i think you are right. My guess has been that something is loose, or a bushing is shot. I just dont have the expertise to pinpoint it. But im continuing to learn. I know a mechanic here at school that im gonna have ride along with me. see what he thinks
Marco,
sounds like the exact same problem. The suspension feels fairly smooth on dips in the road. But when you hit a series of bumps it turns into a death shake. Everything in my vehicle goes into convulsion mode. Its far from just being a normal part of the 4runner's "stiff" ride. i have driven two others, and they did not feel like this
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
I've had vibration problems in my wifes 2001 4runner (145K miles). Her truck looks almost identical to my truck in my signature.
I replaced the all the sway bar bushings on my front sway bar (Toyota calls it a "Stablizer Bar" from here:
Anti-Sway Kit for Toyota 4Runner from Wheeler's Off-Road $24
For the rear sway bar I just replaced the bushings that connect to the end links, search Amazon for "Energy Suspension 9.8105G" and they sell them in packs of 8.
I replaced the steering rack bushings from here:
4Runner Steering Rack Bushing Kit - Wheeler's Off-Road, Inc $17
Steering rack writeups to look at are:
02 Steering Rack Bushing Replacment
Tacoma Steering Bushing Replacement
The steering rack bushings are more difficult than the sway bar bushings. My advice is to use a C-clamp to press out the steering rack bushings. People have said that you can "hammer" them out but that will likely not work.
The other item that I think is mostly overlooked is getting a proper balance of the tires. I had my wheels/tires balanced 4 times on a Hunter GSP 9600 (not the newest GSP 9600). The last time I even told them to take each tire off the wheel, find the high spot in the tire and wheel and put the wheel/tire back together with the high spots opposite each other. Then I had them road force balance the tires. I even went into the shop on the last tire and asked the kid to put it back on the spin balancer to veryify it was good. When he put it back on the machine it told him it need another 2.50 ounces of wieght!
I then had a civil argument with the manager on why it would ask for more weight on a tire that just came off the balancer saying it was zero-ed out. He tried to tell me that there are multiple factors that can can change when putting a tire back on the balancer... at this point I realized I was talking to a doofis. The end result was NO GOOD, still had my shake in my steering wheel.
Finally I drove to another Discount Tire several miles away from my house. Told them the issue and they balanced my tires using a "new cone" that they were testing out for aftermarket wheels and LT tires. The previous Discount tire was connecting a 6 lug flange to my wheel then putting the wheel/tire on the balancer. The result is that my wife's truck drives/rides correctly again. The gist of my long story is that even though you've had your tires balanced... doesn't mean they were done correctly. I'd try another shop to balance your tires before you spend money on other things. If you have OEM wheels then I'd check to see if they have the Haweka adapter that Toyota recommends to use on balancing OEM rims. Into on this adapter can be found here:
http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/tsb/ToyotaLandCruiser/tsu00296.pdf
I also suggest reading Gadget's info on wheel balancing here:
Vibration Problems
Other thoughts past the above are you upper ball joints, lower ball joints, outer tie rod ends... I'm sure there is more...
Like I said above, I have 2 2001 4runners with the exact same suspension, front bumper, wheels, tires, etc. So I was lucky in that I knew how my truck drove and how my wife's was not performing the same. I had multiple people tell me the vibrations in my wife's truck were because of mud tires, the lift, etc., etc... when I told those people I have the same truck that rides great, they looked at me like deer in headlights.
Sorry for the really long winded post, good luck in correcting your jitter issues.
Take care.
Hey for some reason i didnt see this post until just now. Thanks for the help. Much appreciated. Really ticks me off that auto shops care so little. Theyre getting paid either way so they dont care if they do a crappy job. ridiculous. I intend to build my knowledge and tool inventory so i can take care of things myself as much as possible
SSmokybear
New member
As a new 3rd Gen owner and a specialist in the suspension business I have this occurring with our, new to us, 98 T4R. I felt it the other day while in a turn to the freeway when I hit a small bump in the road. This after I just replaced all of the aforementioned pieces/parts. Its the spring rate of the front springs. This truck has pretty stiff springs on it. It's the same feeling when your running a go-cart and u hit a bump. It just bounces you over the bump when you hit it. The suspension is not compressing thus the shocks have no play and the tires are bouncing off the bump which in turn make the jittery feeling. It's worst if the tires are filled to the max and being load rated D or E. Which are super stiff sidewalls for this vehicle. I do not know of a cure at this point as I am just beginning to dive into this problem. But my butt, experience, and gut all tell me it's stiff front springs and or tires.
Just my $.02
Tom
Just my $.02
Tom
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1985taylor1925
Senior Member
I have some experience with suspension as well and I understand what your saying. The problem is that not all 3rd generation 4runners have this issue. And they all come stock with the same springs. I drove two others that did not jitter. Also most suspension lifts are built with stiffer springs, and even so the jitters are not a common complaint from those who have added stiffer springs. Plus the springs are 13 years old now. If anything they have softened over the years. In dips i can feel the suspension compressing smoothly, so the springs are compressing. And I just installed new kyb shocks. So if the springs are compresses, then the shocks should be controlling the rebound.
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
I just tried this and inspected everything. Nothing rattles or clunks or makes any noise when we shake it. I wish it did. This is getting more complicated to figure out than I had expected. I did watch the steering rack as i turned the wheel in park and it has some play in it. I expect its normal for there to be some play. But should i be able to notice it so easily while in park?
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
Did your 4runner have any jittery symptoms before installing these bushings? I just orderd them today. Hopefully it helps
