KYB Shock Install Question

[Sarki]

Completed front Shock & Spring replacement this weekend, OEM springs and KYB shocks & KYB strut mount.
Attached photos for reference of parts that came with the KYB Shock (one large rubber bushing, one small rubber bushing, two large metal retainers/washers and one small metal retainer/washer).
Installed as follows with shock assembly inside center of compressed spring:
*Slid black plastic shock cover onto shaft and over top of shock
*Placed large metal retainer/washer on shaft on top of black plastic cover, concave facing up to rest on underside of strut mount rubber.
*Placed new strut mount on top of shock
*Placed large rubber bushing onto top of strut mount assembly.
*Placed the second large metal retainer/washer over rubber bushing and secured with nut.

I did not use the remaining small rubber bushing and corresponding small metal retainer/washer as there was some disagreement as to whether it was needed and/or where it belonged.

One thought was the small rubber bushing and metal retainer/washer should be placed on the shaft of the shock before sliding the black plastic cover over the shock.

What do you guys think.....

 

[TheLincolnGreen]

I didn't use it. I assumed it was to replace the bushings on the top hat. The replacement tops I used had bushings preinstalled on the bottom.

 

[Sarki]

That was my exact thought as well but seeing that extra bushing sitting there on my work bench made me start to question myself as well as my buddy saying I messed up.
Now to figure out how to best access that top nut in order to remove and replace those rear shocks.........yikes!

 

[phattyduck]

That was my exact thought as well but seeing that extra bushing sitting there on my work bench made me start to question myself as well as my buddy saying I messed up.
Now to figure out how to best access that top nut in order to remove and replace those rear shocks.........yikes!

Remove the spare tire so you have some room, then do this:

-Charlie

 

[Scramble]

Remove the spare tire so you have some room, then do this:

-Charlie

Easier said than done if his NY truck is rusty lol.

Removing the spare is a big help.

OP, if the top of the shock is a rusted blob use a socket + ratchet (handle up against the frame) on top to hold it in place & turn the shock body with large vice grips. Or just cut the foocker off like I did in 2015, couldn't even get a socket on the disintegrated nuts.

 

[TheLincolnGreen]

I should have cut mine. After fighting the passenger side for what seemed like an hour, the shaft finally broke off.

 

[Sarki]

Thanks to both Charlie & Scramble for advice on the rear shocks.
That picture is great but as Scramble pointed out, the salted roads of the northeast are not kind on the hardware that holds these rigs together.
Eventually had to resort to vice grips turning the shaft of the shock while wedging a flex head ratchet with deep 14mm socket on that top bolt....not much fun but victory has been had.
Unfortunately snapped one of the stabilizer end links so need to order replacement.
I normally go OEM with parts but at $70 a pop thinking about alternatives.
Anybody have any recommendations or just suck it up and order two new ones online from Conicelli.
Still trying to strong arm those springs off the rear diff housing on my own. Followed Timmy the tool man video, I guess i need another set of hands to pull down on the axle as I wrestle the spring off it’s perch.

 

[TheLincolnGreen]

Thanks to both Charlie & Scramble for advice on the rear shocks.
That picture is great but as Scramble pointed out, the salted roads of the northeast are not kind on the hardware that holds these rigs together.
Eventually had to resort to vice grips turning the shaft of the shock while wedging a flex head ratchet with deep 14mm socket on that top bolt....not much fun but victory has been had.
Unfortunately snapped one of the stabilizer end links so need to order replacement.
I normally go OEM with parts but at $70 a pop thinking about alternatives.
Anybody have any recommendations or just suck it up and order two new ones online from Conicelli.
Still trying to strong arm those springs off the rear diff housing on my own. Followed Timmy the tool man video, I guess i need another set of hands to pull down on the axle as I wrestle the spring off it’s perch.

AutoZone will rent a spring compressor set for free, makes it a piece of cake. They also sell a two pack of universal links for $25 that work great. You only need a couple of eyebolts to make them work.

 

[Sarki]

AutoZone will rent a spring compressor set for free, makes it a piece of cake. They also sell a two pack of universal links for $25 that work great. You only need a couple of eyebolts to make them work.

What a difference a day makes!
Back in the garage first thing this morning with a fresh brain.
Got to thinking about Timmy The Tool Man’s video install on front struts/springs and his use of the bottle jack to push down the UBJ to assist in aligning the lower bolt on the front strut.
Took same approach and used the bottle jack to raise one end of the rear differential which in turn lowered the other end enough to pull the each rear spring out one at a time.
45 minutes later with a bit of wiggle and massage had the old ones out and new ones in.
Didn’t want to wait for a helper, just wanted to Get R Done!
Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

 

[phattyduck]

Loosen the links and pivots! It'll all go very easy at that point. No need for a helper or bottle jack to make clearance (unless you are putting in REALLY long rear springs).

Whenever you change ride height, you should be loosening and re-tightening all rubber bushing pivots at the new ride height to avoid constant stress on the bushings.

-Charlie

 

[socalkid]

Completed front Shock & Spring replacement this weekend, OEM springs and KYB shocks & KYB strut mount...

how's the ride? i keep going back and forth between a complete OEM setup and this setup you just put in with OEM springs and KYB gas-a-just struts. my 3rd gen is a 2wd and will never see more than a fire road so i think ive decided that Bilsteins even 4600's are overkill.

 

[gamefreakgc]

how's the ride? i keep going back and forth between a complete OEM setup and this setup you just put in with OEM springs and KYB gas-a-just struts. my 3rd gen is a 2wd and will never see more than a fire road so i think ive decided that Bilsteins even 4600's are overkill.

I have OEM-like coils (a tiny bit stiffer) and KYB Gas-a-just shocks. They are stiffer than stock but very on-road capable. However, if off roading is never in your future then go pure OEM. They are the softest ride and still are decent off-road. For the casual adventurer, nobody complains that stock 4Runner suspension isn't good enough off-road!

When it comes time for me to refresh the suspension in roughly 70k miles, I'm going to switch to pure OEM I think. Still debating though since I like how it rides now.

 

[Sarki]

how's the ride? i keep going back and forth between a complete OEM setup and this setup you just put in with OEM springs and KYB gas-a-just struts. my 3rd gen is a 2wd and will never see more than a fire road so i think ive decided that Bilsteins even 4600's are overkill.

Very happy with my install of KYB struts/Shocks front & rear paired with the KYB upper mounts in front and factory/OEM springs front & rear.
Vehicle height is perfect and quality of the ride is spot on as a daily driver. It is much improved over my original factory setup with 180K miles.
I also replaced the stabilizer bar end links front and rear.
I was tempted to purchase OEM Shocks vs. the KYB but the price difference was substantial and there were many favorable reviews regarding the KYB’s.
No regrets, would do the same if I had it to do again.

 

[Mikeyt]

You're lucky you got your rears apart. Mine fused together, so I had to cut mine out which is difficult on and of itself and I was doing it on a lift. Problem I had was where I could cut was a little low on both sides and I got a shock oil geiser out of both. Six cans of brake clean later and several rags, I was back on business. Bye uniforms got replaced too....win, win!

 

[socalkid]

Very happy with my install of KYB struts/Shocks front & rear paired with the KYB upper mounts in front and factory/OEM springs front & rear.
Vehicle height is perfect and quality of the ride is spot on as a daily driver. It is much improved over my original factory setup with 180K miles.
I also replaced the stabilizer bar end links front and rear.
I was tempted to purchase OEM Shocks vs. the KYB but the price difference was substantial and there were many favorable reviews regarding the KYB’s.
No regrets, would do the same if I had it to do again.

cool, thanks for the feedback.

didnt think to do the end links but it makes sense, maybe the bushings too.

i know you did the mounts in the front too im guessing cus you switched to the KYBs but even if i did OEM i was gonna do the upper supports in the front and probably the spring seats in the rear too.

 

[socalkid]

I have OEM-like coils (a tiny bit stiffer) and KYB Gas-a-just shocks. They are stiffer than stock but very on-road capable. However, if off roading is never in your future then go pure OEM. They are the softest ride and still are decent off-road. For the casual adventurer, nobody complains that stock 4Runner suspension isn't good enough off-road!

When it comes time for me to refresh the suspension in roughly 70k miles, I'm going to switch to pure OEM I think. Still debating though since I like how it rides now.

thanks for the feedback... my 2wd is purely a pavement queen so im 100% going after comfort and handling above off road performance.

 

[Sarki]

cool, thanks for the feedback.

didnt think to do the end links but it makes sense, maybe the bushings too.

i know you did the mounts in the front too im guessing cus you switched to the KYBs but even if i did OEM i was gonna do the upper supports in the front and probably the spring seats in the rear too.

I replaced the front upper supports for the following reasons.....
This is a northeast truck so the less I have to mess with rusty hardware the better. Figured it was easier to avoid having to dismantle the old strut/spring assembly for the sole purpose of reusing the upper support that already has 180K miles on it.
Secondly, 180K and 17 years on rubber bushings pretty much guarantees they’re past their useful life expectancy.
That is also why I replaced the front stabilizer bushings.
I left the rear stabilizer bushings in place as they appeared to be in good shape indicating they were replaced more recently.
I have new LBJ’s and outer tie rods in hand, just waiting for the inner tie rods to arrive and all will be replaced.
I’m fortunate in that I have a 4 post lift in the garage making this work much easier and almost enjoyable......almost!
Working on crusty hardware is no fun even with a lift!!
Go with the KYB setup on all 4 corners and I think you’ll be happy with the ride. I use my as a daily and it works well.

 

[socalkid]

I replaced the front upper supports for the following reasons.....
This is a northeast truck so the less I have to mess with rusty hardware the better. Figured it was easier to avoid having to dismantle the old strut/spring assembly for the sole purpose of reusing the upper support that already has 180K miles on it.
Secondly, 180K and 17 years on rubber bushings pretty much guarantees they’re past their useful life expectancy.
That is also why I replaced the front stabilizer bushings.
I left the rear stabilizer bushings in place as they appeared to be in good shape indicating they were replaced more recently.
I have new LBJ’s and outer tie rods in hand, just waiting for the inner tie rods to arrive and all will be replaced.
I’m fortunate in that I have a 4 post lift in the garage making this work much easier and almost enjoyable......almost!
Working on crusty hardware is no fun even with a lift!!
Go with the KYB setup on all 4 corners and I think you’ll be happy with the ride. I use my as a daily and it works well.

that all makes sense. my 3rd gen is only at around 89k and has always been a Southern California truck so definitely not in the same boat as your Runner. however ever since i bought it about 2 years ago from the original owner the ride has been rough, i even remember (maybe fond memories at this point) my 98' Tacoma 4x4 back in the day riding better. there's a little sweat on the right rear shock, but other than that everything looks ok, but i still wonder how much life, if any, all of the links and bushings have besides shocks/struts/springs so i go down this path where i tell myself if im gonna replace the shocks/struts/springs "might as well" the tie rod ends too, or maybe do sway bar links too, and the LCA bushings, etc... and next thing you know im debating a full front end rebuild which i guess i wouldn't be opposed to but do i really need to at this point? probably not, but still go back and forth, and regardless will replace the springs/shocks.

4 post, man must be nice. my uncle has a 4 post lift in his garage but he's a jerk so its me and my floor jack in the garage

 

[Sarki]

that all makes sense. my 3rd gen is only at around 89k and has always been a Southern California truck so definitely not in the same boat as your Runner. however ever since i bought it about 2 years ago from the original owner the ride has been rough, i even remember (maybe fond memories at this point) my 98' Tacoma 4x4 back in the day riding better. there's a little sweat on the right rear shock, but other than that everything looks ok, but i still wonder how much life, if any, all of the links and bushings have besides shocks/struts/springs so i go down this path where i tell myself if im gonna replace the shocks/struts/springs "might as well" the tie rod ends too, or maybe do sway bar links too, and the LCA bushings, etc... and next thing you know im debating a full front end rebuild which i guess i wouldn't be opposed to but do i really need to at this point? probably not, but still go back and forth, and regardless will replace the springs/shocks.

4 post, man must be nice. my uncle has a 4 post lift in his garage but he's a jerk so its me and my floor jack in the garage

Wow, 89K miles is really nothing for these trucks. The rubber does begin to deteriorate over time so probably not a bad idea to replace the rubber bushings. The cost is low and the labor is fairly straight forward.
Having the lift is a dream come true for sure. Makes repairs, maintenance and servicing cars/ trucks that much easier.
I also have a 95 T100 and 86 Long bed Pickup so between those rigs and my new to me 02 Runner the lift comes in really handy.

 

[Shark1020]

If I were to install that bushing and washer that you did not use in what order would it go in then? I am reusing my top hat and would like to use new bushings but don’t know how to order the washer and bushings on it.