So fed up with my 4Runner... Please help.

[ecufishbowl]

Beyond fed up with my 4Runner at this point... I'm begging for answers, PLEASE HELP!!!!

2008 SR5 4x4 103,xxx miles - Daystar Spacers 2.5/1.5inch - 255/75R17 Goodyear Duratracs. (Lift and tires have been on for about 1 1/2 years)
**Only drive on-road, don't do any offroading**

This has been an ongoing issue since October and I'm running out patience and money dealing with it...

I'll try to keep this as short and to the point as possible...main points are at the bottom if you need to skip.

October-December: Told I needed an alignment. Tires were feathering pretty badly. Had like 4 or 5 alignments done and none would hold. Long story short, had tie rods replaced ($$), that didn't fix it. Next they decided it was bad steering rack, had the entire steering rack replaced ($$$$$).

Drove for a couple months after all new steering rack and felt like tires were still wearing poorly. At this point the front tires make an uneven loud hum and it sounds like there is a flat spot or something on one tire that you can hear slap the ground as it comes around the tire. Took it to the shop this morning for an alignment check and tire rotation. They just called and told me that the caster and toe is back out of spec. WTFFFFF.

I don't know what else can be the issue other than worn shocks (over 100,000 miles now)????? I had looked alittle into getting Bilstein 5100s to keep my 1-2in lift so that my tires will still fit but wasn't sure if I would need new springs as well? I know many recommend getting FJ springs.. Any chance with just new shocks and my stock springs I could still fit my 255/75R17 duratracs?

At this point, because I don't offroad at all anymore, I honestly just want to go back to stock height and sized tires... I miss actually feeling stable, quiet, and comfortable in my car... problem with that is I'll have to buy new tires again.. And I just spent $650 last month for new brake pads, resurfaced rotors, and replacing a caliper. And when I am slowly rolling at idol or breaking at a slow roll I still get a rumble like the rotor isn't smooth (but it is...)

So what is my most affordable option getting stock height and quality suspension back? I've spent far too much money lately on this vehicle and I'm a NC public school teacher so its no secret that I can't afford any fancy upgrades. I just want my truck back to riding comfortably and not destroying tires (and other components) in less than 2 years..

MAIN POINTS...
1. what the hell is causing such bad tire wear?? 100k+ mile shocks?? Is it the damn spacer lift even though I stay on pavement?? New steering rack and tie rods didn't fix it..Got to figure out the cause before moving forward with expensive parts/labor...
then...
-do I buy bilsteins and use stock springs? will that still allow me to fit my current 255/75/17 tires and just deal with the noise til they wear out??
-do I buy new stock springs and shocks and hope that the slightly worn 255/75/17 tires will fit?
-do I buy new stock springs and shocks and bite the bullet having to buy new stock sized road tires? (i'm tempted to just do this and get back to stock comfort...I don't need the lift and it was never worth all this crap)
-other options?? trying to get things back to normal for under $1000 and I've done very very little work on vehicles.

I know you guys help people with stuff like this all the time and probably don't feel like responding to the same stuff but I have scouring the facebook pages, t4r.org, other forums ect, not to mention i've been to 4 different shops, one of which is one of the bets offroad specific shops in the area, and no one can give me an answer... Please help..

 

[Anonymous4Runner]

I know you guys help people with stuff like this all the time and probably don't feel like responding to the same stuff but I have scouring the facebook pages, t4r.org, other forums ect, not to mention i've been to 4 different shops, one of which is one of the bets offroad specific shops in the area, and no one can give me an answer... Please help..

Have patience, little dude! You've come to the right place. Rest assured members will chime in and address your post including question(s) you've included at the end of the post. Give this thread a day or two and you will have a bunch of loyal 4th gen 4Runners running to your aid to tackle this issue!

I'm nowhere close to savvy when it comes to automotive work. You mentioned going to off-road shops for troubleshooting...did you by any chance swing by a dealer for a diagnosis at any point? Sometime I find it better to swing by a dealer and pay $75-$100 for a diagnosis. You need to research on finding the right dealer with quality work in regard to service visits if you haven't taken it in yet. At that point you have the information handy and can take it to a third party shop at your own risk.

There is definitely something wrong with your 4Runner but I have enough confidence knowing some owners who's done all the work on their 4R's will come through and save the day. I will check back on this thread and BUMP if it's not on top of main page for 4th gen section

hang in there!

 

[Elan750]

did they provide you with the alignment results sheet?

Usually the cam bolts are frozen and they "do the best they can" without replacing the bolts.

find a new mechanic asap.

If you dont go offroad, I would consider a tire thats designed for ON road. I'd be more focused on the type of tire vs the size, especially of you do a good amount of Hway.

 

[ecufishbowl]

did they provide you with the alignment results sheet?

Usually the cam bolts are frozen and they "do the best they can" without replacing the bolts.

find a new mechanic asap.

If you dont go offroad, I would consider a tire thats designed for ON road. I'd be more focused on the type of tire vs the size, especially of you do a good amount of Hway.

I haven't gone to pick it up yet but he did say that the toe was at -.05 which is just out of spec on the front right. I also have the other spec sheets from before but need a refresher on posting pics here on T4R as I used to use photobucket and now thats acting up...

 

[ecufishbowl]

I'm nowhere close to savvy when it comes to automotive work. You mentioned going to off-road shops for troubleshooting...did you by any chance swing by a dealer for a diagnosis at any point? Sometime I find it better to swing by a dealer and pay $75-$100 for a diagnosis. You need to research on finding the right dealer with quality work in regard to service visits if you haven't taken it in yet. At that point you have the information handy and can take it to a third party shop at your own risk.

hang in there!

Unfortunately my local Toyota dealer has given me trouble multiple times in the past (lied straight to my face about work that had been done then realized I wasn't a complete idiot and could tell what hadn't been touched) so I refuse to go there... Haven't gone to any other dealers though..

 

[ecufishbowl]

One of the shops told me to get these Monroe Quick Strut Assemblies to keep the level ride up front to still keep my 255/75/17 tires... never really seen any mention of them here so I'm assuming they probably aren't the best route to go if I get new shocks/springs?...

https://www.amazon.com/Monroe-17137...show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

 

[Anonymous4Runner]

Unfortunately my local Toyota dealer has given me trouble multiple times in the past (lied straight to my face about work that had been done then realized I wasn't a complete idiot and could tell what hadn't been touched) so I refuse to go there... Haven't gone to any other dealers though..

Completely understandable! I have a longtime account with a local toyota dealer of ~20+ years. I moved to Northern VA and tried out at least 3-4 different dealers where I realized they were all scum and shady. At that point I decided for any work needing to be done on my 4Runner, I'm going to make a trip back to my hometown and visit my favorite dealer. Worth the 3hr trip there and 3hr back the next day.

Wish You were local to VA! I'd definitely recommend Charles Barker Toyota ALL day.

As for pictures, try using www.imgur.com - sometime you may have to resize images but other than that, it's a quality site for picture-sharining. I agree Photobucket fumbled the ball with their image sharing features

 

[jrm]

The 2.5" lift

is keeping you from retaining spec values for caster and camber. you need to purchase aftermarket UCAs.

I had to do the same thing with only 2.5"s of lift...:beer:

 

[ecufishbowl]

I really think I just need to get rid of the lift and get back to stock....suck up the price of new tires and maybe I can sell some/all of the duratracs to someone who doesn't mind the noise and just wants something for offroad.

1. What shocks would you recommend for stock?
2. Do I need new springs if I'm keeping stock height and shocks?

 

[Inv4drZm]

Do you have OEM lower control arm bushings and cam bolts or aftermarket? Seems like a lot have issues with the aftermarket bushings causing too much deflection or bolts coming loose which would screw up your alignment.

Shocks wouldn't cause the alignment issues.

 

[ecufishbowl]

Do you have OEM lower control arm bushings and cam bolts or aftermarket? Seems like a lot have issues with the aftermarket bushings causing too much deflection or bolts coming loose which would screw up your alignment.

Shocks wouldn't cause the alignment issues.

Everything is OEM.

 

[Straus7]

I can't imagine a 2.5/1.5 daystar spacer lift is causing the issues. Also, I doubt UPC are going to solve the issue. I originally ran the daystar kit with no issues for a year as have a bunch of other people on this forum.

Any accident history on your vehicle?
Before you installed the kit, did you own and drive it for a long period of time at stock height without tire wear issues?
If so I am assuming the issue stared after install of the leveling kit and original alignment?

If you can post up the alignment sheet I think that would be helpful.

 

[LOSTR4]

You need upgraded UCAs to counter the caster and toe specs you're getting...anything over 2" is recommended to upgrade to a UCA that will get you back to spec...Probably not the news you wanted to hear but I'd suggest doing the install yourself and than going back and having them align everything...at least, that's what I did and I've been happy with how it tracks and wears my tires thus far...been holding true to spec for over 5 years now...

 

[WVhillbilly]

I recently had a low speed rumble in my work truck.
It turned out to be bad bearings in the rear axle.

I don't have any help for the rest of your woes though.

 

[gm350reratliff]

The Duratrac is known for developing funky wear patterns sometimes and 100k mile shocks are not helping the situation. I find that the stock 4th gen springs are too soft, even when new, so I would look for some FJ or 5th gen springs to pair with some 5100’s or another option would be to look for shocks/springs that were taken off a new 4runner and ditch the daystar lift. FJ/5th gen springs will give you about an inch lift over OEM 4th gen height. You could still fit the Duratracs but you would probably be better off trying to sell those and get some more on-road friendly tires in the stock size or one up (265/70/17). As for the alignment not staying, most common is the LCA cam bolts loosen up over time or they’re not properly torqued when aligned. Another common problem is that the cam tabs get flattened out which can allow the LCA bolts to move. If the LCA cam bolts are frozen in place, new LCA cam bolts and LCA bushings will be needed. Front wheel bearings can also disguise themselves as loud tires.

 

[BackOff]

Really, the only thing that's is going to change your alignment continuously in your day to day drive down the interstate is the CAM bolts loosening them selves.
Get it aligned, go to the local parts store, get a 19mm/6point socket (and the wrench if you don't have it...longer the handle the more leverage you can exert)...and give the cam bolts (4 of them) a good crank down...righty tighty.

This has nothing to do with your UCAs or lift...if it wont hold alignment.

 

[gm350reratliff]

To add to this, I would also clearly mark each cam so if they do move, you can just move them back into place and retorque.

 

[ecufishbowl]

Any accident history on your vehicle?
Before you installed the kit, did you own and drive it for a long period of time at stock height without tire wear issues?
If so I am assuming the issue stared after install of the leveling kit and original alignment?

If you can post up the alignment sheet I think that would be helpful.

Truck has never had an accident. Bought it at 47,000 miles and it was fantastic stock. I installed the daystar myself and then drove it on stock sized tires for about 8 months without any issues. I then had the 255/75 duratracs put on along with brand new 2016 Trail Edition 17" wheels. It always felt alittle less stable after the new tires and then I didn't really notice the noise for probably 8 months and then realized how bad they had been wearing. I'll post up a alignment sheet as soon as I go pick the truck up from rotation/alignment check.

 

[ecufishbowl]

Alright so I'm getting a few votes that the cam bolts must be backing out or moving... When I go pick up the truck in a few I'm going to ask them about it.

Also some of you are saying UCAs... If thats the issue I feel I'm probably much better off long term just keeping stock UCAs and getting rid of the spacer lift, correct??

 

[ecufishbowl]

The Duratrac is known for developing funky wear patterns sometimes and 100k mile shocks are not helping the situation. I find that the stock 4th gen springs are too soft, even when new, so I would look for some FJ or 5th gen springs to pair with some 5100’s or another option would be to look for shocks/springs that were taken off a new 4runner and ditch the daystar lift. FJ/5th gen springs will give you about an inch lift over OEM 4th gen height. You could still fit the Duratracs but you would probably be better off trying to sell those

Alright if I go with new springs and 5100's I would definitely get rid of the spacer lift, so I've got a few questions...

-Any 5th gen springs will fit fine on the 4th gen?

-Do I just keep an eye out on Craigslist, FB Market, and here for take-off 5th gen springs?

-What setting would I need to put the 5100's at? Anyone have amazon links to which shocks specifically I'd need for each side and back?

-Everyone says get FJ springs, but is everyone buying used worn out springs from used FJs?? Does everyone buy new FJ springs, and if so, from where? If I get FJ springs and gain 1" of lift, is that still going to cause me to need better control arms??(Trying to avoid!)

**EDIT: The more research I do, the more my head starts to spin... If I'm reading right, 5th gen aren't a direct fit and really aren't much of an improvement...FJ may be the way to go..