Steering Rack and Front Sway Bar Bushing Replacement

[YINBUH]

I hope I'm still wrenching when I'm 50. Good job! You guys are putting out great material.

 

[amalik]

I hope I'm still wrenching when I'm 50. Good job! You guys are putting out great material.

lol -- i said that before to him and I think the comment has been said 20 times now.

 

[foo]

I hope I'm still wrenching when I'm 50. Good job! You guys are putting out great material.

The one thing that older men have is experience!

Therefore, we know that it's important that every thread add value that wasn't there before.

lol -- i said that before to him and I think the comment has been said 20 times now.

It has indeed!

If you bought the Prothane #18-1115 kit, the end link bushings won't fit well. The inside diameter of the ones in that kit are 15mm. The end link posts are 10mm wide which makes for a very sloppy fit. End link bushings from the Energy Suspension Kit #9.8105 fit correctly. That kit comes with 8 bushings and 8 washers.

To add additional value to this thread, as can be seen in the quote above, mtbtim confirmed in the http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...e-front-sway-bar-end-link-bushing-review.html thread that the Energy Suspension 9.8105 kit (which comes with 8 bushings and 8 washers) also fits properly, so I added it below to the summary recommendations.

[b]Toyota OEM buna:[/b] (same size for all 3rd-gen 4Runners, 2WD & 4WD)
- Toyota 10mm ID Endlink bushings (Part #90948-01003)
- Toyota 26mm ID swaybar body bushings (#48815-35100)

[b]Daystar polyurethane:[/b] daystarweb.com +1-800-595-7659 tech at daystarweb dot com
- Daystar DAY MO3464 Body Bushing ID = 1.045 inches (26.5mm)
- Daystar DAY MO2233 End Link Bushing ID = 0.395 inches (10.0mm)

[b]Energy Suspension polyurethane:[/b] energysuspension.com +1-888-913-6374 (Dave)  dlewis @ energysuspension dot com
- Energy Suspension  kit 8.5141{R,G}, endlink bushing ID = 9.64mm, swaybar body bushing ID ~= 26mm <=== do we have an accurate measurement yet?
- [s]Energy Suspension kit 8.5118{R,G}[/s] (Do not buy this kit as the swaybar body bushings are a too-tight fit at over 27 mm)
- Energy Suspension 9.8105 kit (containing just the endlink bushings & washers)

[b]Prothane polyurethane:[/b] prothane.com +1-888-776-8426 (Dominick)  dominick at prothane dot com
- [s]Prothane kit #18-1115[/s] (Do not buy this kit as the endlink bushings are a loose fit at 15.04mm ID)

 

[foo]

To keep the information together, so that others have the information we have, mtbtim and DK327 are testing out the Energy Suspension 9.8105 kit and they are finding that the steel washers that come with the kit have the wrong inner diameter for the 3rd-Gen 4runner.

Those Energy Suspension washers fit over the machined threads of the endlink bushings , but not over the unmachined section of the 10mm endlink bushings.

End result is that we can't recommend this kit either, unless you bore out the endlink bushings about twenty thousandths (1/2 mm).

Well, now I know why you had a problem with those washers from the Energy Suspension Kit 9.8105. The diameter of the hole is only 9.8mm and the end link posts are 10mm wide. So, I gave you some bad information. I was told this kit fit well for our rigs, but maybe the person just meant the bushings and not the washers. The bushings are a good fit.

The reason why I was wondering why you had problems with the washers from the Energy Suspension Kit #9.8105 was because the washers that came with the kit I bought, Energy Suspension #8-5118, came from the same company and silly me to think they would have fit.

So, now I can't recommend anyone buy the 9.8105 kit unless they just want the bushings and not the washers.

What a cluster f&*k this whole thing is.

 

[mtbtim]

lol -- i said that before to him and I think the comment has been said 20 times now.

I've heard there's a thing called a "Spam Bot" or something like that. It picks up old posts and places them wherever for the purpose of annoying people, I guess. I don't get it.

 

[tyhungo]

I hope I'm still wrenching when I'm 50. Good job! You guys are putting out great material.

 

[mtbtim]

I hope I'm still wrenching when I'm 50. Good job! You guys are putting out great material.

See, the Spam Bot loves me.

 

[foo]

I came here to post some good news, which I put in the bushing-size thread:
- http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...er-part-under-my-4runner-makes-noise-now.html

But I also repost it here so everyone will find it in the future when they search:

Just received an email from Dominick Luppino who is our technical support specialist at Prothane, who always cared about our problem, but who didn't hear from any users except me and mtbtim for over 5 years, so they simply assumed the parts were the right size.

Good news!

Despite the apologists here who repeatedly argued that 5 mm of ID slop on a 10mm shaft is perfectly normal (for them), the Prothane engineers listened to mtbtim's and my request, read the threads we forwarded to them, and then they did some research on their own, concluding the same thing mtbtim did, which is that all the stock 3rd-generation 4Runners have 26mm say bars and 10mm endlinks.

We're one step further ahead in our goal now!

Finally (after all these years of people repeatedly buying the wrong parts without solving the root problem), Prothane updated their parts kit today!

This is good news, as the main goal was so that nobody else had to go through the amount of effort we did just to get the right sway bar body and endlink bushings for the 3rd-gen 4Runner.

Users might want to wait a while for the current inventory to be used up before ordering the Prothane bushings (letting someone else get the bad ones).

To continually add value so that others find the updated information easier than we did, here's the latest recommended parts kits:

[b]Toyota OEM buna:[/b] (same size for all 3rd-gen 4Runners, 2WD & 4WD)
- Toyota 10mm ID Endlink bushings (Part #90948-01003)
- Toyota 26mm ID swaybar body bushings (#48815-35100)

[b]Daystar polyurethane:[/b] daystarweb.com +1-800-595-7659 tech at daystarweb dot com
- Daystar DAY MO3464 Body Bushing ID = 1.045 inches (26.5mm)
- Daystar DAY MO2233 End Link Bushing ID = 0.395 inches (10.0mm)

[b]Energy Suspension polyurethane:[/b] energysuspension.com +1-888-913-6374 (Dave)  dlewis @ energysuspension dot com
- Energy Suspension  kit 8.5141{R,G}, endlink bushing ID = 9.64mm, swaybar body bushing ID ~= 26mm 
- [s]Energy Suspension kit 8.5118{R,G}[/s] (Do not buy this kit as the swaybar body bushings are a too-tight fit at over 27 mm)
- [s]Energy Suspension 9.8105 kit[/s] (containing correctly sized endlink bushings but incorrectly sized steel washers where the steel washers have to be manually drilled about 20 thousandths of an inch just to be able to go over the 3rd-gen 4Runner 10mm endlinks)

[b]Prothane polyurethane:[/b] prothane.com +1-888-776-8426 (Dominick)  dominick at prothane dot com
- Prothane kit #18-1115 (Be careful to buy only NEW STOCK as the old endlink bushings designed prior to April 19, 2016 are a loose fit at a measured 15.04mm ID on a 10.0 mm shaft)

 

[foo]

The six-month report on the Daystar bushings is that they're working rather well, according to the owner.

I haven't checked back into this thread for a while, but the last I left it, the manufacturers were FIXING their kits, based on the input that both Mtbtim and I gave them over the phone and in emails.

Has that happened?
Are ALL the kits correctly sized now?

If so, then we did our job, which is never to just fix the vehicle, but which always includes making it easier for the NEXT person to fix theirs!

 

[Road Bull]

Thanks [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] for putting a lot of your energy into this tread!

My sway bar end links look to be original and are toast. I was looking at all the various options and weighing aftermarket vs. trying to put together an OEM parts list. The early portion of this thread had me thinking that the sizes we're off, but now it sounds like that has been corrected.

Anyone have input on what they went with, how they like them, and if they'd go the same route again.

 

[mtbtim]

Thanks @foo and [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] for putting a lot of your energy into this tread!

My sway bar end links look to be original and are toast. I was looking at all the various options and weighing aftermarket vs. trying to put together an OEM parts list. The early portion of this thread had me thinking that the sizes we're off, but now it sounds like that has been corrected.

Anyone have input on what they went with, how they like them, and if they'd go the same route again.

My energy suspension poly bushings are holding up fine. I think I have between 40-50k on them. I did develop some squeaking after some time and re-greased the sway bar and end link bushings when I pulled the sway bar off to drop my transmission pan. So, even though you grease them up really well when you install them, don't be surprised that you have to re-grease at some point.

 

[Road Bull]

My energy suspension poly bushings are holding up fine. I think I have between 40-50k on them. I did develop some squeaking after some time and re-greased the sway bar and end link bushings when I pulled the sway bar off to drop my transmission pan. So, even though you grease them up really well when you install them, don't be surprised that you have to re-grease at some point.

Good to hear. My sway bar end links and bushings are fairly new as I upgraded to MStudt's Sway bar extension links (standard type) when I lifted my 4Runner. But the other bushings are done.

 

[Clifford]

Can I change the sway bar bushings without disassembling the end links? Just the 2 sway bar brackets? I just had end links done recently w a lot of other stuff.
thx

 

[mtbtim]

Can I change the sway bar bushings without disassembling the end links? Just the 2 sway bar brackets? I just had end links done recently w a lot of other stuff.
thx

Yes, you can.

 

[poleclimber63]

Old????

Well I have to admit doing physical work is getting a little tougher as I age but this is nothing compared to how hard I have to work sometimes as a firefighter with all the gear loading me down and then working super hard at a fire or other emergency scene.

Age is just a number and it definitely helps working out and keeping yourself in shape. I'm hoping to be active my entire life but there's obviously going to be a point where crawling underneath my truck isn't going to sound so appealing when I'm a seriously old codger. I'm one of the oldest people in my fire department now. The jokes about my age keep coming, but it's fun, and I dish it out pretty good too.

Thanks for the compliment. Sean (aka [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION]) gets all the credit for the video work. He's quite the computer geek and knows how to do all that propellerhead stuff that I would struggle with.

Well I turned 60 this year and I'm still crawling under my 4R! I am also crawling under my kids cars as well and encouraging them to give it a try... I in fact, rebuilt the entire front end of my 4R in August and just pulled the engine and transaxle out of my project 1994 Celica.. I am finding I'm enjoying the wrenching more as I get older-- I to get the "old" jokes at work!!!

 

[alex9000]

I just did this the other day with cheapies from Rock Auto. Was satisfying and easy other than caving a thread in on my tie rod end.

 

[alex9000]

Jinxed myself. Ran the truck today for a while pumping up my tires - pulled out of the garage to a puddle of power steering fluid on the floor :nono:

 

[96RedRunner]

[MENTION=762997]alex9000[/MENTION] tool that works for dinged threads comes in handy when needed they last forever.
McMaster-Carr
[MENTION=81614]poleclimber63[/MENTION] [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] turned 66 in Oct. OG old guy original gangster take your pick. :ak472:imp: different lives Lol.
I've wrenched on stuff since about 12 figure it'll stop when I die, like helping others when I can.

 

[alex9000]

[MENTION=762997]alex9000[/MENTION] tool that works for dinged threads comes in handy when needed they last forever.
McMaster-Carr

[MENTION=81614]poleclimber63[/MENTION] [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] turned 66 in Oct. OG old guy original gangster take your pick. :ak472:imp: different lives Lol.
I've wrenched on stuff since about 12 figure it'll stop when I die, like helping others when I can.

Yeah I had one and filed/recut the thread, was perfect

 

[mtbtim]

[MENTION=762997]alex9000[/MENTION] tool that works for dinged threads comes in handy when needed they last forever.
McMaster-Carr

[MENTION=81614]poleclimber63[/MENTION] [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] turned 66 in Oct. OG old guy original gangster take your pick. :ak472:imp: different lives Lol.
I've wrenched on stuff since about 12 figure it'll stop when I die, like helping others when I can.

I tured 58 in August. I have plans to turn wrenches and make videos for a long time to come.