What did you do with your 4runner today?
- Thread starter NorthGa4R
- Start date
Installed 5th Gen struts/springs and shocks/with FJ springs in my 07 Ltd.
Started Friday afternoon about 3pm, put the t4r up on jack stands and pulled the tires off. Looked at the Xreas shocks and 3 were damp and dusty, so time to change them out. Over the last two months I knew this day would come, so I searched and read everything I could about changing the Xreas and installing a new set up. Our 4runner is mostly hwy and forestry roads so I didn't really need a lift just a refresh. What I decided on was a new take-off from a 2016/17 4Runner. I got was the complete front struts and rear shocks off E-bay, and off Craigslist rear springs off an 08 FJC that were barely used. I did this all by myself and my body is showing its age. Frozen nuts and bolts and cold concrete floor are not my friends. I couldn't get a wrench to loosen the fittings for the Xreas at the couplers so I loosened them on the shock ..very slowly and carefully. I put a rag over the bolt and opened them up blindly. One rear one had pressure and the other rear had very little. The bottom bolts on the shocks came off OK but the top nut on the shocks turned 3/4 turn and snapped off ...both sides. Springs came out easily but the FJ coils were taller and so I didn't put pressure on the the brake and ABS line I compressed the spring and an old trick I used to use 45 years ago was to wrap rebar wire 6 times around the coils to hold them compressed about an inch. They slid in as easy as the old ones came out. Drilled out the top mount to one inch from 7/8 inch to accommodate the 5th gen shocks. The shocks installed with no problem. Put the rear tires on for safety, brakes and rotors looked great.
On the the front.
On the videos I watched last week one said pop off the top ball joint and another showed unbolt the lower and pop off the tie rod on each side. I didn't do that, I loosened the two bolts on the lower control arm and took off the two bolt on the lower ball joint. The LCA should have been easy to push down towards the floor, but it was so springy I used a com-a-long to pull it back just enough for the strut to drop out. Put the new struts in the same way, remembering the one with more coils on the drivers side. Tried to put the front tires on and had to raise the front up more to mount the rims. I know I will have to take it in for a wheel alignment ASAP.
It looks great, the front was raised an average of 1.5", and the back 3/4 of an inch. I saw the rubber bump stops had been bottoming out, so the old system was shot. This took close to 8 hrs, 6 hrs on Friday and 3 hrs (3am to 6am ) Saturday morning. This way I was able to spend a full day today with my wife.
Started Friday afternoon about 3pm, put the t4r up on jack stands and pulled the tires off. Looked at the Xreas shocks and 3 were damp and dusty, so time to change them out. Over the last two months I knew this day would come, so I searched and read everything I could about changing the Xreas and installing a new set up. Our 4runner is mostly hwy and forestry roads so I didn't really need a lift just a refresh. What I decided on was a new take-off from a 2016/17 4Runner. I got was the complete front struts and rear shocks off E-bay, and off Craigslist rear springs off an 08 FJC that were barely used. I did this all by myself and my body is showing its age. Frozen nuts and bolts and cold concrete floor are not my friends. I couldn't get a wrench to loosen the fittings for the Xreas at the couplers so I loosened them on the shock ..very slowly and carefully. I put a rag over the bolt and opened them up blindly. One rear one had pressure and the other rear had very little. The bottom bolts on the shocks came off OK but the top nut on the shocks turned 3/4 turn and snapped off ...both sides. Springs came out easily but the FJ coils were taller and so I didn't put pressure on the the brake and ABS line I compressed the spring and an old trick I used to use 45 years ago was to wrap rebar wire 6 times around the coils to hold them compressed about an inch. They slid in as easy as the old ones came out. Drilled out the top mount to one inch from 7/8 inch to accommodate the 5th gen shocks. The shocks installed with no problem. Put the rear tires on for safety, brakes and rotors looked great.
On the the front.
On the videos I watched last week one said pop off the top ball joint and another showed unbolt the lower and pop off the tie rod on each side. I didn't do that, I loosened the two bolts on the lower control arm and took off the two bolt on the lower ball joint. The LCA should have been easy to push down towards the floor, but it was so springy I used a com-a-long to pull it back just enough for the strut to drop out. Put the new struts in the same way, remembering the one with more coils on the drivers side. Tried to put the front tires on and had to raise the front up more to mount the rims. I know I will have to take it in for a wheel alignment ASAP.
It looks great, the front was raised an average of 1.5", and the back 3/4 of an inch. I saw the rubber bump stops had been bottoming out, so the old system was shot. This took close to 8 hrs, 6 hrs on Friday and 3 hrs (3am to 6am ) Saturday morning. This way I was able to spend a full day today with my wife.
Years ago I got yellow fog lights from eBay. eBay still sells them. Do a search. Around 42$. The back of the housing is deteriorating. But overall they held up fantastic all these years. And I'm on the east coast with snow. And now I retrofitted led lights in them.
Protuninglab
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I went with this one: http://a.co/3hWUHQ5
I had it on my list for a long time, along with another one at a similar price point. I finally pulled the trigger when I saw there was a Lightning Deal on it a couple months ago at ~$65
banilla16
New member
Just finished a 4 day tour in Toronto with my wife's family. Five people and a fully loaded trunk made the trip there and back. Surprisingly I was averaging 15-16 mpg! The rear did sag a little more than I was comfortable with when everyone and everything was loaded-aka time for a suspension refresh. But the v8 had no problem.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Jhawkins2330
New member
I began the long slow process of trying to restore, and get all the scratches and paint damage out of my 4Runner. I have scratches that go the whole way down the vehicle. I did a couple panels over the last few days, and I'm pretty damn happy with the results so far. I imagine it'll take me several weekends to do the whole thing. Cutting, polishing, the whole works.
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YetiX
New member
Camping in Big Bear
A friend just picked up a 2005 Lexus Land Cruiser and wanted to see how it was stock. We went out to Big Bear via the back roads from Hesperia and then did a couple of trails before camping for the night. Definitely nothing too extreme, but lots of off road miles. Good times.
Flexing out the Land Cruiser a bit....
My home for the weekend:
A friend just picked up a 2005 Lexus Land Cruiser and wanted to see how it was stock. We went out to Big Bear via the back roads from Hesperia and then did a couple of trails before camping for the night. Definitely nothing too extreme, but lots of off road miles. Good times.
Flexing out the Land Cruiser a bit....
My home for the weekend:
Ms.Baggett
New member
Today my baby died on me at a stoplight for no apparent reason. I spent the remainder of the evening fretting over why. We spent about an hour together beforehand blissfully enjoying the beautiful day though! At least we have that. :hurt:
Ralphman
New member
Replaced both bank 2 o2 sensors, the up stream sensor decided to seize and gaul up the threads, then had to go get a m18x1.5 thread chaser to clean up the threads for the sensor. Cleared the codes andvwentvfor a 75 mile test drive and all is good no more p0430 and both cats were operating at the same temps
15 minute job took me about a total of 3 hours having to heat cycle the sensor and some penatrating oil then cool down. Way to much work for a simple job!
And now when I hit 80 miles the CEL came back on............. time for some exhaust modifications.
15 minute job took me about a total of 3 hours having to heat cycle the sensor and some penatrating oil then cool down. Way to much work for a simple job! And now when I hit 80 miles the CEL came back on............. time for some exhaust modifications.
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Did some exploring
Wow awesome scenery. Where was that?
NinjaOne
New member
Spada Lake. Not much in terms of offroading but super beautiful scenery
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