Why 4Runner shakes like it's coming apart over bumps

[Trekerjohn]

I recently bought a 96 4Runner Ltd 4x4 w/ 250,000 miles. Had it checked out at a dealer first. It's real clean and runs great. But it shakes like crazy when I go over anything more than a ripple in the road; and only sometimes has a little shimmy in the steering wheel at freeway speeds. You can feel the shaking throughout the whole truck - through the steering wheel, feet on the floor, and arm resting on the door with the window down. I have had 3 diagnoses: front struts, wheels need to be balanced, and power steering rack. None of the 3 shops I have taken it to have mentioned the shaking over bumps. I am hoping that forum members would be able to tell me what components would most likely be the cause of the shaking over bumps. I am thinking anything rubber - BJs, tie rod ends, bushings, etc. I will tackle some or all of the fixes myself, thanks to the many excellent repair instructions and pix on the forum. I'd appreciate any help. :thanks:

 

[4-Ripcord]

Start with steering rack bushings and sway bar bushings. thats like 30 bucks or something and makes a good difference.

Go to wheelers offroad for that.

 

[Trekerjohn]

thanks for the advice, 4-Ripcord

 

[spitvenom]

take a look at your shocks if they are toyotas they are wayyyyy overdue.. does it feel bouncy over bumps? like when you go over it is it a simple up down and its over or it springs up and down ? if so the shocks are deff bad. With 250 Id replaced lower ball joints, upper, sway bushings, tire ends, inner and outer, and all shocks. If you dont want to break the bank, go to autozone, all those parts carry a lifetime warranty and they are cheap cheap there.

 

[SJC]

Steering rack bushings

 

[Trekerjohn]

I ordered steering rack bushings and sway bar bushings from Wheeler's. My shocks are KYB gas-a-justs and seem to be ok. No bounce. Just bad shaking going over bumps. I'm looking forward to shedding some blood to get the new bushings in and feeling the improvement I expect will result. Thanks.

 

[Maritimer]

Body mounts and engine mounts can be a contributing factor, as well. I also replaced the lower control arm bushings, shocks, ball joints, sway bar links and bushings, and the PO had put a new steering rack in. It feels tight now.

 

[Trekerjohn]

Power Steering Rack replaced

did the rack, upper and lower BJs, I & O tie rods, F&R sway bar bushings, and a PS flush. Then took it to the dealer for an alignment and to Discount Tire for balancing. Took me 2 1/2 days, but I am not very experienced. Thanks to all of you for the encouragement, opinions, and DIY information. Eric the Car Guy also had a video of the rack replacement for an '04 4Runner which was helpful. My 1996 was much easier because there is nothing below the rack blocking it from coming out. Got a Cardone reman'd rack from Parts Geek for only $209. Definitely a huge improvement. I can highly recommend the electric 1/2" impact wrench from Harbor Freight. I paid $38 with a coupon. Excellent tool and made the work sooo much easier. Also the GearWrench XL Xbeam flex racheting wrenches. Thanks for the help.:cowboy:

 

[Hardway]

Glad to hear it you got it figured out John. That is the great thing about these vehicles, they are pretty DIY friendly. I agree, if you dont have air tools a good electric impact gun is worth the money all day long. If you plan on doing anymore work on your 4Runner or cars in the future a good air compressor, impact gun in 1/2" and 3/8" along with a 3/8" air wrench is priceless. I see 20-25gal air compressors on Craigslist for good prices or you can drop $200 - $250 on a new one. I had a Husky 25gal 3hp air compressor for 7 years, literally wore it out. During that time I did countless suspension jobs with it in addition to it just making life easier to take wheels off.

 

[jspagna1]

Only have 167,000 miles on my 97 4Runner and had a broken rear shock so replaced all 4 shocks and front struts and like new again.

 

[Trekerjohn]

I bought a pair of cheap ($14) spring compressors from HF and intend to use them when I replace the front shocks at least. I'm a bit intimidated by the top bolt on the rear shocks. What did you use to compress your springs? And how did you get those top bolts off the rear shocks? And thanks for the tip on the air compressor, Hardway. I will keep it in mind if my electric wrench turns bad.

 

[Stick Figure]

I bought a pair of cheap ($14) spring compressors from HF and intend to use them when I replace the front shocks at least.

Don't do it! lol When I first switched my sagged 2000 front springs for 99's I grabbed 2 pairs of the HF pos spring compressors. (I called in sick to work, so using the good wall mount one wasn't happening) I ended up returning both pairs broken by the end of the day. They worked to get the job done, but I wouldn't use them again if you paid me.

 

[Nelsonmd]

Don't do it! lol When I first switched my sagged 2000 front springs for 99's I grabbed 2 pairs of the HF pos spring compressors. (I called in sick to work, so using the good wall mount one wasn't happening) I ended up returning both pairs broken by the end of the day. They worked to get the job done, but I wouldn't use them again if you paid me.

Yeah, you can probably rent spring compressors from the local autozone or advanced for free. Then if they break, it's not on you.

 

[Trekerjohn]

Thanks Stick and Nelson. I will heed your advice and 1) not use the cheap ones I bought from HF, and 2) see if I can rent a better set from a parts store. If not, I will take them to a shop to replace the springs on the new shocks for a fee.

 

[1985taylor1925]

I started the thread below when I first joined the forum. In fact it was initially the reason I joined. I even named my truck "Jitters" after it. My issues were identical to your. Looks like youve already replaced several of the part I did anyway, but this may still be a good reference to you with a lot of good info. I would say your new steering rack will make the single most significant difference in solving the problem, though all of those parts will obviously help. Did you get a new/used/remanufactured rack?

Heres the thread:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/71231-jitters-bumps.html

 

[1985taylor1925]

Thanks Stick and Nelson. I will heed your advice and 1) not use the cheap ones I bought from HF, and 2) see if I can rent a better set from a parts store. If not, I will take them to a shop to replace the springs on the new shocks for a fee.

Ya you can rent them from autozone. I bought mine from Bumper to Bumper for around $40, and it works fine. Ive used it on 8 springs now.

 

[Trekerjohn]

thanks Taylor. I read your "jitters" string and we seem to have had very similar symptoms. I realize that this 96 is a 4x4 truck and not my 04 Volvo S60. Can't compare the ride. Knowing that, I am happy with the T4R's ride now. I don't know which of the parts I replaced made more of a difference, but together, they do make a big difference. The steering rack was an A1 Cardone reman'd unit for $209 from Parts Geek. Next I will replace the shocks, probably with KYB Mono Max or Bilsteins. I'm getting it ready for a trip to Olympic National Park in August, and then to Fairbanks, Alaska next spring.

 

[1985taylor1925]

thanks Taylor. I read your "jitters" string and we seem to have had very similar symptoms. I realize that this 96 is a 4x4 truck and not my 04 Volvo S60. Can't compare the ride. Knowing that, I am happy with the T4R's ride now. I don't know which of the parts I replaced made more of a difference, but together, they do make a big difference. The steering rack was an A1 Cardone reman'd unit for $209 from Parts Geek. Next I will replace the shocks, probably with KYB Mono Max or Bilsteins. I'm getting it ready for a trip to Olympic National Park in August, and then to Fairbanks, Alaska next spring.

If I could make a suggestion I would say to go with the Bilsteins. I ran KYB shocks for a year, and they were pretty stiff. They were good shocks, and I never had any problems with them. But I had the cheaper KYBs and they were stiff. Those Mono Max's are meant to handle more load, so they will probably be even more stiff than the cheaper KYBs I had. With Bilstein you can never go wrong though.

I hope that steering rack lasts a while for you. Aftermarket racks seem to go fast on our 4runners . . .

 

[Trekerjohn]

I hope so too. But replacing it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be; and the price was certainly right. I will definitely go with the Bilsteins. Thanks.

 

[OkieRider]

https://youtu.be/vkVLBOnAifc

I have done this a total of three time in the past 2 months trying to figure out what coilovers I want on my 4runner and this is probably the safest way I personally could think of doing it since I am not that mechanically inclined. The vehicle does all the work for you