XREAS dead at 72,000 miles

[Sac State]

I had my Cornfed 2/1 lift installed this weekend. In looking at the two front shocks there was oil leaking down the sides of both front shock tubes.

I wonder how long they have been leaking? I do not drive this vehicle hard, 98% of it's life has been on pavement.

I am kinda screwed now as if I take it in they (dealer) are going to say the lift caused the leakage. So, if I replace the XREAS with an OME from Slee OffRoad than I wasted $250 on the Cornfed lift. :bash:

BTW: David at Cornfed is a great guy and had the kit installed in 2.5 hours. The man is a machine when it comes to installation.

The lift is awesome, sits perfectly level and the stock tires still look ok. I will go with 265/70 in the future, but can run this size w/o being embarrassed.

Anyone who lives in the N. Carolina or Virginia area, give Cornfed a call. They came to my house and installed it in my garage. Can't beat that service and the product is top notch.

Pics to follow, I am away for a few days on business.

 

[greasefingers]

Sh_t this bothers me. I have 76K miles on her now. I will be doing a second brake job this weekend. I will check my shocks when doing so.

 

[Thai]

Wow, this is kinda shocking because the XREAS shocks are monotubes and should last longer than 75k miles. I wonder if the quality of the shocks is not as good as i once thought.

 

[Monsoon1126]

Could you post some pics of your 4Runner with the 2/1 Cornfed lift installed running stock tires? I am looking at the same for my truck; however, was concerned that I'd have to go out and spend on new tires.

 

[Camprunner]

If you remove the stock shocks can you replace them with some run of the mill shocks and run it without the XREAS or will a run of the mill shock just not fit?

 

[dingo]

Sac, can you pinpoint the location of the leak? Is it coming from the rubber tubes' connection to the lower part of the shocks or from the actual shock body down the rods? Does the leak look "fresh"? Sorry for the onslaught of questions. I just find that both fronts leaking at the same time a little suspicious (being they are both obviously separate on the system). Maybe something happened during the install of the front lift.

Gives me reason to check the system a little more often. Makes me wonder how durable those little rubber tubes really are (which connect the shocks to the metal lines). I figure those would be the most vulnerable part of the entire system. I wish Toyota also mounted the lines and center modulators where they would be less exposed, but there's probably a technical reason why they are mounted where they are.

 

[ProMed]

If you remove the stock shocks can you replace them with some run of the mill shocks and run it without the XREAS or will a run of the mill shock just not fit?

Yes, you can replace them with regular shocks. When people are removing the xreas to install an OME lift or similiar, they are just replacing it with a longer travel shock. A standard size shock would also pop in place just fine.

 

[Sac State]

Sac, can you pinpoint the location of the leak? Is it coming from the rubber tubes' connection to the lower part of the shocks or from the actual shock body down the rods? Does the leak look "fresh"? Sorry for the onslaught of questions. I just find that both fronts leaking at the same time a little suspicious (being they are both obviously separate on the system). Maybe something happened during the install of the front lift.

Gives me reason to check the system a little more often. Makes me wonder how durable those little rubber tubes really are (which connect the shocks to the metal lines). I figure those would be the most vulnerable part of the entire system. I wish Toyota also mounted the lines and center modulators where they would be less exposed, but there's probably a technical reason why they are mounted where they are.

It wasn't the lift or installation that caused the leaks. When David popped out the first front shock (he just turned it sideways to install the spacer as he didn't really pop it all the way out) the leak was coming from under the shock tube towards the top. I was surprised at how durable the connectors were at the bottom for the fluid. The leaks were definately at the top and had been leaking for some time as there was sand, dust, etc. adhering to the oil. A few days prior to installing the lift I noticed that when I hit the bump into my driveway the front end seemed to bottom out. I thought it was unusual then and just passed it off as a fluke.

 

[racedirt1]

I see you are from Bushwood.

"Gambling at bushwood is illegal and I never slice"

 

[Even Steven]

Im not trying to place blame on your installer, but I've installed spacer lifts twice now on an XREAS-equipped 4Runner. Since you cannot remove the strut assembly from the vehicle, you must put a fair amount of stress on the section of rubber hose that runs from the shock to the metal tubing mounted to the chassis. Its very difficult to manipulate the unit without stressing it. I can see how just a little too much stress could easily start the system leaking.

Are you sure you that your XREAS system was leaking before the install?

 

[Even Steven]

Which shocks?

So the big question is this:

What will you replace your XREAS system with? Assuming that you will not want to spring for an expensive new XREAS system from your local stealership, do you have a game plan for replacing the system with a particular shock set up?

This will be useful information for the people like me with XREAS 4Runners that will eventually have to replace our factory shocks with a good set of aftermarket units.

 

[Uneek]

Re: Which shocks?

I've read that some have removed X-REAS and gone with Donahoe coilovers in the front and shocks in the back. The ride is equal if not better than X-REAS.

 

[Paul2660]

X-res question

If only the shock is leaking, don't you only have to replace the shock? How much are they? From what I seen written on the Xres you have quite a bit of electronics working also. I would assume that in this case all of that is OK, but the shock is leaking so once it is replaced the system should be OK? Or does Toyota required you to replace the entire assembly, which I am sure is way to expensive.

Thanks
Paul C

 

[Paul2660]

Xres question

If only the shock is leaking, don't you only have to replace the shock? How much are they? From what I seen written on the Xres you have quite a bit of electronics working also. I would assume that in this case all of that is OK, but the shock is leaking so once it is replaced the system should be OK? Or does Toyota required you to replace the entire assembly, which I am sure is way to expensive.

Thanks
Paul C

 

[Sac State]

The two front struts (shocks) are leaking at the top of the piston and not where the line attaches to the hydraulic line which is at the bottom of the strut. David was very careful in removing the strut so as not to stress the hydraulic line.

The system is closed. You cannot replace just one shock as they are pressurized and all linked to the corresponding opposite shock. If you lose one shock you have to replace the entire system.

No electronics are involved in XREAS, it is only a shock and controlled by hydraulic pressure and not electronic actuators.

I will replace my suspension with an OME system and remove XREAS and the Cornfed spacer lift. XREAS is only a $400 option when new so I can't justify the $1,200+ I have heard it will cost to replace XREAS at the dealer. Just to have this weak fickle system break again.

Every shock I have ever owned by Yamaha eventually leaks. I had a monoshock on my Yamaha Eduro bike and it leaked like a sieve.

In hindsight, I would not get XREAS. It is a nice novelty, but the system is too weak and does not last. And if a small portion breaks the whole system breaks.

'You'll get nothing and like it!' Judge Smells

 

[Paul2660]

Thanks for the clarification and sorry to see the problem. I have the system on a 06 sport and will make a note to start watching the shocks.

Paul C

 

[Sac State]

I just ordered from Ben at Slee Offroad the following OME products.

885 (2)
N140S (2)
N141 (2)
895 (2)

It will give me about 3" of lift which is an inch more than I currently have, so it will definately require me to get new 265/70 tires. They are going to pre-assemble everything, so it should be a pretty easy plug and play process.

Anyone want to buy a 2/1 Cornfed spacer kit? It is slightly used, haha, say 100 miles.

 

[dingo]

Every time I hear about an X-REAS failure of some sort it's just disheartening to me. The sole reason I bought my new Sport was mainly the X-REAS (and the nonfunctional, aerodynamically drag inducing, sunlight glare invoking badass hoodscoop). This is not something that I like having in the back of my mind knowing someday it may or may not fail. I know things don't last forever but reading threads that failures occur at varied mileages (from 30k to 75k) is like roulette. On the other hand, with any internet forum it could me a smaller than realized percentage and the perception in one's mind is amplified into a larger scaled issue. All the same though, I'd still be pissed if the system went bad. I read Thai's X-REAS thread a while back and was surprised to learn that they were monotubes which in theory should last longer than the double tube design. Perhaps Toyota should make the system more robust to withstand the internal pressures involved. Looking underneath my truck, the system lines running along the frame rails look really wimpy too. The center modulators look like the only parts that are pretty stout.

Speaking of replacing the "entire" system... $1500 is not cheap. What if you need to replace "half" of the X-REAS? Let's say the front right/rear left link was damaged/leaking and needed replacement. I take it you can just leave the front left/rear right system as is. They are separate system "halves" anyway aren't they? They work together as a whole, but from a hardware standpoint, if the truck were up on a lift yanking and replacing one circuit would leave the other unaffected (unless it is recommended replacing both due to an even wear issue).