i just bought a 97 4runner 4x4 with 214k miles. the previous owner never did any kind of major work to it besides the usual oil changes and tires. seems like the shocks or springs are gone. when i push down on the back end it bouces up and down like nothing. i had 4 sequoia/tundra 17" rims in the back and the 4runner seemed like it was sagging in the back? to my assumption i dont think those rims are that heavy to make it sag at all....? and somehow when driving and coming to a complete stop on a red light, once i let go of the brake pedal for the green light, i get this sudden thump from my rear end? anybody know if that has something to do with the suspensions being dead or can it be something else? also when turning (15-20mph), it seems like the 4runner is swaggin??? lol it just seems like its drifting a little...

thanks in advance. sorry but im new to this forum and this is my 1st Toyota i have ever owned =D

 

Sounds like it needs new shocks and from what I have read pretty much all the runners sag with age. Bad handling can be a symptom of worn suspension parts and bushings. You might try searching the forum for "rear end sag" Its been covered a time or two. On my truck I fixed the sag with adding a leaf to the spring pack, it brought it right back up, though it rides pretty rough with no weight in the back. Also, changed out shocks and the swaybar end links and it helped tighten up the handling alot.

 

How hard is it to put in your own shocks?

 

Really easy! Its good to have a Haynes or chilton manuel anytime you do repairs, but it really is a bolt on and off affair.

 

Yeah new shocks are a piece of cake. When I bought my runner I went and had new shocks put in and wished I never would have paid for such an easy job. The coils are a bit more difficult, but nothing someone with the ability to turn a wrench cant handle. When I put new heavy duty coils in I just searched this forum and found a write up to gain some confidence and then did it my self. After doing the coils I thought i would save some money and went and did my ball joints and cv axles!! The first time you repair/replace something just take your time, its a learning process, this forum is a great place to learn and save money.

 

I really liked ome springs on my 97 4runner the rear never sagged again.
http://www.gentryoffroad.com/php/gen...uctreview/ome/
It also sounds like the bushings are worn. The swaybar bushings seem to go first.

 

The thump when you take off is from a lack of grease in your drive shaft. Hit those zerks with a grease gun. Pump it in the u-joints until the grease starts coming out and the slip yokes will take about 10 pumps (you won't see it come out of those). You might need to do it twice because it sounds like it may not have been done for a while if the PO only did oil changes and tires. Sounds like you might be overdue to change your timing belt/water pump/idler pulleys too.

And your shocks are blown if the truck keeps bouncing when you push down on it and let go. It's sagging, so your coils are shot too (at least the rears). I'd have to disagree that the shocks are a piece of cake. On the 3rd gens, the front shocks are a coil/strut assembly and require spring tensioners to crush the coil to get the bolt off to change the shock. IMO, it wasn't that easy and can be a little dangerous if you have cheap tensioners like I did. I say buy some OME shocks and coils (or another comparable brand) and get them pre-assembled if you can because it's way easier.

Then comes the rear. The coils are easy to change, but the rear shocks are even worse than the front. There isn't any room to get to the upper shock bolts so most of us had to use an angle grinder or a sawsall or whatever and cut the old shocks off. I had to cut and shape a special wrench to make it happen too. Just didn't want you to think it was going to be a snap, cuz it kinda sucks. If you enjoy wrenching, it's fine, but otherwise, you may want to have a shop go at it. Your sway should also improve from new suspension.

 

thanks for all the responses so far. looks like i got some major work that needs to be done soon and that sucks a**. well at least getting it fixed will be something that i would worry about less.

one more question, is the ome good for just comforatable daily driving? i need some replacement shocks/coils for just regular city driving. something that'll ride smooth. i dont do any kind of off-roading or anything else so no need for something in that kind of nature.

 

When my 97 was stock there was very little up travel in the front that caused it to bottom out pretty easy. In the rear it had 1/2" of up travel when empty and with weight it road on the bump stops.
The ome springs I had cost $800. They were a little stiffer than stock in the front and quite a bit stiffer in the rear. I went with the HD coils for the rear because I always had weight in the back.
I thought it felt and drove better than stock. With the lift I felt the bigger bumps and pot holes less, due to the increased up travel of the suspension. I noticed the small bumps a tiny bit more, because the springs are a bit stiffer. Over all I though it was a improvement over stock.
I am not sure how much it will help with stock height ome springs over all. I do know that the suspension will still have the same bottoming out problem because the up travel will not increase. I would also recommend a HD spring for the rear as they all had the sagging butt syndrome.
They don't look bad with 2.5" of lift and 31" tires

 

if you are looking for a cheap way to fix the sag in the rear end, you can do the 99 coil conversion. Basically, just find a set of rear coils from a 99 SR5, and it will lift the back ep up a little bit, so its not sagging.

Springs won't cause a truck to bounce, but shocks sure will. If they have 214k on them, they have zero damping ability left. Do yourself a favor and get good quality shocks like Bilstein, or OME.

 

anyone know how to grease up the drive shaft to stop the clunk when braking to a full stop on the 4runners? whats the zerks and whats the slip yokes?? pics would be nice.

 

The Zerks are the little grease fitting on the u joint. Stick a grease gun on there and squeeze in grease until it comes out. The slip yoke is the slip joint looking piece on your driveline where it goes into the transfer case and transmission. Same thing on those, but no grease will come out. Just squeeze grease until you feel pressure start to build.

 

thanks VengeanceASX. i did it today and it feels like it got a lot better. will probably do it again this weekend to get the full potential.

 

Yeah, just keep them greased and they'll last forever.