dwichman

I know, sounds like a stupid question. I've read all the shock replacements threads I could find, but didn't see any info on this.

I'm replacing my shocks this weekend, so I jacked up my rig last night from the rear diff so I could hit the shock bolts with some penetrating oil, and stupidly couldn't find good jack stand points. With my (standard) jack stands all the way extended (kind of scary) and positioned on the frame rails (i.e. next to gas tank and muffler, in front of swing arm looking mount thing) I was only able to get my rig a few inches higher.

Any suggestions on jack stand points to get it higher?

For rear shock replacement I'm assuming I want the rear wheels off, and want the rear axle hanging (i.e. jack stands on frame somewhere, not axle) so the shocks are extended and there's more room to maneuver my hands/tools in that area?

Man those top shock bolts are hard to get to...now I know what people are talking about. Was trying to spray penetrating oil on them and that was a major PITA. Ended up blindly spraying it all around the top of the shock mount since I couldn't see if I was getting it on the bolt.

Thanks for your help.

Texas_Ace

4runners have a surprising amount of travel in the suspension. Personally always put the jackstands on the rear axle but that won't work for you. You might need to buy some bigger jackstands.

drguitarum2005

on my tacoma i jack the rear up pretty high from the rear diff then put my tall jackstands on the frame right in front of the front leaf mount (which should be about the same as the "swing arm" mount for a 4runner). thats the low part of the frame right before the frame swoops up to where my bed is mounted. if yours wont reach there and youre doing suspension work, the best solution is to get taller jack stands. i got some 6-ton jack stands at O-Reilly for like $70/pr and they go up to 24" high. You could stack a bunch of 6"x6" squares of wood or stones (landscape stepping-stones) but thats less than ideal and possibly unsafe

twitchee2

I went to harbor freight and got some 6ton stands for 20 bucks. i think they are 24in tall too. With those i can have the rear at full droop with the tires off the ground and i still have plently more height left in them.

bwhyit

Stacking blocks in not a good idea. I've seen trucks fall of stands with only 2 stacked blocks. It makes for a very unstable base.

I just replace my shocks last month. I replaced the rear with the vehicle sitting on the ground. It's a little tricky to get the saws all up there but you can make it work.

cackalak han

I also replaced my rear shocks without jacking it up. You don't need to take the wheels off.

dwichman

Thanks for all the input. Sounds like getting some better jack stands would be a wise choice, as I'll most definitely need them for the fronts and in the future. Harbor Freight has the 6 ton 24" ones for $28.

I'm wondering if I'd be making more work for myself by removing the wheels and supporting it on jack stands than it's worth? Did you use a sawsall to cut through the upper bolt? I don't have access to one, so I'll be up there with a wrench and channel locks.

I'd prefer not to take the wheels off if it's not too much trouble to access the upper bolt.

cackalak han

I ended up using a sawsall. You should just pick one up on craigslist or something. It makes it SOOOOOO much easier. I actually tried to unscrew the top bolt first, but after 1.5 hours, I gave up and borrowed my friend's sawsall. 2 minutes and it was off.

bwhyit

X2 on the sawsall. I spent about an hour trying to get the bolts wrenched off. I gave up and borrowed a sawsall from a buddy. It took about 30 minutes to cut the old off and install the new shocks. Save yourself the headache and cut them off...

312necro213

Ditto. it saves so much time its rediculous. And plus investing in tools just means they are there next time you need them

trbizwiz

harborfreight impact hammer (the red one like $50 bucks), and about 30 seconds of driving and the bolt came right off. Now plan on hammering the old shock off, and put a little lube on the bushing of the new one, and it will tap right on. No lube on the bushing and you will probably never get that sucker on.

904_runner

I had a friend help. He took some pliers, clamped the shock through the wheel well, and i just took the nut off. Didn't take very long!

X2, It is not needed put the truck on jackstands or take the wheels off.

P.S. The hardest part for me was putting then new ranchos on the bottom mount. I had to dremel out the bushing a little bit.

nieuwendyk-25

I could not do it with out jacking it up with the Bilsteins, because I could not get enough leverage to compress them. They came uncompressed and it was near impossible to get enough leverage to compress them laying on my back.

After working on them for about two hours and getting only the right rear one on, I gave up and took it to my Toyota Mechanic. It was all a waist of time and money because I hate the Bilsteins and I am going to replace them with Tokicos.

When I put the Ranchos on my Jeep, they were compressed and held with a strap you just cut once it was in place.

I will have to get a pair of those Jack Stands too.

clutch

soapbox

Looking at what has been suggested in this thread was enough to get me to create an account. Cutting bolts with a Sawz-All?! Are you guys serious?!!?

To the OP, the first thing you need to do is take a look at your owner's manual. There will be a section on safely lifting and supporting your vehicle. Read it and follow it to the letter. Toyota put it in there because doing it differently can (and I am not saying it happens often) result in SERIOUS injury or death.

Next, get yourself a proper manual. This is **required** equipment for any service other than changing oil or a flat tire (refer to you manual for that, that is why it came with your vehicle). The Factory Service Manual (FSM) will be the Bible for your vehicle. If you can find it - it will be the very best reference you can get. I use the FSM for my dad's 2004 TRD Tacoma, so I don't have any suggestions of other good service manuals. Unfortunately, Bentley Publishers doesn't offer service manuals for these vehicles...

Third, get the proper tools. Quality tools are an investment that will pay dividends for a lifetime. If you are working on suspension, you need impact tools. You can get by with a 1/2" drive 18-24" breaker bar and quality sockets, but why torture yourself?

Lastly, do a good job. Work carefully, in a safe place, when you are not tired and have time to do the job properly. Unsafe work can kill people. Don't ever forget that.

/soapbox

I did the rear shocks on my dad's Tacoma this morning. It took about 20 min per side because I am an absolute stickler for details (read above).

Tool list:
Air compressor
3/8" drive impact gun
Standard and deep 17mm sockets
Torque wrench (10-100 ft/lb)
Large flat blade screwdriver
Silicone grease

REMOVAL
1. Park on flat ground. Set parking brake. No need to lift vehicle.
2. From underneath, remove bottom set bolts and washers.
3. Loosen, but do not remove, top set bolts.
4. Twist shock from side to side to loosen bottom rubber bushings. Remove accessible bushing. Pry carefully with screwdriver if needed.
5. Remove shock end from axle mount. Let it extend fully.
6. Twist shock from side to side to loosen top rubber bushings. Remove accessible bushing. Pry carefully with screwdriver if needed.
7. Remove shock absorber and remaining bushings.

INSTALLATION

1. Match shock absorbers. They are different lengths; make sure you put the correct shock on the correct side.
2. Lubricate (thin coat) hoops on shock absorber ends with silicone grease. Silicone grease (I use 3M-08946) is rubber safe, most petroleum products will destroy rubber. Place bushings in hoops. Lubricate holes in bushings.
3. Place shock absorber on top mount, replace washer, and loosely thread in set bolt.
4. Compress shock absorber enough to place on bottom mount. (I am 5'8', 140lbs after lunch - if I can do it, you can do it).
5. Replace washer and set bolt.
6. Hand tighten all bolts and double check work. Is everything seated properly? Are the washers facing the right way? Is anything rubbing?
7. Tighten all bolts to 53 ft/lb.
8. Take for test drive with windows down, listen for any abnormal noises.

Sorry that was soooooo long.
-clutch

***Note about TRD Bilstein's vs. Bilstein HD's.***

I read a thread (posted here circa 2002) about the Tacoma Bilsteins. My observations are opposite the information posted here:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/t...d-tacoma-3258/

The Bilstein HD's (rears: F4-B46-2285/6-H0) are larger in diameter, and noticeably (maybe 30%) stiffer in operation. I replaced the TRD Bilstein's (48531/41-AD010) because the truck waddled around so much I though they were blown. The HD's (so far just the rears) have made a noticeable improvement in body control.

dwichman

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I did end up securing a second hand sawzall for $40 and cutting the top bolts was relatively easy once I got it positioned right. I also took some of your advice and did not bother jacking the vehicle up and taking the wheels off. I think the sawzall was a good tip for my situation as I found it very tight and awkward getting to the top nut, and by the looks of the old bolt and nut it would have been a bitch to thread it all the way off. Sawzall for 1 minute, a little bit of melted bushing smoke, and the shock was off.

Compressing the shocks to slip the lower onto the bushing did require a bit of man handling, but not too bad. There's probably a smarter way to do it, perhaps using a floor jack or something.

I found the front shocks/struts incredibly easy. I didn't want to mess w/ the spring compressor 'cause others have said the springs are quite stiff and require a lot of force to compress. Unfortunately the buddy that was going to help me out couldn't make it, so I ended up stuffing the struts and new shocks into my backpack (like 60 lbs. worth, felt like I had a scuba tank on my back) and having to ride 3 miles to midas where they swapped the struts for $40. I was actually scared because I heard so many stories about people trying to get the lower bolt to line back up. But the yota bottle jack between the fender well and the upper suspension arm easily extended the lower arm to line up w/ the lower bolt. I might only suggest wedging a piece of wood between the top of the bottle jack and the fender well to spread the load out on the fender well.

As for the ride, I think bilsteins are great. I was really close to getting the tokicos since a few people on the board claim the bilsteins to be too stiff. I totally disagree - I think I really would haver regreted the tokicos. IMO the bilstein's are only slightly stiffer than stock. I suppose this may depend on the types of roads you drive on. Maybe if you have bad/bumpy roads you'll notice it more. Even then I think the handling benefits you'll get far out weight it. My 4runner feels much more stable and safe. Before it was really bouncy (esp. the rear over big bumps/dips), dives much less when you get on the brakes hard. I'd characterize the bilsteins as firm yet compliant. Definitely still a daily driver. Mind you I don't really take it off road other than the moderate fire road a couple times per year. This is my daily commuter.

Thanks again for everyone's input!

cackalak han

You do know that there is a big difference between a 4Runner's rear suspension and a Tacoma's rear suspension, right? The top bolt on a Tacoma is a walk in the park compared to a 4Runner. Usually the people who question the sawzall method have never worked on a 4Runner.

Roadtripr

"Compressing the shocks to slip the lower onto the bushing did require a bit of man handling, but not too bad. There's probably a smarter way to do it, perhaps using a floor jack or something."

One way if you can't compress it is to jack up one side of the rear axle
support the frame on jack stands
Remove the wheel and lower the axle so it aligns with the bolt/bushing
reverse it to put it back together

nieuwendyk-25

X2...exactly what I was thinking.

howy61

A little late for this project, but this is all on-line these days.

1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner FSM:
http://www.ncttora.com/fsm/1996/SIL/...pins/vlasl.pdf

The attachment is a PDF print of that page. So be safe and take 30 extra minutes on the WEB to check the FSM for stand points and OEM hints.

98runner210

how to you ge the new shocks tight if there is no room to get them off and you had to cut?