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So, I did a 1.5-inch body lift on my 1991 4Runner 3vze automatic.
Other than a part of the front bumper (from a 1995) getting in the way and lifting the whole car and my friend and I spending an hour trying to find the cuplrit... everything went relatively smooth. The body lift kit is from 4crawler.com and came with the polymer based spacers and the hardware.
My biggest issue now is that my 'anti-lock' brake system light came on... right after the lift and never before it.. any ideas??
According to 4crawler he didn't think it was likely that I would need any extensions to the shifting mechanisms, and he only had them for the 2" or higher lifts. THe same for the steering linkage between shaft and gearbox. Well, neither turned out to be the case for me. My 4x4 linkage in fact needs an as close to 1.5" spacer as possible, and the steering needs a 1 inch extension.
I was able to build up some make shift spacer for the 4x4 shifter linkage. SO that is ok for now (plus I am planning to tuck the belly parts up further above the frame so the tranny and transfer case should go back up to stock difference with body.
THe steering, I don't know what to do with yet. When I started the car for the first time, there was some weird added stress to the steering system and it wasn't steering properly and it was makign shrieking noises and such. I removed the bolt holding the steering shaft to the gear box splines, it moved up on the splines about and inch and the steering went back to normal. I need to figure out how to extend the steering shaft about an inch.
Also, many people remove the front bumper for this work. I wasn't going to alter the bumper mounts in any way and did not remove it. I was able to do the BL job like this.
ALSO, another thing lacking in the kit (because i'm sure it is assumed that the bumper is raised as well, but if you DONT raise the bumper...) the two bolts on the furthest edges of the bumper bolt on to a vertical stay that is connected to the body, those needed to be removed and are not not long enough. Will have to fix that as well.
I thought of something today and found a long time ago someone posted this problem and the solution was to plug a connector back into the acuator... I'll try that when I get home
1) Rear pumpkin, on top are wires for the AL speed sensor. Check em.
2) Console on trans hump below radio is the inertia sensor for AL. (small metal box with wires going into it) looks like a relay. has "dont change orientation" or somthing similar written on it. make sure wires are not severed.
3) Brake line in passenger fender well. Check em as one goes back to the LSPV and Bypass valve.
4) AL actuator, engine compartment, passenger side down low. Has two brake lines going into it. Uses power steering pump fluid and pressure to operate AL actuator.
5) AL computer, can't remember location. Wires OK?
These are the AL system parts off the top of my head.
I was easily able to find my ABS light issue, as another forumer years before me found, it was the connector going to the abs actuator on the passenger side. Then, I had to fix my steering shaft length issue. I spoke with 4Crawler, and he said it should be adjustable enough if I loosen the bolt at the firewall side of the shaft. I had loosened the bolt, but it was a bolt through groove design so it did not extend. So, that was not an option anymore, and 1.5 inches of lift in fact did require an extension. 4Crawler said he has an extension of 7/8 inches, but I thought i could make it work myself.
I will post some pics later, but essentially it's easy, just take out the two bolts (of the 4) that hold the rubber part to the bottom section of the shaft, and add a 1/2 inch spacer. This was just enough, and it works great. I put stronger bolts in (and longer) and tightened them down well to keep everything rigid.
I had to bend my brake line coming down from the cylinder away from the fender wall also.
Now, there is some sort of a knocking sound from the driver side footwell. When the engine is idling low or when I go over bumps i can feel the somethign knocking against the body. I haven't found what it is yet...
SO, anyone that is reading this... and has done a body lift, did you have any dull knocking sound after the lift? I can't find what is causing it! It's a subtle, dull knocking that sounds whent he engine is idling low (so either cold or in gear) and going over bumps. The knocking seems to be closest to the drivers wheel well, but I can't tell for sure.
It's getting annoying... I thought I would find it yesterday!
Go through and make sure all the bolts are still tight and everything as they can shift around after a bit of driving. Make sure your fan isnt hitting the shroud or radiator. Also, your shift linkage, make sure everything is right through all gears/positions.
Last edited by reallifedog; 11-09-2014 at 10:46 AM.
Go through and make sure all the bolts are still tight and everything as they can shift around after a bit of driving. Also your shift linkage, make sure everything is right through all gears/positions.
thanks reallifedog,
the fan shroud was a tiny bit in the way, so I removed it until I can trim it down. THe linkages seem fine and all the gears are working well. I went through to make sure the bolts are tight, so should be fine.. but I have to go back and double check everything anyway so I'll keep these things in mind.
Also, the 4x4 gear linkage needs an extension, when I can get my welder back from my dad I can fabricate that. Meanwhile it's got some spacers and it's tight.
Also.. anyone have any advice on how to fix this hole? I was going to take the grommet off the parts vehicle and cut a slice in it and wrap it around this. I do NOT want to remove my steering shaft for this!
Its been a couple of months since the bldy lift.... and I still have that dull thumping noise. I can feel it in the footwell too. but for the life of me i can not find the cause! Its driving me insane...... today i put on a suspension lift, i have yet to test drive it maybe by some miracle it helped. Lol..
I've always had a dull thumping too, that I believed originated with my body lift. Alas, the 3" exhaust usually masks this. Will be interested to see if you even figure yours out.
After some more digging around yesterday, I found that the thumping seems to have some connection with the brake pedal mechanism. I can't feel it through my shoes, but when I touch it with my hand I can feel it. It's most noticeable in the wheel well body and more from the inside than out...
Vasinvector, I MUST figure this out... It's killing my OCD!!
I won't lie I've spent hours trying to figure it out. I've tightened body mounts, front diff mounts, engine mounts, a/c compressor bolts, shock mounts, swaybar bushings, etc etc. I haven't check upper control arm bushings, but I don't think they're _that_ bad. I can feel mine in the floor with my hand. Passenger floorboard and rear passenger floorboard the worst. We may be chasing separate issues too, but here's to hoping.
Oh snaps, I haven't checked the rear passenger floorbed.... if it's felt more there, that can help...
I've also checked all those things. lol. I don't think the control arm bushings can be the issue, as they are under constant force, they shouldn't be able to move around that way.
OH, just remembered, I found that the thumping stops when the car is pushed to the passengers side. lol.. I'm really looking forward to that moment where I see the problem
Location: Grew up in S.C.V, So Cal.....now in Hampstead, NC
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all of that is odd. I did a 2" bodylift from 4Crawler on my old '91 runner, and didn't have to extend my steering shaft, and didn't have any thumping noise afterward. I did buy the bumper extension, but that was it. I am curious to know what the thumbing is, and where it is coming from when you find it!
Tragic Drive, the noise is definitely not a rubbing noise. I checked the steering rubber boot on the firewall and mine was messed up, but that is not the cause of the noise/feel.
a4Runner freak, I'll definitely post up when I eventually find the issue.
I'll have an opportunity to check it out today since I'll be swapping in new shocks.
Vasinvictor, I FOUND IT!!! I don't know if you have the same problem, but check it out.
SO! last night a budy and I spent a good 40 minutes looking for the culprit and after what felt like checking everything on the car, we were getting nowhere. Through all this I found that the thumping goes away when I leave the drivers side cabin... weird.. and also as I had said before when the body is pushed to one side or the other, again it goes away... so we set our attention to things that move away from eachother during flex. Long story short.... it was the little plastic airbox that connect the air filter to the throttle body! See picture below. Turns out the body lift brought the wheel well JUST up to the airbox so that when the airbox would vibrate at slow engine idling and move up and down over bumps in the road, that airbox would tap the wheel well. To test, we put some shim inbetween and viola! No more !!
This also explains why the sound would go away at some body flex, the airbox is SOO close but not touching the wheel well that when my weight was removed from the drivers side it changed the distance just so and didn't tap..
11-02-2014, 10:53 PM
