and i will agree with others, brake "flush" machines are great for doing just that...flushing. even flush machines that pressurize the system through the master cylinder can have trouble getting all the air out. when it comes to actually bleeding, i have found the old two man pump and squirt is hard to beat.

 

Cost you about 21$ to find out for sure.
http://www.chiltonestimating.com/Home/Pricing

 

Depends on what you mean by "complete removal" of the suspension system... if the took the whole front end off ie steering, torsion bars, A-arms, rear leafs, etc. then maybe, based on the usually inflated book rates, then maybe 30 hrs. If all they did was brakes and shocks then that sounds excessive to me... but I'm no pro-mechanic.

 

30 hours seems like a ridiculous amount of time. I think do turn drums and everything only pays 1.5? I'll try to look and see what hours are charged and post back

Edit: what else was replaced? Calipers? Rotors? Lines? Drums? And you mentioned suspension too, so shocks, torsion bars, upper and lower control arms? Tie rods?

I can look it up on all data and pro demand, just need to know what exactly was done.

 

Yea, It would be informative if you could post pic of receipt.

 

i was thinking the same thing.......see what they did and look it up on alldatapro.com. i work at a shop doing car repairs. i changed the intake gasket and swapped out a rear end on a 02 mustang, my boss charged for 3 hours of labor and parts......less than 500$ for the final bill......sounds like you got ripped off to me.

 

The list of work was all 12 arms and links and bushings in front, upper and lower ca bushings, rear leaf bushings, bmc, rotors, pads, caliper kit, lines, shoes, cylinders, motor and tranny mounts and one power steering line with flush and alignment. I know the owner of the shop and he's good with import cars and turbos and stuff so I confirmed he had a tech familiar with trucks. Unfortunately there is no close local place that knows trucks well much less first gen turbo 4runner. I took it to the huge local toyota dealership for an inspection when I first bought it years ago and they told me what I already knew, plus a bunch of bs I knew wasn't true. So the latest is I took it to the best indy toyota place around here and they weren't too familiar with first gen either, I asked and they said they get maybe one or two every now and then. Best they could say was rear brakes need adjusting and needs a better alignment. Is there anything special to alignment on a 4runner or is it pretty standard? I had another thread about a secondary issue with the truck where I lost my turning radius after the work. I get like 3.3 turns lock to lock now and can't make a u turn. I think part of the problem is pitman arm is off one thread and alignment is off.

 

Aligning a 4runner is no big deal... like a pickup it is just the front end.... as long as you don't "need" any new tie rod ends should run you <$100 +/- tax. If they say you need new ends save some $ do it your self... go to where ever buy some new ends, (get the grease-able kind) and install them yourself to match your existing ends then go to to the shop and have them do the alignment. For future ease of adjustment make sure to put lots of copper anti-seize on the new tie-rod ends if you need them. it will make future adjustments a snap.

 

12 arms? Are you talking about tie rods, sleeves, CL, (Drag Link) IA, PA, Steering Stabilizer.
30 hours labor, that's pretty inflated. Looks like some overlapping also.
Even with brake job that's high.
If you know the guy I don't understand why you haven't taking it back yet.
Is it just me, this whole thing sounds kinda sketchy.

 

I plan on taking it back next week. It definitely sounds sketchy to me which is why I asked. I'm gonna have a conversation with the owner when I do regarding the whole issue. I'll report back on results. I guess right now I'm compiling information to make sure that I know myself what needs to be done so I can ensure it gets done right. Pretty sure the brake issue should be resolved by tightening rear pads. That should increase pedal stiffness and make parking brake work. The only other issue is decreased turning radius. Only things to adjust there are pitman arms and alignment. Does the rear axle get aligned too? For some reason it looks like it's sitting too far back. The axle mounts on the leaf springs don't appear to be moved from before. There is an inch or more of grease on the driveshaft where it looks like it's extended out.

 

I'll have access to Mitchell and Alldata on Monday so I'll see what I can pull up but 30 hours is nuts, especially when it didn't fix much. I would be worried about the driveshaft, worn bushings can cause sagging and now that you have new bushings your truck doesn't dag so you see more driveshaft.

 

I get 3 hours for a front back brake job, .5 a per caliper if I find it before the job is sold, and an hour for the flush

 

It's probably the overlap adding up to the 30 hours, unless you were billed for actual hours.

And yes that rear end definately looks uncentered. Also those springs aren't new, did you pay for new or reconditioned/used. Post a pic near the center and someone can probably tell you if they are the wrong pack assembly(too many too few).

Waiting to see what you guys with time estimates come up with. Personally I don't think it's to far out of the ball park, but agree its probably got some overlap and might be a little high.

 

PS. I think you're missing a leaf or two and they put the springs in backwards. Should look like this diagram

 

X2 they sure look like there in backwards, also maybe just can't see other leaf's- (are shorter) as pic shows more of the shackle.

 

The rear is def. off center badly... they are def. in bassackwards... idiots in that shop have no clue what they are doing. Probably had an apprentice doing the actual work... what part of the world are you in? maybe one of the members can recommend a shop near you that actually knows what they are doing.

 

just out of curiosity......with those pictures, how can you tell the leafs are on backwards and the rear axle is out of alignment? i cant see it.

 

Easy... you can see from looking that the rear wheel is not centered in the arch of the fender. And the picture of the springs shows that the 2nd leaf with the wrap over the main leaf is on the front hanger when it should be at the rear with the shackles. This is why the axle is out of alignment... the axle on our trucks does not sit in the center of the leaf pack like a trailer but rather off center towards the front of the pack... this is the case with many vehicles actually,,, it is why the spring packs are often marked in some way to indicate which end goes forward.

 

i still dont see any wraps around the springs that shows front or back. i do see where the tire is sitting off center from the wheel well.

 

i'm just saying....i almost want to call bull˟˟˟˟ on you guys, cause nothing i've seen shows the spring are on backwards from the pics he gave. even after you've explained it i still dont see the springs wraps you're talking about in a single pic.

dont get mad that i am questioning. mostly i'm just trying to get proved wrong for learning purposes.....i'm sure i'm missing something.