jaypee784

Hello All,
New to the forum, so I hope this has not been asked 100s of times and I am just not doing a good enough search.

I just bought a 2000 4Runner and If I drive it with only passengers in the front, the suspension seems ok, but if people are sitting in the backseat, I hear a banging noise when I go over bumps. I assume it has something to do with the shocks or springs. Does this sound right? Could it be something else? How do I know when it is the right time to swap out shocks and springs? I do not visually see leaking or anything like that, just the banging noise with backseat passengers. I have 99,000 miles.

Edit:
Should mention, the passengers said it felt like the banging noise was coming from right under them.

Thanks.

scuba

Could be the bumpstops on your axle hitting the bumpstop on the frame..

Is it lifted..? Or does it have the normal old 4Runner saggy ass..?

Welcome to YotaTech..

jaypee784

Thanks for the quick reply.

Stock suspension. I bought it used and the previous owner only had it for a short amount of time and never got the maintenance records from the previous owner... so I am assuming they were never replaced. They look pretty old and cRusty. Was thinking of putting on Bilsteins to replace them. What about springs, should I replace them at the same time and what would be a recommended brand? Where would I find the bump stop at? I plan to buy the Repair manual today, so hopefully some of these easy questions I can answer myself soon!

Also, are there any reputable online sources for Toyota parts that would be cheaper than going to Autozone of the Dealer?

Ron Helmuth

Yes you should likely do the rear springs at same time as rear shocks.

If your rear shocks are toast-then it is likely the fronts are wore out as well.

Old Man Emu is one of several options for springs and shocks. Many many choices.

Some people feel the Bilsteins are too stiff. I like them myself. But when I got the opportunity I went for lift and better ride.

trdparts4u.com in Texas has great prices for Toyota or Old Man Emu

Toytec is another choice for suspension and they are local to me and good honest guys.

Welcome to this fine forum.

t4r.org is 4Runner specific forum and 3rd generation (96-02) 4Runners rear sag is a "sticky" thread at top of page for 3rd gen section.

Bump stops are the hard rubber "puck" that keeps body from impacting the frame.

jaypee784

Good information! I will see what I can figure out.

Thanks.

hawaiibake

Welcome!
i had the same problem with mine. If you look under the back of your vehicle you will see the rubber bump stops that keep your axle from hitting the body. Mine only had 2" of space before they would hit each other. I ended up doing a lift so I replaced the shocks with some cheap monroes and put some long coils back there. It is stiffer now, but I prefer that because it feels more stable.

Doug S

You should search, tons of posts on this...

Second half of 2000 they lowered (shortened) the springs about an inch but did not change the bump stops so they ended up an inch closer to the axle. You can lop an inch off the bumpstops or do like I did and put in a set of 99 springs along with good shocks. It totally took care of my ride issues, don't forget that this is an off road truck and tends to ride like one..

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/r...ag-fix-162605/


Doug

SoCalPaul

You need new springs & shocks. Use the search feature & read some opinions before buying them. That way you can see what might best meet your needs.

http://www.toyteclifts.com/index.php
http://www.sonoransteel.com/

98srx6

You can also check to make sure that your panhard bar bolts are nice and tight (think long cheater bar). When I got my 4runner, these bolts were tight, but not tight enough as the clunking never went away until I tightened them beyond what seemed reasonable.

Worth a try as its much cheaper than shocks and coils.

Albuquerque Jim

IIRC there was a recal on these bumpstops...go to the dealer and have them run your VIN.