I've been searching for the past hour, and I can't find a tech article/write-up on how to change out the front and rear struts/shocks (3rd Gen 4Runner). Mine are shot, and I will be ordering Bilstein or Tokico TM's shortly. But I just wanted to read over the procedures.

I've never done any suspension work before, except some sway bar stuff. I'd say I have most of the tools necessary. Will I need a spring compressor?

Anyway, if anyone can point me to a good write-up, I'd be much obliged.

 

http://www.4rnr.net/suspension.html

 

I just changed mine on a T100 and I’m pretty sure it’s the same. It was easy money, I didn’t have to jack or manipulate suspension at all to get them in.

The front shocks were harder than the rear. You may need someone on the bottom over the front wheels with a pipe wrench or strap wrench to hold the top of the strut while you loosen the nut in the engine compartment. I hand compressed the new strut slipped it into the upper mount hole then quickly aligned it with the lower mount as it extended. Depending on the pressure in your new strut you may have to get creative to hold it compressed until you can line up the bottom. You could use wire to keep it compressed then snip the wire when you have it lined up.

The rear shocks are pretty much remove the nuts and install.

Good luck

 

yeah, same as installing a (spacer) lift or new springs... all the same work

edit/\ not the same as T100 from what I can see

 

It's not the same as the t100, you'll need to pull out the coil spring assemblies and compress the springs to get the shock out.

I did mine using directions zeroxed from a Haynes manual at the library. Spring compressors are scary, and I was very careful not to point the assembly at myself, but in all the job was easy.

 

Thanks for all the input.

 

Personally, if your going to be in there, you should just change out the springs. Use some progressive rate springs or use the Performance products springs which give only ~1" of lift and you'll have a better handling truck.

You have 3 top nuts, and 1 bottom bolt. Pulling them out is usually pretty simple, but, putting them back in sometimes sucks. You can use a bottle jack upsideown inbetween the wheel well and pushing down on the upper ball joint to move the whole a-arm assembly down, and thus expand the slot to reinsert the assembled coilover (strut). Also, people get in a heap about getting the lower eye to align right, but, all you need is a long bar of somesort to slide through the bottom eye..( I use a long ratchet exension) and can turn the bottom eye while the top 3 nuts are connected. Very simple. Ive done this job id say 7 times. Now its easy, but, my 1st time doing it took a while cause I went straight by the book...(the chilton manual).

You dont need a spring compressor to take apart the struts, if you end up using your stock springs again. People say that you do, but, just take a frigging impact wrench to the top bolt and let her rip. I've done this numerous times w/o anything moving. It makes a *clunk* sound and thats about it.

The spring compressors are safe as long as your not a dumbÅÅÅÅ using them.

It would be easier to just buy new springs with shocks so you can get them either assembled somewhere, or just do it yourself, then its a direct swap and the downtime of your truck will be down several hours.

 

^^ Thanks for the run-down. I think I might be getting some stock struts for real cheap, so I think I'll just do this with stock springs. It'll be a good educational experience, anyway.

Thanks again.