well i installed the lift the other night...took about 4 hours wth some help of my friend.
i have run into a couple of problems and hopefully you guys will be able to help me out
the lift-----toyotec OME kit ome 880's and 890's with toyotec top out spacer , tokico green r/ts, diff drop kit
something that i noticed was wierd but not sure if its supposed to be like it....
1. there is a 1/2" gap between the bottom strut bushing and the top plate...?!?!
2. on the outermost part of the inner cv boots grease has started to emerge...on BOTH sides....
3. my wheels hit the caliper so i had to remove the 285's for now..i think im just going to put them on the stock wheels...285/75/16 TG's
4. it seems when ever i hit a bump the steering wheels seems to take on a life of its own...(is this because i have not got an alignment yet? if so will the truck ride a little better after and alignment.
i notice no loss of power with the 285's but my gas mileage has greatly decreased
5. Last but not least...pics of the truck and some to help describe my problems

 

 

bump for deperate help and how good my trucks looks!

 

Aligmtent definetly an issue for the steering.

Since you did the diff drop, i dont have an answer for the leaking CV's. The angle is what is causing that, so perhaps the diff drop was not enough.

What size wheels did you use, and what was the back spacing? Since you have a limited, it has the larger brakes thusly requiring 16" or larger wheels, or ones with enough back spacing to clear the calipers.

 

I personally think something is messed up with your front strut assembly adn that is way your CV angle is so steep, therefore making them leak. I would take your strut assembly into a shop and have then reassemble it. As far as mileage, are you calculating it with the added distance your going. For example, I just put 33's on from 28's and 33's are about 18% bigger, therefore I am traveling 18% more miles.

 

the wheels where 16x8 eagle alloy 058's they have a 4" backspacing but the rubbed the caliper, i was going to get spacers with longer studs but have decided to scrap that whole idea and hopefully just get them mounted on my oem rims, im going to try to take measurements to see if the tires will rub the control arm.
they did rub the front valance which i trimmed and the pinch seam only in reverse...but a sledge took care of that.

 

thats what i was figuring...i completely forgot to error % and have come to realize that my MPG decrease really is all that bad.
I had the compress the hell out of the springs to get them in there...to the pont where my compressors where bent really bad. the top bushing below the top strut nut is almost completely flat, thats how tight it is...i took off my gabrial ultra struts to install the tokico's and i noticed the gabriel's where almost an inch longer....this really has me worried..plus my tockicos came with no hardware or bushings for the struts, only the rear had hardware

 

heres a pic of my cv on a flat surface, i cleaned all the grease 10 miles before i took this pic

 

yea, id say remove that lift or dont drive the truck until you get it figured out...those CV's are spendy!

 

ok so here goes:

i have the same problem with my strut assembly. you need to compress the springs more. i used one set of compressors, but when i fix mine i will use two sets to compress.

also, did you remember to put the bushings on both sides of the top plate? i forgot the lower ones(some how, i think im retarted) realized it after i got it on the truck. ohwell, need to fix that.

also, my cv's are leaking (though not ALOT) in the same way yours are.

its because they sat at a specific position for their entire life, and when you lifted, you moved them. you need to cut the old clam off and put on a new one, a hose clamp will work.

and finally, you cannot fit 285/75r16 on the stock 16x7 rims. they will rub the upper control arms. you need a wheel with a 4.5 inch backspace, OR new upper control arms. Steve at sonoran steel will provide you the arms at a reasonable price. for wheels, youll have to look around, but i know my black steel 16x8 with a 4.5 bs fit, got them at america's tire. you can see pics in the link in my sig.

 

1. not sure what that is all about
2. mine "burped" grease for a while when I did my lift on my 00 but it eventually stopped. I think this is due to "stretching" the cv boots/clamps when installing the lift and the cv being at a new angle. Your cv angle doesn't look bad to me.
3. Did you try grinding the caliper a tad? Your backspacing on your rim is causing this, not the 285s.
4. Drive it a while and get the above figured out, then get the alignment

Obviously your gas mileage is going to get worse with bigger tires...what did you expect?

 

ok,

-you need an alignment, you know that by now

-you also need to put new clamps on your cv's many many years ago, when they were made they were clamped around new rubber, and have been spinning pretty fast all the time since then at one angle, now all of a sudden they are changed, the rubber has broke down a little, and the clamps arent tight enough anymore

-tires/rims... you might be able to fit them on the stock wheels, I did, but I've got street tread and about 1/4 inch clearance between wheels and upper control arm, when wheeling hard I can put 1/4 wheel spacers up front, but i don't leave them.

 

ok... I just ordered new wheels pro-comp 1069 4"bs..the same ones that wheelers offroad sells. they have a high offset that fits larger calipers..so that is solved...
I will get new cv clamps tommorow since i have the special tool for it and i never used it yet....
i just dont get the strut assembly. i did use the lower busings there just 1/2 gap between them and the top plate... i am going to try to compress the living hell out of the springs and reinstall it while the bushings all sit nice and flush...how much do shops usually charge to compress springs?

should i wait to get an alignment untill i get the new wheels? i figured id wait till the suspension settled a little bit to get it done... is it better to go to the shop with stock wheels and tires or my new wheels with 285's to get balanced.

I JUST WANNA SAY I AM VERY GREATFULL THAT YOU GUYS ARE HELPING ME!! This 3rd gen stuff is a whole different ballgame!

 

hmmm, i don't remember if 4 is more than 4.5 the way backspacing works... but i know that the magic numbers seem to be 16x8 with 4.5" BS

and that special tool to do those clamps >> that is awesome, I wish I had one

 

a 4" BS will stick out more and a 4.5" BS....so hopefully this works otherwise ill be selling 2 new sets of rims..haha

 

ok... I'd offer to buy the first set, but I guess they'd probably have the same problem for me

for your tire questions... this has been the best tool for me that I've found http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.dos

 

You're lift is fine. The CV's leaking are pretty normal. Especially for a 96... thats close to 11 years of rubber that has been in one place, now with the movement, it causes some leakage. Get new clamps or new boots...

The washer/bushing should be fixed though. That is not right.

 

any recommendation for a fix? as i kind of remember it, the bare part of the stud is longer than the total length of bushings, metal plates, and the sandwiched top plate.

i may be wrong tho. it could have been the other way around, that there didnt seem to be enough room. cant remember as that was 4 months ago for me. ill probably tear mine apart spring break, 2 months away.

but, ive wheeled with it like it is, and all i get is clicking noises from the metal plate hitting the top plate. guess ill see if there is any damage when i pull it apart.

 

does anyone else know why maybe my front strut has that gap?? did i not compress the spring enough? i know i didnt go to tight on the top nut there is about 4-5 threads showing? ...when i compressed the coil i could just barely get the top nut on with the bushing and washer in place...i kinked them up a little more allowing the nut to thread then i just cranked down the nut and loosed it a little bit...am i wrong on doing it this way?

 

Once you do get it fixed...drive it a tank of gas to let the lift "settle" and then get an alignment by someone who knows what the hell they are doing.