1988 Runner 6cyl,ifs,cv,ball joint, all org. 186,000.
While slowing down my truck has a very slight up and down motion to it on the left front side. I had installed new rotors and pads a few years back and it never fixed the problem. I have jacked the truck up and used a lever to see if I could get any play motion out of the ball joints and seemed tight, no play in the wheel bearings either. Could a bent cv axle be the problem?, or would that be a constant "wobble". Has anyone ever bought a new slightly out of round rotor? I torqued every thing to spec in alternating correct order when installed. Any suggestion would help for me to try.

 

Do you feel it in the pedal, or is it just the front left going up/down?

Try getting up to speed, then apply the brakes HARD while turning left & right sharply. (obviously, on an empty stretch of dry, straight road!)

What does it do? Any unusual noises?

 

It is not felt in the pedal at all and I will have to try the lt. rt. turns cause I usually notice it at lower speeds coming to stops at intersections in a staight line. I don't feel that it is much of an issue at high speeds cause I pretty sure I would notice that unless the shocks smooth it out for me. If it happened alot at high speeds I would have to get it immediatly looked at, don't think that would be safe, that is why I am looking into it now cause it isn't that bad. My shocks are good also. This happened on the old shocks and new ones. No unusual noises and just the left side going up and down.

 

What do the upper control arm bushings look like on the driver side? I have been going through very similar symptoms and it turned out that my UCA bushings were totally shot.

 

Hmm, looked at them today and and seem ok but can't tell, not completely blown apart,however they are rubber and original. Did you do that job yourself? After looking at them I wonder if those bolts freeze in there like the org. rear leaf spring bolts, if so may be hard too hard to get out on my own. The rear leafs I did was to cut the bolt and put in whole new springs and bushings the org. bolt was not coming out. I appreciate the thought that is a good direction to look into.