I've seen the posts about the wallcrawler suspensions and skyjacker lifts. That's not what I'm looking for as I have a kid on the way and want to keep all 4 wheels on the '88 V6 4X4 on the ground when I'm not in the mud.

I'm need a smallish lift (2-3") that will not impact safety Just tired of hitting my head on door jamb when I hop on the running board cuz the truck is stock short and would like wheel wells to clear the 31 10.5 BFG TKO's a bit better. The rear has a bit of the typical 1st gen sag with the camper on, which I would hope the lift could help fix.

I've hear Old Man Emu are solid product, but would only net a 1" lift using torsion bars in front and could affect the handling, especially in the rear. I've also heard that once you mess with suspension the handling is never the same, but I have ZERO experience with truck suspension mods. Went to the flashy 4wheel shop down the street and they tried to sell me a procomp lift and wheels for $3K, not interested. Want to keep stock or close to stock look/feel of truck and handling.

Does anyone have first-hand knowledge/experience with a lift kit that will not adversely affect handling? Shocks, struts, joints and bushings will need to be replaced as well, since the steering wheel has about 20 to 30 degrees of play with no axle movement. But I've heard that bushings/joints may not tighten up this issue either. Either way, need to replace and need a recommendation for daily use. Willing to drop $1K-$1,500 to get right and safe.

Finally, I've got a common exhaust issue on the 3VZE. Mileage is bad--between 11 and 13 mpg, and I get white smoke in the mornings at first start and a funky smell all the time, even after warm up. Dirty exhaust is a dealbreaker with a kid in the back. My engine has over 253K so it may be the O2 sensor, but I also just serviced and replaced the fuel injectors(they were imbedded with sediment and leaky) so the fuel mixture may need to be tuned down to accept the full amount of fuel it's been missing. Any advice on how to adjust richness/bad exhaust short of opening the air flow meter? May need to replace exhaust as well, since the CAT and exhaust all appear to be original. O2 sensor could be culprit, but I'd have to replace to see a difference.

In short, looking for some solid advice on the following 3 upgrades that need to be made before the kid is born in a couple of months:

1) Recommendation on small lift--3" or so--that won't impact the handling
2) Suspension/shock/bushing recos for daily use to tighten play in steering
3) Troubleshooting advice on bad mileage/exhaust/richness issue on 3vZE

Thanks in advance!

Dad2Be

 

Hmm... fit 31" tires? I'd say a 1" body lift would be the best / cheapest way. Probably won't keep you from bumpin da head but will guarantee the tires will fit. You could change the control arm bushings, etc if you want.
Play in the steering could be caused by worn components like the rag joint / coupler on the steering shaft, play in the steering box or other worn components... or poor alignment settings.

I'll come back to the fuel issues.

 

I know I sound like a broken record but for a first gen 4runner the ZUK mod is one of the best ways to lift the rear back up to (or above) stock ride height. I did it to my 89 and got enough lift over stock to be able to use 1.5" ball joint spacers in the front to level it out.

BJ spacers- <150$ (I can't remember exactly how much they were from 4crawlers site)
Coil springs- < 50$ (I think they were like 22$ each)
Upper mount for the coil- You can build one for nothing if you have some pipe, a piece of plate and a welder. Or you can go weldless by using the upper mount.
Lower mount- I used the rubber bump stop that's already there or you can build a lower if you feel the need.
Shocks- If you only get about 1" of lift and don't do all kinds of crazy flexing you could buy OEM replacements (I got some from Napa for my pickup when I did this mod and I think it was 120$ for all four).

So for under 400$ you've got the suspension done.

 

you shouldn't need anything to clear 31's. I didn't with my '87 pickup.

here is someone's 1988 4runner that is/was on here. Link to original thread

 

bj spacers(4crawler.com), new rear leafs. or just a 2inch body lift(4crawler.com). does your 31s rub?

 

After reading the post I think a body lift would be much more in the price and feel range. With Body Lift you don't affect the suspension at all, giving you that stock suspension feel. Abe has it on the money with the 1" BL go to 4Crawler if you go that route. His kits are awesome quality

http://4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/Toyo...BodyLift.shtml

 

I would go with BJ spacers up front ~2" of lift and the Zuk coil mod out back. Then take the money you saved and invest in a full rollcage. You can never be too safe when wheelin' with your family.

 

I do not think you said if it was an automatic or a manual trans?

The autos get worse mileage, but usually not that bad.

Advice on the mileage side of things:


First, replace the O2 sensor, that may be your one and only issue.

Second, plugs, cap, rotor, wires, air filter, the usual tune up type suspects.

Third, take the throttle body off and clean it really good. Verify the TPS settings while you have it off. You recently had the plenum off to do the injectors, so you may have done it then.

Fourth, take the upper timing belt cover off and set the crank at TDC for the #1 cyclinder. Do the timing marks on the upper cam sprockets line up with the marks on the sheetmetal shield behind them? If not, then you have skipped a tooth on the timing belt or it was installed wrong during a belt job.

Fifth, or maybe first, do a compression check. If you are losing compression, then, you know why you have bad mileage.

Oh, and when you did the injectors, did you have the cold start injector serviced also? It is in the intake plenum. They leak sometimes,as they get clogged up with EGR crap.

Good luck.

Mike

 

Tail-pipe steam on startup, particularly on cold mornings, is normal as long as it goes away- it's just condensation from the exhaust. A rich fuel mixture can cause the 'steam' to linger longer. With 253K miles, I would suspect the O2 sensor to be failing, and they don't always fail in a way that throws a check engine code. Also, check your ignition timing.
Another thing to consider is how many miles are on it- what could the condition of the cylinders / rings be after that many miles? Have the valves ever been adjusted? Low compression can cause poor combustion and worn rings can allow oil into the combustion chambers and either of these will cause symptoms similar to the mixture being too rich including high hydrocarbons in the exhaust, lack of power and low fuel mileage.

Oh, and congrats on the forthcoming turmoil in your life.

 

Here are a few details I left out that you requested:

* My 4runner is an automatic, so the mileage is not going to be as good as a M/T but I used to get 14-15 MPG
* Timing belt was done 2 years and about 4K miles ago - distributor was regulated up a bit for responsiveness by the mechanic
*Exhaust is very pungent, almost like it's not all combusted fuel, but maybe gas or oil and exhaust, but not water
*Head was rebuilt years ago when the gasket was recalled and I did the fuel injectors, spark plugs, fuel filter, fuel damper and thermal vacuum valve in '09
* Knock sensor code has the engine light on perpetually, but I think it's the sensor wire
* 31" wheels have clearance, just would like to add a little more space between wheels and fenders
*The throttle body, plenum and passenger side valve cover and PCV were cleaned/replaced with fuel injector work - but did not get the cold start injector services and I don't know how to check compression

Anybody else have recommmendations on the lift/suspension or exhaust issue I laid out?

 

BTW, thanks for all the great info. So far this is what I've gathered:

* Body lift/spacer kit would be most affordable and easy, but it this the best for handling/operation?
* Junkers88 - The ZUK spacer lift and ball joints would move the chassis up how high? An inch or so? And I'm not a mechanic, so the welding mounts would not work for me.
* Outlaw Mike, what's the suspension on a rig like yours feel like? Smooth or forgiving for crawlin? Did you have to modify the tranny, other connections to make this work? (OutlawMike's suspension/lift - 1.5" BJ spacers, 2" OME leaf springs, OME T-bars, 3/4" 4Crawler body lift, OME shocks f/r, OME steering stabilizer)

THanks again.

 

Doing a BL for a auto trans will require a little more money and time to account for the transmission.

Zuk mod usually raises the rear to about 3" from what i've seen. Based on the sag of your rear springs and the lb rating of the springs.

 

Either im crazy, or that runner that xxxtreme22r posted up looks REALLY low to the ground..

 

After all the looking into it I'm going to go with an Old Man Emu suspension.

What I'm still trying to figure out is whether to use the torsion bars up front and lose some vertical travel on rough roads/potholes or just use 1.5 ball joint spacers and OME shocks up front and the OME leafs/shocks in back for a smoother ride.

Seems like a waste to do the OME kit and skip the torsion bars bit Ive heard that it's a lot rougher ride than just using Sdori spacers.

Anyone tried either setup? Or better yer, anyone tried both? :-p

also, any OME heavy duty suspension users out there wish they went with the light duty susp for comfort? I'm thinking light duty since this will be a daily driver and I've heard the heavy duty rides rough on unece roads.

 

Unless you are adding a lot of weight up front, larger torsion bars are not generally a good idea as the ride will get a lot stiffer:
- http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/torsion_bars/

If you are happy with the current front end ride, then the ball joint spacers work well:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...er.shtml#FAQ10

 

This is just what I was looking for.

The entire IFS is original and will need to rebuilt (upper and lower BJs, tie rod ends, lower arms, maybe pittman arm) so I can't say the current front end ride is how I would like it (although it is fun to drive the squirrely-loose suspension in the mud when accuracy doesn't count, ha!). And no, I will not be adding weight to the front anytime soon, so the torsion bars would not be necessary.

Although I think using the ball joint spacers is like cheating to get the lift I want in the front, especially when OME makes an alternative, I think that would be the best option for a smooth ride.

I'd still like to hear from any '86-'89 IFS 4runner owners who used the OME torsion bars or the front spacer/OME rear spring combo and their experience.