100 Series - 3 Issues, New member, New truck.

[Yeeeeeeha]

First, a big thanks to everyone who runs this forum. I've had a lot of questions answered and you're always the first result on google.

I'm a recent 100 series owner and I'd appreciate a bit of help clarifying some issues I'm having.

Truck is 100 series 99' with the electronic rear locker, 91k on it of which I've added 4k. Mostly city driving here in LA - sadly I've been out of town a lot thus no dirt yet.

Current work:
OME-303001 - OME TORSION BAR

OME-60001 - OME NITROCHARGER SPORT S
OME-2864 - OME COIL SPRINGS
OME-60003 - OME NITROCHARGER SPORT S
ARB-5613210 - ARB MODULAR REAR BUMPER
ARB-5700221 - ARB FUEL CAN MOUNT
ARB-3413050 - ARB BULL BAR
WHP-AX18878058635 - ATX 188 LEDGE TEFLON 17x8 5xAX
PCT-77285 - PROCOMP TIRES Xtreme M/T2
- 285/70r17 - 33”
ARB-SS86HF - ARB SNORKEL KIT
947US12PDS - TJM 12000lb Stealth Series Winch

Here's my 3 issues. Also, I'm looking for any new info or confirmation of my suspicions so I can focus in on solutions.

1. The truck shakes / vibrates / shimmy's around 68 mph. I start to feel it at 65, it becomes irritating and pronounced at 68-69mph and then goes away around 72mph. I feel it throughout the truck. The wheel is steady. The center console and driver seat shake. Camping gear in the rear rattles a bit. I have a high-lift jack mounted to the front bumper I can see over the hood that shakes noticeably L and R. Letting off the gas doesn't matter (slow to below 65 and it stops). Accelerating doesn't increase it. The amplitude does increase the longer I stay at 68 but the frequency stays the same. The amplitude does plateau eventually with the shake being very pronounced - at least to me.

Larry at Dirty Parts here in LA have balanced the tires twice and drove it. Larry even went with me once - he feels it, but it's taking some time to solve it - mostly due to my current inability to leave the truck there for a few days, not due to Larry's skilled teams ability.

From my searches would you guys agree these are the top targets?
1. CV's
2. Possible resonance vibration from the MT's?
3. Bent drive shaft

Concern numero 2.

The OME suspension and lift is stiff as hell. City driving bumps are dash shaking stiff. I hear way more creaks and squeaks in the interior then before. When I go over speed bumps at 5mph I get a big "Whammo" as the front wheels crest the bump's back side. It's like the wheels don't hug the back side of the bump and seem to slam down. Now I didn't expect something as cushy as the factory ride but I didn't expect it so stiff either. More of a concern is if my front wheels aren't staying on the tar when I go over something as simple as a speed bump at 5mph what will they do on washboard in the sand? - maybe they are on the ground and something else is going on but it shakes the truck. I had an OME coil-over in my '02 4Runner that was glorious. Loved it. But in the Cruiser with Torsion bars - wow. I have the medium springs in the back but from what I read it's mostly the shocks that are the culprit. I've read on here a lot of guys/gals love the ride of the OME's. I'm not so sure.

From my searches would you guys agree these are the top targets?
1. sounds like going to bilsteins or ? might be an option?
2. Maybe eventually doing the solid front axel conversion?
3. Anything else I should be playing with?

And 3rd and last - Gas mileage.

Yes, I know - it's a heavy truck and not a prius but I'm getting 9mpg in town and not much better on the highway - something's not right. I'm tracking it with an ios app. Even with the conversion for the tires I'm still around 10mpg. Sounds like most people are getting 12-15 or so city/hwy with a couple reports of over 300 miles per tank. I'm getting 210 miles per tank with about 1.25 gallons in reserve. I talked to Larry at Dirty Parts and he suggested the scanguage II. I'll probably get one but I'm a pretty relaxed driver - not too heavy on the pedal in fact I've gotten honked at for accelerating too slowly here in LA - impatient people. I'll add as well that when it was stock 3 months ago I was getting 13-15mpg easy around town and only after all the mods and the last 3 months has it dropped to a consistent 9mpg. I'm afraid the mods and any weight in the truck will stay including camping gear in the back. I always run 91 fuel. I've run the tires at 40, 55 and 65psi with no difference. I just want to get back to 13mpg if I can...

From my searches would you guys agree these are the top targets?
1. plugs, filters, o2 sensor, oil, trans oil, clean the MAF and TB, tune up - that's easy and I'll try it.
2. bad coil? This is a guess. I've replaced one all ready - the coil was noticeable when it went out but has anyone had one "sorta" go out leading to a cylinder not pulling it's weight?
3. Anyone have any data on lowering their dif ratio as it relates to MPG?
4. Read through this - https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/283847-gas-mileage.html

Any feedback is much appreciated. I love the truck and just need to knock down these few things.

Thanks!

Dan

Maybe you can see these - I forget my FB security settings...

 

[Grego]

Congrats on your new ride, looks like it is coming along well. Your concerns are not that uncommon. The amount of lift on the front end could cause the vibrations you are feeling. I have similar vibes in mine. Replaced most everything and still have some. I have written it off to my tires and have given up trying to solve it until its time for my next set. If your front end is set too high you usually experience that same speed bump issue. As far as mileage goes, I think you are starting in the right area. My truck with lift, tires, bumpers, etc gets 13 to 14 mpg.

 

[Yeeeeeeha]

Grego!

Thanks for the note. Ironically the front end was higher when I first got it back from Dirty Parts, the shop that did the work, which looks better... . It was stiffer and the bump issue more stark. They lowered it and the clunk softened a bit but still having the issue. It wasn't a problem but my 4Runner with the coilover's so this behavior makes me question the whole thing.

Sadly, traffic always seems to be going 65-70 - right in the sweet spot for the vibrations... haha. I'll just have to work harder to pass everyone.

Thanks!

Dan

 

[Rot Box]

I've owned my 100 for almost a year. During my test drive up to 45mph all seemed well. On the ride home (50-75mph+) it was another story. It did the same things you mentioned in your first question including a horrible bass sound that would drown out a conversation inside the cab. I actually pulled over a few times wondering if the front end was going to fall right out of it

In my case the torsion bars were cranked up too high and the alignment was off. From what I can tell by your pics your front still looks pretty high. There is a tread here somewhere that will help you determine where the torsion bars need to be set with that lift. In my case I have a very noticeable stinkbug rake but all those problems are 98% gone. Best of luck,

Andrew

 

[RobRed]

Concern number 2

I assume post lift you had the alignment done. Let's see the numbers. I'm guessing caster is off.

Bilsteins are stiff and rears are too short. You will break them on a lifted truck.

Stiff is related to tire pressure as well as the shocks. What is your normal pressure?

 

[Yeeeeeeha]

Bot Box, Good eye, Those pics are just after I got the truck back and the front was pretty high. Since then it's been lowered by maybe 1/2. Mostly to take some stiffness out of it. It was aligned after the initial lift and it still had the shake. No better or worse than now. I do get a buffeting noise inside the cab but it's not too loud - I'm not sure if it's just the shaking of "things" inside the cab or something else. As you can see the rear is pretty tall as well, in fact now that the front has come down it's sloping downward a bit. I'll confirm the torsion bar setting here and with my mechanic. - what's a stinkbug rake? Haven't seen that one yet.

RobRed, It was aligned post lift - I don't have the numbers but can probably get them. When I first got it back it drifted left. I mentioned this to Larry at Dirty Parts and they had another go at it. Now it's pretty solid - seems to drift but could be the grooved concrete highway - tough to tell. As for caster - I'll have to confirm. As I've mentioned my tires have been at 40, 55 and 65psi - They rate up to 65psi. At 40 they're slightly softer but I feared it was having an effect on mpg so I put them back up to 55 - no difference on mpg. At 55psi it is stiffer. Though even at 40 it's nothing like the stock ride. Thanks on the Bilsteins - thought I saw something else on here about softer and longer shocks - I'll have to search it out.

Thanks gents!

Dan

 

[kevin2i]

From my searches would you guys agree these are the top targets?
1. CV's
2. Possible resonance vibration from the MT's?
3. Bent drive shaft

I would try bolting on the stock tires/rims if you have them to see if the MT's are the culprit.

Is there any play at the front end? If there is any slop, check the tie rod ends and the steering box mount bushings. The large D ring does wear out - replace with polyurethane. Also verify ball joints are tight.

 

[bamachem]

Vibration is most likely due to incorrect toe. Get a true and correct alignment getting toe, caster, and camber all in the middle of the specified ranges.

Then cross rotate your tires (opposite corner swap) and hope you don't already have cupping.

Poor fuel economy could very possibly be the all too common "fade" of the O2 sensors before one goes out of spec completely. If over 125k, then a sensor operating incorrectly but still within range is a very likely scenario. Replace both pre-cat sensors with a Denso (OEM manufacturer) for half the price of Toyota sensors.

 

[Muddy Bean]

I'm dealing with driveshaft woes right now but no one has yet responded to my thread, but I'll just throw this out there. If you think you possibly have driveshaft balance issues, then remove your rear shaft (lock your center diff of course) and drive around in "front wheel drive" to see if it helps. Removing the rear shaft is literally a 10 minute job including the time it takes to gather tools. As for mileage, do a MAF cleaner and throttle body cleaner. Your coil packs are likely not bad if they aren't throwing a code. At $80 a pop, I wouldn't replace them if they aren't throwing a code. Spark plugs, MAF cleaner, Throttle Body cleaner, and a fuel injection treatment might do wonders for you. I know don't believe in it, but running a can of seafoam into a main vacuum line may help.

 

[Yeeeeeeha]

Kevin2i: Afraid the original equipment is gone. By slop do you mean delay in steering or clunking or something? The front end seems tight to me. On the highway the truck drifts more than I'd like but that's the tires really.

Bamachem, No cupping - I've been watching the tires and the wear is normal. O2 sensor - got it, I better get all of that looked at. Thanks for the pro tip on the Denso, I'll certainly look at that!

Muddy Bean, check, check and check! Seafoam - wow, haven't heard that name since my days working the gas dock in MN. I'll try the all the others first.

Thanks a ton everyone! I'll post updates as they get done!

Dan

 

[mgilvan]

Nice looking rig guy .
I think the problems you mentioned are somewhat common with 100 series
As For vibration , my truck does the same thing around 68-70 ish, some members changed his u joints( don’t exactly remember which one thou) and he said the problem is gone, it’s not a bad idea to look into that
Next : the gas millage
I get about 11-12ish combined , but I think the big tires and all that weight that u added to ur truck reduced your fuel economy .
heavier tires and wheel will add to your rotational mass which reduces your mpg.

 

[Yeeeeeeha]

mgilvan, Thanks!

I think I read the u joint thread, it's on my list of stuff to look at.

even double digits would be nice. I'm hoping a tune up and a O2 sensor will help. I'll report back.

Dan

 

[2000UZJ]

A few things...

Your front end is a bit to high for our suspension (IFS). I would lower the front by 1", and have an alignment done. Your tires won't start cupping immediately. Once a tires wear pattern is created, it's very difficult to reverse it (I.E- Once they are cupped). The vibrations is your CV axles running at a near 35 Degree angle, possibly more. CV's are designed to compress, extended, and pivot, however they aren't designed to do all that at 70MPH. CV Joints form a wear pattern as they age (where the bearings sit in the housing). When you lift a IFS truck it pulls the bearings out of the wear pattern/groves and can cause vibrations. The higher the front end is on these trucks the more torque steer, wandering, and twitchiness you will have on the highway. There is A LOT of air under these trucks, having the front end up makes it easier for the air to get up underneath and become turbulent. Lowering the front pushes the air down and allows it to flow smoother.

The Bilsteins are 1" shorter than OEM shocks. If you are running a lift, and wheel it. You will break the shaft. They are also very stiff. I would look into the Fox 2.0. They are very soft, and proper length. You may also want to consider TC Upper Control Arms (more droop), or the JT Uppers. It's personal preference between the two. SPC is coming out with their OEM boot style UCA, which may be the best option for us yet.

As for MPG's, you have added quite a bit of weight and the larger tires do not help. The higher your front end is the lower MPG's you are going to get. Clean the MAF, TB, and replace air filter. Replacing 02 sensors may not help, they either work or they don't work. Replacing all of them is a waste of money.

Lastly, the truck looks good. Just wipe that tire shine off and your good to go!


Edit: Fireball makes a great point. I run a fully loaded 100 (no rear bumper) on 35's. I run my tires at 35PSI front and rear.

 

[fireball]

I don't have any direct experience with those tires, but I would guess that a lot of your ride issues are caused by too high tire pressure.

I've always run BFG all-terrain's and had good luck in the low to mid 30s. Drop them down to 32 to 34 PSI and see what happens. Worst case scenario is that this was a terrible suggestion and costs you 75 cents to air them back up at the gas station!

 

[SupraTuRD]

Beautiful rig! Do you have a diff drop kit? Did the rig have any of the issues prior to lifting? I'm leaning towards worn-in cv's/angles.

 

[bamachem]

A few things...

... Replacing 02 sensors may not help, they either work or they don't work. Replacing all of them is a waste of money.

Lastly, the truck looks good. Just wipe that tire shine off and your good to go!

Not quite. They are a sensor. The sensor sends an analog signal back to the ECU to communicate what the sensor is reading. The range of the amperage sent back to the ECU is what tells the ECU the information it's looking for. Therefore, the ECU is programmed with a "normal" operating range for the amerage it sees. If that amperage from that sensor goes outside that range, then it triggers an error, and the ECU lights up the CHECK ENGINE light.

Now, with the O2 sensors, the operating range is pretty wide due to the temperature ranges that they operate under. Also, you have two (one on each side) in front of the Catalytic Converters and two more after them on our V8 Engines.

The ones before the CC's help to control the fuel-to-air ratio for optimum combustion - they work in conjunction with the mass air flow sensor. The ones after the CC's help to determine if the CC is functioning properly (controls emissions).

So, with that said, the sensitivity of the sensors can and do fade with time. A sensor can most certainly be reporting incorrect data to the ECU, which then causes the ECU to control the engine erroneously. I have had it happen to two different 4Runners and two different UZJ100 LC's myself over the years.

I had a Front O2 sensor (before the cat) beging to "fade". By "fade", I mean it began to report an incorrect signal to the ECU. Because of that, the fuel to air ratio got out of whack and the fuel economy suffered. AFTER doing all the normal stuff like cleaning the MAF, cleaning/replacing the Air Filter, checking air pressure, etc, with no net positive results, I then swapped out the O2 sensors and IMMEDIATELY my MPG jumped back up where it should be.

Also worth noting is that ambient and load conditions can cause the sensors to act up one day and appear to be fine the next. Eventually, it will throw a code in the ECU, but only AFTER the signal reported back to the ECU is found to be outside of the "normal" operating range.

The only sensors that control the fuel to air ratio are the front sensors, so there are only two that would impact economy. The other two ONLY throw a code if a Catalytic Converter is bad or if the sensor goes bad (again, the ECU sees an amperage that is outside of the normal range).

Last, I second the motion to lose the armor all on the tires.

 

[Yeeeeeeha]

2000UZJ - I'll have to post a new pic - The front end's come down in height since those pics were taken. I'll take and post something and maybe you can take another look? that's a great explanation about air getting under the truck and makes perfect sense. It does wander less now that it's lower.

As for the Bilsteins - I'm not sure where I got that from but I saw a couple threads talking about different shocks - I simply typed Bilsteins - I'll be sure to get the name right next time! I should know as I had them on a Taco, then a '00 4Runner I used to own (two different sets).

The rest of what you're talking about, control arms, etc, I'll have to research and work through - maybe on the next round of upgrades.

MPG - cool - I'm going to give her a good cleaning and look at that O2 sensor - we'll see what happens.

Tire shine - hahahahaha - yeahhhhhh... forgot to tell the guys at the carwash not to slime me - that's what I get - I'll wear it all off on my pants and the trail hopefully very very soon!

Fireball: Good tip - I've had them at 40. Softer ride, more stable and no noticable mpg difference. I'll give 35 a try.

SupraTuRD: No dif drop yet. No issues prior - it was the smoothest vehicle I've ever ridden in and that's going against an 08' IS350, 11' Prius, 02' 4Runner, 01' and 05' S2000 - all prior owned vehicles. Prior owners wife drove it to the market once a month and that's it.

Thanks, I'll report back with any solutions I come up with!

Dan

 

[Yeeeeeeha]

Bamachem: That's a great great rundown - Thank you!!

I don't even know what the guys as the wash put on the tires but it's not armor all - It was like vaseline or something horrible. I'll post another few pics for the height... and non-glossy tires. Thanks for the ribbing - haha. I deserve it for not cleaning that junk off immediately.

Dan

 

[fireball]

Bamachem: That's a great great rundown - Thank you!!

x2. Always a god day who you learn something new! Thanks for the Detailed and easy to understand explanation.

 

[mtnracer]

About your MPGs and ride quality: With all that extra weight, the Pro Comp tires (probably load range E) and stiffer shocks, I think you are pretty much at par for the course. The additional rotational weight of the tires alone probably sucked 2 MPGs and ride quality definitely suffers unless you are fully loaded. I heard you can have good ride quality AND load capacity if you upgrade to the new Slee shocks or Fox or King although I may be wrong.