I replaced my airbags and heres my how to (1 Viewer)

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Replaced the air springs on my '08 GX470 last night with Arnott bags (Part A-2949) and I thought you would enjoy a writeup on how I did it, what I learned and how it went.

First, I apologize for the lack of pics, I had thought about doing a video edit of the whole thing, but I was VERY tired and this needed to get done. So there. I do have pictures though, taken from the Arnott installation guide and the FSM. Thanks to langsen for that.



This is what typically happens with these bags, especially in hot dry places like Utah.

TOOLS NEEDED:

21 mm socket for wheel lugs

1/4 poly sprinkler line

Long angled needle nose pliers or a strong pick set

STEPS

Step 1. remove the spare tire

Step 2. Loosen lugs on rear wheels

Step 3. block the front wheels and jack up the rear until you have lots of room to work, you will need it. Use jackstands. Duh.

Step 4. Take off both rear wheels and put them under the chassis for added safety.

Step 5. Support the axle with a jack at the differential

Step 6. Take off the air lines for the side you are replacing (or both), the axle will want to drop, but you supported it. Good job.

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This is where the swearing will generally start. Toyota wants you to use a SST (Special Service Tool) but of course they don’t sell it. To help you avoid trouble I will pass on a few diagrams and tips I got from others. First, this is how the air line attaches and how the SST works according to the FSM (Factory Service Manual)

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“A” is easy to disconnect as shown in the picture above this one.

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The SST is just a collar that forces plastic pins apart

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“connector No. 2" is what is forced apart by the tool, there are 2 pawls 180 degrees apart from one another and they expand into the holes shown in the picture above.
The idea is pretty simple - You need to a tool to go around the airline and between the pawls (connector No. 2) to separate them. Solution? 1/4 inch hard sprinkler drip line (again, thanks langsen). Cut a section a couple inches long and split lengthwise and it will go over the line and do the job. A tip I picked up is to slim the thickness of the line down by heating a section of the line so it thins out, then cut it where its been stretched then, use the thick end where it works and the thin end everywhere else. Another tip I learned is that orientation maters. the split in the line should be 90 degrees off the pawl. In the case of the valve block, the pawls are at 3 and 9, in the case of the fitting on the spring, they are at 12 and 6. This matters. Toyota also says to replace these o-rings, which if you can see and read this diagram it doesn’t seem to be possible, so I didn’t.

It takes practice and your hands will be sore...but its the only way I know without the SST.

Step 7. Remove the clip of hope

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So named because it only is visible through hopes and wishes. The picture in the Arnott guide (shown) has them using a strong pic, I used angled long needle nose and they worked really great. I lucked out that I had them, as I would have been screwed without. Make sure you have something you can get at this clip AND replace with BEFORE you start down this path.

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This clip (in orange) retains the top of the spring in the perch by sliding around a nub on the top of the spring. There is a hole on the 90 degree bend for a pick, or you can get a grip on that bend with pliers like I did. The gap with which to work in, especially on the passenger side, is slim at best and there is no back side access. Fortunately it doesn’t take a lot to move it.

Step 8. In the Guide provided by Arnott they tell you disconnect the airline on the top of the spring at this point. This isn’t wrong, but it isn’t the whole story. First you will NEVER get to the airline from the top. EVER. Instead of struggling, disconnect anywhere the air line attaches to the chassis via clips, from the valve block back to the spring and pull the air spring out with the air line attached (drivers side) or enough so you can gain access to the top of the spring (passenger side) without hurting the line. Careful with these lines, the passenger side one is $90 and the drivers is $60 and no one stocks them.

Step 9. Disconnect the airline from the spring using the sprinkler line, remember that the pawls are at 12-6 not 3-9 so put the sprinkler line cut 90 degrees from 12 or 6 oclock.

Step 10. Starting with the drivers side reattach the airline in the top of the spring by simply pushing it in, then loosely place the spring in the area it should go with the airline routed through the correct hole in the perch.

Step 11. put the new springs in the bottom seats. they are keyed to hold the bottom of the spring in place...unless you are using stock replacements which aren’t for some reason.

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Step 12. Jack up the axle to take up the slack of the empty springs so the tops of the air springs get close to their top perch.

Step 13. Line up the alignment and attachment nubs to the perch and seat the top of the spring in the perch.

Step 14. Reattach the clip of hope. Good luck. It actually wan’t too hard but again you can’t see anything and you have no room to work so its kind stabbing in the dark.

Step 15. Reattach all the air lines back to the chassis clips.

Step 16. Reattach wheels and stuff and get that puppy back on the ground.

Step 17. Fire up the engine and set to “normal” height.

Step 18. Set to HI for clearance and spray the fittings with soapy water to check for leaks.

Step 19. Put the spare back on and go for a drive.

Step 20. Sleep soundly knowing you have done great things.

So thats that. One thing I can say - It rides SOOOOO nice now. Buttery smooth and feels like infinite travel. I remember when I first drove the car I complained that the suspension off road felt stiff and easily bottomed, I think I know why. This feels like it should and it makes me cry whenever I get in my 80 series now. Its a very nice ride.


Almost makes me want to do a full bag conversion on the 80 for max angles and ride quality. but then again. No.

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Awesome write up! If you could provide more detailed info about the air line clip removal tool that would be awesome.

Any reason you decided to replace the airbags instead of going with a coil spring conversion?
 
Awesome write up! If you could provide more detailed info about the air line clip removal tool that would be awesome.

Any reason you decided to replace the airbags instead of going with a coil spring conversion?

The tool I used is literally just 3 inches of 1/4 poly sprinkler line cut lengthwise on one side. Before I cut it I held it over a flame to heat and elongate the tube to thin it out on one end just to give me options.

As for the conversion - This is my wife's car and its a daily, but its also the dedicated tow rig for our 3500 lb popup. When loaded for camping having the self leveling is really nice. Plus the conversion wasn't much (if any) cheaper and certainly no easier to perform. I figure if I get 5 years out of these bags it will be money well spent for me. Lastly, I couldn't find any definitive information on how to keep the adjustable dampers without the ride height control or if it was possible to separate the two. I really like the adjustable dampers.
 
Great writeup! 👍
 
Huge thank you for this write-up. I followed your directions and had a fairly easy time replacing both sides on my wife's '05. Without the SST tips, I'd still be tinkering!!

:beer: :beer:
 
I finally got around to replacing mine and used the 1/4" tubing that I just chamfered at the end with a utility knife. I disconnected the lines at distribution block first, then unclipped them from the frame. Pulling the clip on top was easy, way too much drama over getting it off/on imho.

Once the bags were hanging loose I pulled them out with the lines still connected and then worked on removing the top fittings on the workbench. There was too much dirt and junk built up for the connectors to release the lines, so I used a little screwdriver to pry them up and out of the way. I then hooked up the lines to the new bags and reversed the process, starting by pulling the air lines through the holes. Then clipped the bottom of the springs into the axle, jacked the axle up while ensuring the air fittings went through the correct holes.

Once they were up in the correct location I attached a telescoping pen magnet to the clip, and with a pick tool in the other hand pushed the front of the clip onto the nub. Once it was on that nub I just pushed the clip the rest of the way on with screwdriver. 30-60 seconds per clip, easy peasy.
 
Thanks for the excellent write-up. Just did both air springs in my driveway yesterday. I used my dremel to taper the ends of the 1/4" sprinkler line (which worked like a charm btw!) and also used a telescoping magnet to start the clips on top.
 
Thanks for the write up! Took about 1.5 hours to change both bags.
Having long angle needle-nose made reinstalling the clip darn easy!
Knowing about the double retention of the air lines I was ready to make the hose SST but I watched a you tube video where the guy slid back the outer retainer, then rotated it 180 and pushed it back in serving the purpose of the SST. His method was not working on the air tank side but was great on the airbag side. On the airtank side two small flat screwdrivers made easy work of it for me.
One think I did differently was before I reconnected the air lines at the tank I used my garage compressor blowgun to extend the bags and seat the bottom retainer in the perch.

Most curiously on our truck, the switch for the ride height, ride settings, and hill-descent was disconnected under the center console. I investigated under there before doing the air springs because the AHC "off" switch was doing nothing. After reconnecting the switch and even before replacing the bags, as soon as I reconnected the switch I was able to raise the springs to hi. Then we cleaned 16 years of gunk from the center console bits and polished up the gear selector display - now that lights up too.

All in all, not sure why so many dismiss installing new airbags and go right to coils. Replacing bags was cheap and easy. Unless you are lifting or building and need the increased sprung weight capacity, bags seem fine and last plenty long. Anyway, I have my 80 for wheeling, my 100 daily driver and this is the GF's new daily driver.

Thanks again for the great write up!
 
Awesome write up, I just replaced my bags with the Arnott bags so it really helped since a lot of guides don't bring up locking them into the bottom perch and then the top perch.

My one piece of advice to add now that I've done it, don't bother with the drip line tubing or trying to use the airbag retainer to release them. I ordered an air conditioner/fuel line disconnect kit from Amazon, and the 1/4in fitting worked exactly like the Toyota SST, it legitimately could have been an exact copy of it. The SST on the one site I've found it on was about $30, and this kit is only $10 on Amazon. It was also way easier than trying to get the tubing to fit and do what I needed, and my air bag connections were so dirty that I couldn't really use the retainer as a release. After reading all the guides I was worried disconnecting the air lines would be the most frustrating part of replacing the bags, but this tool made it the easiest part of replacement.

This is the link to the exact kit I ordered: Amazon Disconnect Kit
 
Thanks for the write up and the especially good tip of the sprinkler line! Worked like a champ.

One thing I did that I thought I would share: I removed the accordion shaped dust boots from the OEM air springs and placed them over the Arnott air springs. I had to cut a bit of the top ring of the boots as the diameter was a bit too small, but once I did they were able to sit over the Arnott springs and not interfere with the mounting surface. I figured the dust boot can only help keep dirt and debris off the rubber spring surface and maybe make them last a bit longer.

Also, I totally acknowledge this post would be better with pics, but I failed to take some unfortunately. If anyone gives it a shot be sure to post some pics for reference.
 
Thank you OP! Just completed the job myself. The sprinkler line 'tool' worked perfectly..
 
Thank you for these tips, made the change this weekend from bags to Metal-tech ear Coil Conversion Stage 3 w/Key Cones.

The "Clip of Hope" was accurately described
 

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