Original shocks

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camino70

camino70

10 Year
Joined
Jul 1, 2015
Threads
51
Messages
1,341
Location
Canton, GA
Hi all,
We purchased a 2004 LC not too long ago.
I feel like the rear end isn't real stable and was planning on replacing the original shocks with toyota. Should I be looking at anything else too?
The shocks don't look too hard to get to, that probably means I'm going to have a difficult time... What kind of time should I allot myself?
TIA
 
Might as well do sway bushings and end links. Cheap and easy.
 
I just finished up mine today. Lossening the top nut was a bear. Mine were original from 1998. The rubber bushings were completely gone. It took me 45 mins just to get the two nuts off. After that it was a breeze.
 
Like mentioned aboe, the top nut on the rear shocks can be real tricky if you have any corrosion. Some folks actually cut a hole in the floor boards to get to that top nut. I got mine off with a lot of cuss words and trial and error without cutting a hole in the floor but it was tough.
 
I put on new Toyota shocks right when I bought mine a couple years back. I also got the rears done with no holes in the floor board or anything. See the front and rear shock sections on this page:

YotaMD.com - Toyota - UJZ100 Land Cruiser

With the OEM shocks being so cheap I think it's a no brainer if you suspect yours are worn. I'll want to do some better aftermarket shocks in the long term, but that'll coincide with a lift, bumpers, etc... New factory shocks are cheap and easy for now.
 
I hauled 280lbs this weekend in third row and the rear sagged like two inches. Is that an indication of bad shocks/springs?
 
bucfl said:
I hauled 280lbs this weekend in third row and the rear sagged like two inches. Is that an indication of bad shocks/springs?
Click to expand...

Shocks don't control ride height, they only dampen movement.

I replaced my original shocks the moment I got my 05 with 116K on the clock. For the record the rears felt perfect when removed, plenty of life left. Fronts felt pretty good too though were getting a little oily indicating they were starting to leak. The feeling before and after was barely noticeable but I can I suppose feel good about them just being done.

For the rears WITHOUT QUESTION the technique if the undercarriage is rusty is to sawzall the shock right through the lower rubber cushion. Takes a 12" blade and a little dexterity to get at but it's less than an hour job that way for both sides. Even if you hole saw the floor to get at the nut I'll give you a spoiler- that nut is not going to turn in the rust belt. Saw is the only option and sawing the top nut off clean is not an option, lord knows I tried that first.

My washers/cups/retainers on the cushions in the rear were very, very corroded so I ordered new. They are shockingly expensive (if you will) at about 10.00 per and there are 3 part numbers per side on the retainers, 8 pieces total for the rear.
 
Thanks to beno for delivering some parts! Awesome guy!

I'm not sure the shocks I removed were original, the bushings were in decent shape, the shocks look better than I expected and the part number sticker has the digital block on it.
The rears depress 1-2 inches before offering any resistance, is this normal or indicative of failure?

Fronts feel resistance entirely.

Anyhow, it took me three hours to replace all four. I love how diy threads say "check fill plug before draining", we should now add check parts package for contents. The first shock I replaced with the old bushings before I realized I had new ones... So three hours to replace five shocks :)

I could get to the rear tops with wheels removed without too much issue, no thoughts to cut open the floor. I could fit a 10mm on top of the 22mm to help move it along, my strap wrench didn't seem to have the traction needed.

The fronts are straight forward, removed the wheels here too.
 
Good work. Shocks have resistance throughout their range, so if the old rears had no resistance for a couple of inches, they were worn. The new shocks will need some compression cycles to have normal resistance on the full travel.
 
I didn't get the night and day difference in feel that I was hoping for.
I only took it for a short trip around the neighborhood, maybe I need some more seat time.
 
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