Replacing shocks on my Tacoma

[manofthefield]

My Tacoma's kinda bouncy on the road.  Not terrible, but I feel like I should have more control going over bumps.  I think after 144k miles the shocks are giving up.  I just put new tires on and at 500 bucks installed, I don't need those to wear funny from crappy shocks.

1. How difficult would it be to install them myself?  (I haven't taken a look at the Haynes manual yet, but I will)

2. What special tools would I need?

3. If I was to get an alignment, does it matter if I have it done before installing shocks, or should it be done after?

4. My Tacoma ('98) is a TRD and I know it came with "special" shocks, I believe they are Bilsteins, IDK the model.  Any advice on getting the same or similar shocks (besides from Toyota)?

[spc]

Sears or NAPA would be the best bet outside of the dealer to get the shocks.  I would wait on the alignment until after you change the shocks, but that's just me.  Dunno about on Toyota's, but shocks can either be really easy to change or piss you off so bad you decide to just sell the f%$king thing

[manofthefield]

Dunno about on Toyota's, but shocks can either be really easy to change or piss you off so bad you decide to just sell the f%$king thing

That's kinda what I've been getting from a quick search of the interweb... nothing specific about toyota trucks yet, though

[mach1]

IM not 100% sur ebut I tink you may have torshin bars on that truck so be carefull, If you are doing all four its not that harn sine you have a solid rear axle.   lift the rear by ther frame and do 1 shocmk at a time then with ther front be sure to lift the friont by the frame. mostb people will try to lift the truck by the A atrm so the shock is compressed when instyalled, try it my way much easier and much safer.  but he IM drunkl so wha do I knoe.

[blue05twin]

Have fun  .  Helped my ex-brother in law  swap his out on his 350Z.  I know different things hope your's will be easier.

[spc]

ughhhh....no way I would go near trying to do a susp job on a 350...............

[yamahonkawazuki]

raise the ass end up off the ground, remove shock bolts, deadblow hammer to shock they come off. replace, attach and tighten bolts. on fron , just about same, just get teh weight off og them. my truck a frontier has torsion bars as well as shocks

[jdanna]

the back is easy, just jack up the axl, unbolt them and pop new ones in and bolt them up. takes like 5 minutes

the front is where it gets a bit nuts, because you have coilovers. you basically have to take them out as a unit, take them apart (need spring compressors and need to be very very very careful), put them back together with new shocks, and put them back in.

[bluelespaul]

i dont know if it is anywhere close to the same but when i did the front shocks on my mustang i just unbolted the top of the shock tower and unbolted the bottom of the shock from the spindle and it came right out. it lifted right out from the middle of the spring.

[yamahonkawazuki]

http://www.innerauto.com/Toyota_Parts/Toyota_Tacoma_Parts/Toyota_Tacoma_Suspension/

[manofthefield]

Update: I got the shocks replaced on saturday.  I was back and forth about which shocks to get for a while, and I finally just got the more expensive Bilstien HDs because they are of known quality, had separately sized rear shocks, like OEM, and were only $50 or so more than KYB, Tokico, and I think monroe.

It took me pretty much all day saturday, working completely by myself, with maybe 3 or 4 hours worth of interruptions throughout the day.  The rears seemed simple enough but still took a couple hours, I eventually dropped the spare tire and got it out of the way.  I had some trouble getting the old bushings off, and then the new bushings on, since the mounting points were a bit bubbled up with rust, and therefore larger diameter than when new.  The fronts were a bit more complicated, but the hardest part was that I could only get to some of the nuts with a wrench... no using a socket or impact wrench there.  I borrowed a strut spring compressor from Advance Auto, which worked well enough to dissassemble the shock/spring assembly and put the new shocks in.  Thank god for my new impact wrench though, that probably would have been impossible to compress the springs without it.

I got the expected few scratches and busted knuckles, but to my amazement, I didn't strip one bolt the whole time!  The worst thing I did was loose one of the upper shock mount nuts, which I easily found a replacement for at Advance auto when I was returning the spring compressor.

I'm a bit sore, since that's the most physically demanding activity I've done in a while, but the truck rides pretty good now.  Still rides like a truck, but it corners so nice and flat and doesn't bounce around like a rubber ball when going over railroad tracks

[manofthefield]

ps. I at least partially attribute the no stripped threads to liberal use of PB Blaster... good stuff

[dgyver]

I have Bilstiens on my 02 Taco, original equipment with the TRD package. They are ok on the street but a little harsh off road.

[manofthefield]

I had the TRD/Bilsteins too.  The Bilstein HD's I used are a bit beefier, at least diameter wise.  I should have taken a side by side picture to compare.  Some people say these are too stiff, but maybe they are coming from non-TRD suspension; I really don't think they're too much stiffer than what I had.  All I know is it corners way flatter now and doesn't wallow over big bumps and dips

[manofthefield]

I'd say the difference was about like this:


I believe the new shocks pictured are Bilstein 5100's, a height adjustable version of the Bilstein HD's for 0-2" of lift

[mach1]

Update: I got the shocks replaced on saturday.  I was back and forth about which shocks to get for a while, and I finally just got the more expensive Bilstien HDs because they are of known quality, had separately sized rear shocks, like OEM, and were only $50 or so more than KYB, Tokico, and I think monroe.

It took me pretty much all day saturday, working completely by myself, with maybe 3 or 4 hours worth of interruptions throughout the day.  The rears seemed simple enough but still took a couple hours, I eventually dropped the spare tire and got it out of the way.  I had some trouble getting the old bushings off, and then the new bushings on, since the mounting points were a bit bubbled up with rust, and therefore larger diameter than when new.  The fronts were a bit more complicated, but the hardest part was that I could only get to some of the nuts with a wrench... no using a socket or impact wrench there.  I borrowed a strut spring compressor from Advance Auto, which worked well enough to dissassemble the shock/spring assembly and put the new shocks in.  Thank god for my new impact wrench though, that probably would have been impossible to compress the springs without it.

I got the expected few scratches and busted knuckles, but to my amazement, I didn't strip one bolt the whole time!  The worst thing I did was loose one of the upper shock mount nuts, which I easily found a replacement for at Advance auto when I was returning the spring compressor.

I'm a bit sore, since that's the most physically demanding activity I've done in a while, but the truck rides pretty good now.  Still rides like a truck, but it corners so nice and flat and doesn't bounce around like a rubber ball when going over railroad tracks

Dude you are nutz, First of all you used the widow makers to compress your coil springs , second you used and impact wrench to compress them BIG . That is the most dangerous way to remove struts and compress coil springs, Im not shure if you have ever seen a coil spring come free but I have and I can kill you if your not carefull. the spring compressers you get from say pepboys, trac auto.ect....... are cheap, they are make from a weka stell that can break under pressure( I have seen it and luckly missed the guy that was working on them) at our shop we told all the mechanics use the station compresser it much stronger and more stable, but one guy said he didnt like them and prefured to work with them on the car, needless to say one day he clamped them on a bit out of place and the coil snaped the hook off one of the clamps then shot down and back up into the fender well and dented the shaZam! out of the fender. But anyways as long as it worked out for you but please next time taker you coil overs to a shop and get them compresed by a trained person.