Suspension replacement, can I do it myself?

I have a 2009 TRD Sport V6 double cab with over 150,000 miles. Dealer said the shocks and struts were leaking and needed repair. Someone on eBay did an upgrade/lift on their truck and I bought their almost new OEM hardware. Can I install these myself or with a friend - or do I need a lift and spring compressor? I suppose I can rent a spring compressor. I am worried that no garage will want to do it with parts I supply. I realize that I will probably need to get an alignment afterwards. I have a friend with an actual garage, and plan B is to talk him into it if you think I should shy away - but I hate to burn favors unnecessarily. Thanks for any advice.

~Jim in NH

 

stock take off parts are exactly what I needed, though, I think - and a LOT cheaper than Toyota dealer wants to install OEM shocks. is that a bad thing? I paid $85 with shipping...so no great loss if this becomes a problem, but I don't see why it should be...?

I even checked with Midas, and they wanted almost $1000 to put KYB's on all four corners.

 

the springs are separated from the struts in the pics...so not assembled I guess. Mine is a 4X4.

 

Hey Buddy, I just did exactly the same procedure (I purchased all OEM stuff and replaced the existing) in my apartment parking space without any power tools. I'm not going to say it was easy, because it wasn't. However, it is completely doable. Here are my tips:

*Make sure you either get a quality compressor or take the assemblies someplace for disassembly/reassembly.
*Take plenty of photos while taking apart incase you get confused.
*Do not rush and leave yourself plenty of time. (don't start working on the truck if you have to have it done in a few hours, you may need to leave it for the night)
*Do spray all fasteners down with a quality penetrating oil for a few days ahead of time.
*Make sure you have a jack and two jack stands at a minimum.
*A large breaker bar (36") and quality sockets (impact sockets) will make it much easier.
*Get a crowbar or similar long lever to push down the lower control arm safely.

Let me know what questions you have. I am sure I am forgetting something.

Chuck

 

Thank you Chuck! I have access to a nice shop space with tools and compressor, etc. - one of my customers who is also a car geek has a large industrial bay I can use. They also have lots of tools (and so do I) and a huge industrial compressor. They actually have a two post lift but they haven't installed it yet...bummer. Did you get yours aligned after, or just mark everything and put it all back the same way? I read somewhere that you can do that, but I think paying for an alignment might be prudent.

One more question - someone said that since I am towing I should buy spacers to "level" the truck by raising the front end about one inch...this seems counter-intuitive? But this would be the time to do it I guess. Also, I just looked at a 2.25" leveling kit that was over $200! Any cheap source? What is the right height?

 

Hey Jim,

I had mine aligned afterwards.

I don't know who gave you the advice about leveling but it sounds wrong to me too. If you are towing the rear end would be lower than normal. So to level the truck it would make sense to put spacers in the rear. Companies make kits for exactly this reason. However, if you keep any eye on using proper tongue weight you shouldn't see too much sag anyway. Similarly, it's important to get a receiver hitch with the correct drop - keep the trailer as level as possible.

I considered various lift and leveling options when I did my replacement. After considering all the pros and cons I ended up keeping it stock. I tow a fair amount and off-road a lot (nearly every weekend). However, the extra few inches of ride hight compared to increased suspension wear (boots) and the possibility of introducing other drivetrain issues (like vibration) didn't seem to make sense. I wanted the best in reliability and I believe stock delivers this.

This is just my opinion, others may differ.

Chuck

 

Thanks!

 

There's a method to do it yourself with no need for a compressor. You basically loosen up the LCAs and use a floor jack uderneath to slowly release pressure. I did this to install my lift on my truck and it was extremely easy. Only tip is the make sure you have two people and a solid floor jack.

 

Very cool - thanks.

 

Did mine 2 months ago Bilsteins 5100 set at 1.75 up front and 5100 shocks on rear. Easy Peasy ! Final pic. Had it Aligned next day (Firestone Lifetime Alignment )

 

Mark your cams before loosening them. Then tighten them back where they were after installing. This will get you to your alignment shop without being undriveable.

 

Did it myself with 3" lift, there were lots of guides and videos to help I've got quite a few tools + jacks & jack stands, got to say it was fun.

 

Got my "new" shocks! Will put them on ASAP

 

Can you do it? Hell ya! Make 100% sure you know how to properly jack up a truck and use PROPER jack stands. That is more important than anything

 

I'm doing this tomorrow and also using an AAL. I am trying to be prepared but this might help. My fronts are already assembled.

 

OK - I ended up not doing this myself. My dad came to visit and we were busy, but had an extra car, so I dropped off the truck at a local independent garage and had him do it. $309 in labor. He was skeptical at first of me wanting to use "used" parts, but agreed that I had gotten a good deal. (My local tire shop/garage said they had a policy against doing any service with used parts...) My wife says the truck rides great - very different now. I actually haven't tried it yet. It would have been great to save another $300, but we really needed it done - and life gets in the way sometimes.

 

Update to the above. $45 in labor was for the state inspection, so about $250 to do the shocks all around. The units that came out were the blue and yellow Billsteins - so not sure how many miles they had on them, but boy were they shot! The "new" shocks are awesome, and the truck rides great. A day later, though, the TRAC and ABS lights came on. The same shop took it back and cleared the codes and test drove it, and could not find any problems. is this normal?

 

Have the lights come back on?

Does your ABS work?

 

I have heard of that issue arising with older 2nd gens after lifting it. Search VSC light after lift, or something like that on here.