OME 887 with Bilstein 5100

No noises, no break in period, nothing! Dude seriously it could have been a very very very bad experience for you or anyone on the road if that shit would have colapse! It’s not your fault so don’t feel like a dummy, someone you paid your hard earned money should have completed the job. Dude this is some serious shit man.

 

On the first picture, where I’m missing the upper bushing, should that nut move at all if the bushing is there? On the other side, I have the bushing, but I’m able to wiggle that little top nut if I twist lightly with a wrench - which actually moves the whole shock (not coil).
Or should it all be locked down right without any movement? Thanks!

 

If the lift involved new leaf packs in the rear, sometimes those can squeak a little bit. I can't think of any reason why properly installed front suspension would make any significant noises; sometimes if the control arm joints or bottom of the shock get tightened with the suspension drooping there can be a little bit of a thump from rubber bushings shifting around (I've mainly heard of this happening with sports cars, it's theoretically possible on a truck though) but that can be corrected by de-torquing and re-torquing the joints with the vehicle sitting on the ground but be careful with the control arm roots since those also can modify the alignment.

After you get it all checked and fixed up, don't forget to re-verify the torque on the rear u-bolt nuts after a couple hundred miles of driving (assuming they got disconnected for one reason or another as part of the lift install). No need to loosen them for that, just get a torque wrench and "re-tighten" them to the spec torque, if they're already good this won't have any actual effect but if they're loose it'll take care of that issue.

 

It might be possible to wiggle the nut because you're actually wiggling the shaft with it (or should be at that point). The piston shaft of the shock has some wrenching points (or a hex key/torx socket in its end) for when it's time for the nut to be removed during replacement/installation but that shaft should be fairly free to rotate relative to the "body" of the shock which attaches to lower control arm (at least on a non-adjustable shock unit).

The time to worry would be if the nut can be turned by hand without moving the shaft

 

None of them are supposed to move, get them as snug as you can with a 14mm if you plan to drive it back to that shit shop that put you at risk.

 

I believe that’s what he’s referring to. Look at the pictures with the arrows. Those MF actions had the potential of hurting this dude.

edit: less dramatic still a shit show.

 

I though he was talking about the side that had the bushing in place, not the side with the giant gap. If the bushings/washers are in place and the nut is locked in place, a little wiggle in the piston shouldn't be dangerous on a 5100 since the nut isn't loosening as long as the shaft is moving with it.

Without knowing who did the install, it's hard to tell intent vs incompetence. Either way, nobody should be taking a vehicle to them for work based on those pics and that truck was handed over in an unsafe condition.

I had a dealership give me my car back with the front strut brace uninstalled and laying on top of the engine once though, but I knew from the rattle to turn around within 3 seconds and date it back into the service department.

 

I’m not saying they had the intent of hurting him, im saying their actions had the potential of. At the end of the day if you are taking someone’s money for a service, then provide the service. Its unacceptable either way.

 

I appreciate all the info. What I was referring to was this piece. It’s like a washer I guess. I can freely spin that currently. But when I try to tighten the nut above the washer to it moves the whole shock inside the coil, so I can’t tighten the washer down. Should the washer move?
Sorry for all the questions, I’m bringing it in within the hour so trying to find out what is normal so I can spot check it after for peace of mind. Thank you!

 

Nothing in there should be able to move by hand force only.

 

Just wanted to share an update. I got all of the correct parts installed and everything snugged up. I feel much better. Thank you all for your responses. It’s sincerely appreciated.
Ill be keeping an eye on it for the next little bit though just for peace of mind.

 

You may need to grip the flats on the top of the shaft with something (Billstein's instructions sometimes say use a crescent wrench, but I prefer vicegrips) to stop it from turning with the nut while tightening; this is where a ratcheting box-end wrench gets to be very useful.

There shouldn't be any gap between the washer that you're pointing at and the nut (above that, attached onto the threaded part of the shaft), but if the washer turns with the nut while it's being wrenched tight that's not a reason to worry

 

Good to hear. Enjoy your truck

 

To add to other posts here, I'm looking for some information. I've had my 2017 Tacoma (SR5 4x4 double cab, 6' box) since I bought new, I finally own it outright and I'm looking to "lift" it slightly with a cost effective way in mind.
I'm of two minds, should I install the 5100's using my stock coils and set them on the 5th clip (2") with a 1" AAL or blocks in the rear?

Or go with the 5100's at the 0 clip with the OME 887 coils to give me the 2" lift along with a 1" AAL or blocks in the rear?

With either setup, what exactly should I need besides the shocks, coils and rear AAL or lift?
I assume the stock UCA's are fine?

 

If you only want the height for the appearance, then just the 5100 shocks is definitely the least expensive and easiest to do (labor is just replacing the shocks, which is a maintenance operation anyway). It's a perfectly adequate option if the truck is a "pavement princess"

Doing the shocks and coils could make a DIY install simpler since you could order them as pre-assembled struts and just have to swap them for the stock assemblies (no spring compressor needed). It would also give you more upward wheel travel since you're not moving the height of the wheel at full compression the way that just doing the lift with the shocks would, and would be a better choice for off road and rough terrain driving; you'll probably also want to get some taller bump stops if you're looking at also increasing the tire size along with this lift to prevent bigger tires from hitting the wheel wells or possibly even the cab mounts, depending on the size you go to.

Normally, for a 2" lift the factory UCAs will be OK, but you're probably going to want to get an alignment shop to push caster as positive as you can if you add bigger tires.

 

I went with JBA UCAs. Never tried it with stock. But comment above is correct.

I went with OME heavy springs and didn't get the front weight yet, I don't recommend this option unless you have a number on hand. Handles fine, rides a bit rough and wheels like crap on steep inclines.

 

Nice looking truck! What’s the specs on the rear suspension?

TIA