Loud THUD when I hit pot-hole/hard dump

I have yanked my swaybar though, there is wear on the coilover from where it used to hot

 

I also deleted the sway bar and it did not remove the noise. I'm quite confident mine it the internal stopping mechanism in the shock, it only does it when it rebounds sharply to full droop. I just don't know whether it is a big enough deal to worry about it or just send it.

 

I mean if its built for that then theres nothing to worry about, except maybe a shorter life of the component. The thing that wont let me sleep till I take it to the shop is whether or not it might be a CV getting pulled or something like that

 

The steering shaft bounces on the cab pass through which causes a noise on bumps. You can reach through the firewall and grab it then shake and you can hear it. This bump most commonly occurs at speed in the video posted on the thread.

In addition, what most people commonly go through is putting on aftermarket suspension and expecting their truck to float like a trophy truck in Baja. However, they put too much preload on the coilovers and the coil bottoms out faster than the shock can dampen the extension causing a knock at full extension. This commonly happens when guys come off a curb or speed bump too fast.

 

I'm pretty much a newb to all of this as well, but had the same reaction last year when I crawled under the truck to check things out. I had the same described play and freaked a little. My friend is a legit mechanic laughed his ass off because of the look on my face. He said that play is normal, but to monitor it once in while to make sure it isn't any worse. Either way peace of mind is a great thing. Take it to the shop if you don't trust yourself or the interwebs.

 

Coil-overs arent really made to sustain full extension like that though. There should be some other way of absorbing that energy as the spring is rapidly extending - whether thats limit straps or less preload on the coils to begin with. At least this is my understanding after reading many threads on here over the years.

Ive always heard that if you are maxing out the down travel around town or on mild dirt roads, you need less preload / lift

 

Well that's ghetto. Lol good old Toyota.

 

Well my problem with that is the thrwthr are so seized, I can't get them to budge!
So I guess I'm SOL

 

I agree and have some of those concerns, I have no preload adjustment for my set up though. It is just 886 with OME nitrochargers. I have an ARB with winch, full skids. Maybe my front isn't heavy enough with all of that, but 660lbs spring rate doesn't seem all that out of character for my weight. With that being said I think the only realistic fix is limit straps. Thanks for your input though, I've seen some pretty insightful posts from you in the past. I'm a newb, so info from people like yourself is very welcomed by me anyhow.

 

Yeah Ive got a feeling that's exactly what is happening with my set up, thank you

 

I would start soaking everything in PB blaster every few days for a while. The 3 bolts in the top of the coil bucket, the lower bolt through the LCA / shock, and the coil nut itself. Once you are able to get the top 3 loose (2 that arent broken) I would take the whole thing out put it on the bench and start removing as much of the rust on the big threads as possible. Remove the rust then reapply a little bit of oil or something should hopefully help the whole process. Get the broken stud out of there too while you're at it so you can re-install properly with 3 new bolts for the top.

Then you can brace a flat pry bar between two of the new bolts in the top hat to keep the thing from spinning while you try to break the coil nut loose on the bench.

Last ditch efforts might be finding a good spring compressor of the right size to relive the pressure from the nut. And maybe a little heat on the nut. Maybe. A little..

 

No problem man, Im no expert, just trying to help out where I can! It does seem like you should have a good setup with the amount of weight you have..

 

The owner I bought the truck from put the whole set up together, they are at least 4.5 years old. It might be time for new ones here

 

Also true

 

I really appreciate all of the info guys. I'm pretty darn certain my toytecs are just fucked. Gonna call a few shops around Houston to see who can rebuild them for a decent price, or just ride them out and get new fox shocks in the next year or so!

 

Having rebuilt many coil overs in the past here is what you are up against.

1. The lock collar is aluminum and the shock body is steel. The dissimilar metals can cause serious consternation once corrosion sets up. You can PB Blaster and eventually break them free but the damage is done. The aluminum typically gives way just trying to get them loose. You can wire wheel the shock body and clean it up but without a protective recoating of the bare steel it is only a matter of time. A good coating of anti-seize can help significantly.

2. A standard rebuild, not including parts, seals, fluid and the like should be about $100 plus gas recharge ($20), parts roughly $100. This should give you some idea. This doesn’t take into account removal and corrosion issues.

 

Ah, good old galvanic corrosion!

Op, there are a handful of off-road truck shops in Houston that can rebuild for you. Those coilovers are relatively affordable so it may be more feasible to purchase a new set. I find that sometimes I may have been better off with something new than fixing an older component, especially if Youthere is going to be a copious amount of elbow grease. You can only polish a turd so much!

 

Alright y'all! I happened to find an absolutely stupid deal for a pair of apex rock sliders. With the added weight of those my ride is better. But I still think my LCA ball joints are blown.