Replace 1998 Tacoma Front Shocks (guide: stock height using spring compressor)

I've lurked for a while, but decided to make an account and share some things I've learned. Pictures are linked to imgur (hope that is ok). There’s a lot of different info out there about how do this: with a spring compressor, without a spring compressor, lifted, not lifted, adjustable, etc.

I replaced my stock shocks with Bilstein 5100s and left it at stock height. It is so simple. Do it yourself and use a spring compressor (it’s not scary).

Initial concerns: This can be dangerous as the coil spring is under pressure. I'm sure that if you've looked into doing this, you've seen tons of warnings. I spent about an hour calling and running around town trying to find someone that would swap the shocks for me after I took them off the truck. No one was available, so I went for it on my own. I was especially careful and realized later that things aren't quite as sketchy as some people make it out to be. Of course it could take your arm off if it decompressed unexpectedly, but I felt comfortable throughout the process.

Before you get started: You're going to need a floor jack and jack stands. I bought a 3-ton, low profile jack with and 6-ton floor stands from Harbor Freight for this project. I originally bought a package deal from Autozone, but the jack and stands were too short. Harbor Freight jack has a max height of 19 3/4in, and jack stands with 23 3/4in max, which was plenty (picture below).

http://imgur.com/PcFK8p0

I upgraded my shocks to Bilstein 5100 for which there is a ton of info on this forum. Most folks level or lift their front end with these, but I set them to stock height. Somewhere down the line I would like to upgrade the rear with AAL and Bilstein 5125s. I'll lift the front then. (College life).

You'll need a spring compressor from an auto shop. I rented one for free ($50 deposit) from Autozone. Make sure you are getting the MacPhersonspring compressor (for struts!). Not the other one. Autozone guys don't know what they are talking about.

You'll also need a second hydraulic jack (like the stock jack), and basic hand tools (can't remember sizes). I went ahead and did an oil change while I was working, so I bought those things too.

Here we go: Chuck rear tires. Loosen lug nuts. Jack up the truck with floor jack (at jacking point on subframe directly under motor marked with circle on skid plate). Place jack stands under frame. Lower jack. Remove wheel.

Remove strut: Strut is attached at the top (three nuts) and bottom (one bolt, nut, washer). Remove them all (I had to use WD40 and a punch to remove bottom bolt). DO NOT REMOVE THE CENTER NUT ON TOP OF STRUT. Shock is holding the coil under tension. Yank out the entire strut.

http://imgur.com/sJeeFEQ

Use spring compressor: Evenly space the compressors and start out as wide as possible – spanning top to bottom of spring. Begin to compress (using socket ratchet). I alternated about 5 half turns per side. When spring begins to be compressed slightly (tension held by spring compressor), loosen the center nut slightly. Continue to compress spring until shock is loose within the spring. Unbolt the shock (using adjustable wrench to hold flat part). Remove shock taking note of order of bushings and washers.

http://imgur.com/ovm5umM

Installing new shock: Admire new shock. For stock height on Bilstein 5100s, move the silver ring to the lowest notch (closed to the ground when installed). Place shock in coil, seating bottom terminal end of coil in the lower insulator of the shock. Now look at the underside of the rubber upper seal (in 1st picture): there will be an impression left by the spring. Line it up to match this. Tighten down center nut (but not completely – shock should be able to spin slightly inside of coil when spring compressor is removed). Decompress coil.

Remounting strut: Go back to the truck and re-insert strut. Tighten top three bolts (not completely). Use bottle jack to push against fender well and upper control arm (Picture above). Now insert bottom bolt through shock. Tighten top center bolt to spec. Tighten top three and single bottom nut to spec.

Now it’s just a matter of repeating on the other side, mounting your wheels, and lowering vehicle off jack stands. Now you just need an alignment!

 

Nice little write up. Id just add, you dont have to be too afraid of a compressed spring, just keep your fingers away from it when removing it. We would just take it to a patch of grass at our shop (as to not scratch up the strut) and hit the retaining nut with the impact gun; the assembly would jump less than a foot away. No harm no foul.

Shop floor spring compressors can be pretty slick, if not use the two claws with allthread compressors. This probably wont apply for a Tacoma (maybe it will, just doesnt look possible), but when in a pinch, we would assemble the strut components, thread in the lower bolt and mount the strut to the LCA, then use a jack to compress the strut into the strut hat. We would do this on Macpherson front suspensions with single control arms, so again im not sure if it would work here.

 

Thanks. Looks like you are describing the "no spring compressor" technique. There are videos and info online about this, but it seemed like I needed to unbolt A LOT of stuff to make it work.

Primary reason to write this up was to say: the spring compressor is super easy and I would do it like this again.

 

good write up

while this is an easy job to do as long as you pay attention to what you are doing, its important to remember that that big steel spring goes bad and gets weak over time so it needs to be replaced just like the shocks. by the time you put 100k miles on the struts the springs have also compressed and lost some of its "return" so if your replacing old struts with bad shocks its better toi get the complete assembly and not bother with the spring compressor or if you are going with Bilsteins or some other brand that aren't sold as complete assembled units, you should buy new replacement springs to install along with them and not reuse those old worn out springs.

 

I agree with this guy! You're gonna have to do it again cause you just replaced the shocks and not the coils. Should've done it all at once

 

Nice write up. I now own that kind of spring compressor after forgetting to return it a few years ago. Eh, $40. But I hated using it so much on my old Accords that I'm inclined the loosen the lower control arms, sway bar or whatever and just go for letting the truck decompress the assembly for me. Looks way easier to me?

Or maybe I'll just do it this normal way and try using my big drill on it instead of turning the bars with wrenches. Seemingly forever.

 

I've read people arguing both sides. Certainly is a case-by-case kind of thing. My truck rides fine now, but if the coils failed tomorrow, I could breeze through this after doing it once.

 

well they arent just going to fail, it doesn't work that way. they just get weak over time and sag causing you to lose a little bit of suspension travel but mainly it causes a hard to notice but boncier ride because they aren't as stiff as they should be. you never notice the difference until you replace them and suddenly the truck sits an inch higher and while you feel the bumps more when you hit them, its a smoother ride overall.

the from coils act like the leaf springs in that they almost never fail, they just sag and don't perform well.

 

I hear ya. Point was that the Tacoma struts are easy/fast job if I needed coils down the road.

 

So since my front suspension is so stiff it feels like a riding lawn mower it means my stock coils are fine lol. My 98 only has 52k miles on it but man is it rough riding.