monroe quikStruts and wheel wobble...

JayQQ97

JayQQ97

MW surVivor ... clutched. 360k on the 0D0
either these Monroe quikStruts (with approximately 10k miles on them) are seriously junky junk OR my rigs front wheels are seriously unbalanced
there is a definite wobble sensation up front there
going back to DT today to have them check the balance and rotate

if that doesn't rectify the wobble sensation then WHAT to do ??
 
tacojoel said:
Could be even be badly warped brake rotor's. Does it feel a lot worse when the brakes are applied?
Click to expand...

i put on new OEM rotors to replace the original crusty rotors about 27k miles ago
the brake pads used were powerStop brand, probably not the best out there!, there does seem to be a slight braking shudder coming off the freeway to a stoplight

but its been more noticeable after wheeling hard over a road obstacle, train tracks as an example, on the other side of the tracks is a wobble
perhaps its in the steering linkage IDK
i have some outer tierods to replace, rack bushings, and perhaps an inner tierod that FireStone told me was loosey goosey during an alignment denial six months ago
 
Those steering rack bushings are notorious for a loose feeling when you cross any railroad tracks. Sure sounds like your in for a bunch of front end work. My gen1 tundra started feeling the same around 140k miles. Steering rack, and tie rod ends were junk, plus the steel lines to the power steering pump were rotted from the road salt here.
 
Sounds more like you need a serious front end overhaul. Ball joints, control arms, tie rods.....etc.

Shocks typically don't cause wobble. Unbalanced wheel cause vibration, not wobble. Worn front suspension parts are prime candidates to cause wobble.

You are driving a Gen 1 with a significant number of miles. Parts will wear out to get loose causing wobble.

Suggest to visit a shop that specializes in front suspension. Have them inspect and quote the work. Then make decisions. Don't fire the part cannon without a target.
 
so i had the tires rotated at DT and recheck the balance

the driver front wheel WAS off by a couples of ounces. they put that wheel on the back and rebalanced
drove out into the country highway and things 'seemed' to change quite a bit with no wobble feel
but it may just be a feel-good placebo that I had something done yada yada yada
if it starts feeling like that in a couple thousand miles i shall take it back to them
maybe that one wheel now in back is toasted IDK
 
tacojoel said:
Those steering rack bushings are notorious for a loose feeling when you cross any railroad tracks. Sure sounds like your in for a bunch of front end work. My gen1 tundra started feeling the same around 140k miles. Steering rack, and tie rod ends were junk, plus the steel lines to the power steering pump were rotted from the road salt here.
Click to expand...

i've watched Timmy the Toolman ToyotaTime on the steering bushings, it seems simple enough as long as the truck is up high enough that i can fit my shoulders underneath and do not need BOTH arms fully to wrench anything off that may or may not be rusted tight

picked up some energy suspension bushings and also found a tutorial from the AdventureTaco pages

now its a weather permitting type of deal with no real clue on how long it may or may not take to finish and get back on the road
 
Rock62 said:
Sounds more like you need a serious front end overhaul. Ball joints, control arms, tie rods.....etc.

Shocks typically don't cause wobble. Unbalanced wheel cause vibration, not wobble. Worn front suspension parts are prime candidates to cause wobble.

You are driving a Gen 1 with a significant number of miles. Parts will wear out to get loose causing wobble.

Suggest to visit a shop that specializes in front suspension. Have them inspect and quote the work. Then make decisions. Don't fire the part cannon without a target.
Click to expand...

i did visit a local 4x4 suspension shop earlier this year to give it a lookover
paid good money to have them tell me i needed new shocks in back (Toyota shocks were a bit squishy) new Bilstein 5100 in front (because those were leaking) and new sway bar links (rubber was cracked from age) the estimate i recall was over 1000$ for just those 3 items
my nephew and i did the front parts with the Monroe's, MOOG sway bar links and i recently put KYB on the rear. nothing much changed after all of that :mad:

i shall beat that dead horst UNTIL there is no horse left... because it TRULY pissed me off the big time
after the serious misdiagnosis by a Toyota pro last year of this weird vibe and rattle that would pop up now and then for 2yrs somewhere in the engine to cab area I am highly skeptical of any of these places that claim to have the proper training and knowledge. I was not prepared for that clutch throwout bearing to breakout right into the moving fan that could've very well cost more than 1000$ in parts if that 'bearing' would've broken the clipped fan, sliced the belts, the radiator and shroud possibly leaving me stranded out in the nowhere country.
and had i not checked the oil level that day the bearing broke and noticed the charred up fan blade and did a visual inspection to see what was clipping it I may have destroyed the engine by running it unbalanced

I am trying to budget all of this around the looming needed clutch job, the t.o. bearing that broke is on its last legs and feeling very grabby sometimes
trying to see what maybe in my wheelhouse and not take months to do because the car is down for maintenance still

the current diagnostic/repair that is up next is the cold-weather noise that takes 15 minutes to disappear where i cannot safely drive the truck over 20mph when its below freezing for that 15 minutes of warmup time. I am not readily sure how much its going to cost to actually fix that issue LOL
 
JayQQ97 said:
i've watched Timmy the Toolman ToyotaTime on the steering bushings, it seems simple enough as long as the truck is up high enough that i can fit my shoulders underneath and do not need BOTH arms fully to wrench anything off that may or may not be rusted tight

picked up some energy suspension bushings and also found a tutorial from the AdventureTaco pages

now its a weather permitting type of deal with no real clue on how long it may or may not take to finish and get back on the road
Click to expand...
I bought a set of heavy duty plastic ramps from northern tool, or harbor freight....can recall which been too many years ago, but they gave me about another 8'' of front end height when i did my steering rack job.
 
tacojoel said:
I bought a set of heavy duty plastic ramps from northern tool, or harbor freight....can recall which been too many years ago, but they gave me about another 8'' of front end height when i did my steering rack job.
Click to expand...
did you use those ramps on the rear wheels?
 
tacojoel said:
Those steering rack bushings are notorious for a loose feeling when you cross any railroad tracks. Sure sounds like your in for a bunch of front end work. My gen1 tundra started feeling the same around 140k miles. Steering rack, and tie rod ends were junk, plus the steel lines to the power steering pump were rotted from the road salt here.
Click to expand...
i will have to check that power steering rack VERY thoroughly now for rust when the weather warms because it is now a concern :confused: that i was unaware of

the major wheel wobble seems to have disappeared, it was just a very off-balanced front driver wheel

the cold weather noise will cost approximately 500$ to fix at the end of January LOL
at least i HOPE it will fix it, i am really not sure and quite confused after all the research done with anyone that has run into a similar issue out there in GEN1 TACO land
 
Sounds like you could of put a healthy down payment on a new truck. I had similar issues with my gen1 tundra. I added up the cost to fix everything that it needed. The parts alone came to more than the truck was worth. I sold it to the owner of a local repair garage i know that had a buyer for it with no questions asked. I did ok, and he made a few bucks.
 
how did you determine what your gen1 Tundra is/was worth?

i inquired at the local dealer a couple years ago what a KBB cash offer was for this rig
they came back with just 4000$ cash offer
i just shook my head and walked away from that
 
JayQQ97 said:
how did you determine what your gen1 Tundra is/was worth?

i inquired at the local dealer a couple years ago what a KBB cash offer was for this rig
they came back with just 4000$ cash offer
i just shook my head and walked away from that
Click to expand...
Thats exactly what a local toyota dealer offered me for my 01 tundra toward a trade. I got him up to $4500 before walking out. I ended up with 6k cash from this garage owner.
 
Dealers will never give you top dollar. You stand a small chance if you're doing a trade-in for a new purchase.
 
Rock62 said:
Dealers will never give you top dollar. You stand a small chance if you're doing a trade-in for a new purchase.
Click to expand...
They will bend me on over :oops:
I think they may have given me a good trade in for the taco back in '97
 
Rock62 said:
Dealers will never give you top dollar. You stand a small chance if you're doing a trade-in for a new purchase.
Click to expand...
Yep, your better off selling it yourself, and making the best deal you can for something newer. Dealers like to start at msrp when doing this. I short ciricut them by telling them i have an old vehicle in trade. Usually they'll give you up to 3k off msrp with something new, which i negotiate from there. It just blows my mine when i hear stories of guys paying thousands over msrp for these trucks. Those dealers got to be laughing their butt off.
 
there have been a few Toyota technicians that have expressed interest in a 1/4 century old taco that was top-line last-of-the-line in its day before the new millennium taco came around in'98

if i show to them the engine oil analysis and its clean as last time should i expect them to double that offering they spit out at me
LOL
 
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