With Toyota Landcruisers there’s a few things that you must check on the suspension which are quite common. DAPCO’s resident expert Eddy, shares with us his tips on what to look for when checking your LandCruiser suspension.
If you want an expert to check over your vehicle instead, you can book a Suspension check with us here.
Landcruiser HZJ105 Suspension Check
Panhard Rod Bushes
We often we hear complaints about the front end shaking, which is related to the panhard rob bushes. Get a lever in there and jimmy it around to see if it’s okay – this is the HZJ105 that has the live axel not the independent front suspension.
Leading Arm Bushes
The leading arm bushes are the two big arms that come from the chassis down to the diff. If you get a lever in there and just lever it side to side you’ll see how much plays in there.
We like to get in there with a torch and have a look around to see what cracks are appearing. With those bushes, what we do is we fit a 2 ½ or 3 degree plus offset bush which increases the caster angle of the wheels. If you can get some more caster angle on these cars it just makes them track so much better.
The part number from Pedders is a 5802 and as authorised Pedders dealers, we do sell a lot of them.
Checking the back end of your LandCruiser
Now in the back end of the LandCruisers with the upper and lower trailing arm bushes, same deal get a lever in there push them from side to side, backwards and forwards see how much play is in there.
If when you’re driving along and you roll your foot on and off the throttle, if you can feel through the seat of your pants so to speak, if you can feel the diff actually moving you can just about bet your bottom dollar that those bushes would be flogged out. That’s a very common one.
While you’re at the back of the car have a look at the panhard arm bushes as well in comparison. They’re less than $100 for a set. If in doubt, just replace them.
The other one of course which is often overlooked in the D-Link bushes on the sway bar on the rear and the front, and also the outside link bushes.
At DAPCO Suspension in Bunbury we keep all these in stock, we’ve got a multitude of Landcruiser parts here and we’re just a phone call away. If we haven’t got them in stock I’d be very surprised.
100 Series IFS Suspension Checks
The 100 Series IFS (Independent Front Suspension) is a beautiful soft riding vehicle, but a couple of extra things that go wrong with the 100 Series compared to the 105.
Steering Rack Bushes in 100 Series
There’s a big D Link bush in the steering rack. Get in there with a lever bar and a torch and make sure they’re not cracked out because otherwise when you’re turning the wheel the steering rack is actually moving up and down and sideways. If in doubt, replace them, they’re less than $100 a pack.
Also there is a couple of big arms that go from the diff back to the chassis. We have these in stock as well at DAPCO Bunbury because they are hard to get hold of, but we always keep a few in stock.
What can happen if you don’t replace these there can be some vibration coming through the front of the car and we often get LandCruisers in and people will say, “My mechanics checked it over and he can’t find anything wrong.”
Well you’ve got to take the bash plate off, get in there, have a good look around with a lever and a torch and see what’s going on.
The 100 Series with the IFS it’s the same deal at the back end and front, check the sway bar link, check the outer links as well and replace as required.
Find LandCruiser suspension parts
For Landcruiser parts or suspension stock get in touch with DAPCO Bunbury. We have:
- CV Shafts
- Swivel Hub Kits for 105 Series
- Axel Seals (Inner & Outer)
- Wheel Bearings
Give us a call and we can look after you with the right price and the right parts for your Landcruiser.
What is a Caster Angle?
The best way to explain a caster angle is to have a look at the wheels on a shopping trolley the next time you’re shopping and notice how the wheels are laying back, that’s called caster angle. If shopping trolleys didn’t have any caster angle they’d be crashing into each other all the way down the aisles. So by putting a heap of caster they track beautifully, it’s no different than your LandCruiser, or even the Patrols.
Rather hear it straight from Eddy? Listen to the full audio here:
