toddmorr

hey everybody,

I have an '05 UL, 65k miles, and after seeing the tell tale moisture on the FR and left rear shock bodies, plus too much bounce up and down when pressing on FR and LR bumpers, plus too much bouncy float at speed...I decided to tackle the replacement of the LR shock. Here's what I learned:

a. check part numbers carefully. I made the mistake of assuming both right and left REAR shocks are same. They are not. duh. Fronts are same, however.
b. Found a perfectly good used shock up in PA for $200 but as mentioned above, it was for the wrong side.
c. Detail in the repair manual was esp helpful.
d. The air tube is attached to the shock body through two special clips. One of them can only be removed with the SST 09730-00010. This is a tiny plastic tool that wraps around the air tube, you slide it into the housing and thus releasing the interior grips on the air tube, thus allowing you to pull it out. I guess you could make something like the SST, maybe, but I just sucked it up and paid the $50 for it...heck it might have cost Toyota 25 cents to make it but whatever. It worked just fine. Anybody wants to borrow it, just shoot me a PM. might cost 2 bucks to mail it somewhere its so small and light. When re-inserting the tube, wrap the SST around it, and push the air tube in firmly,,,i was surprised how deeply it went into the shock body.
e. Found a set of air shocks from an 01-03 vehicle. Incorrect part numbers for 04-06 but they fit and work fine so far.
f. To get access to the upper shock mounting bolts, you don't need to completely remove the rear seat backs, just pull them forward after removing the seat bottoms. You have to pull up hard on the seat bottoms to get them off.
g. Nor do you need to remove the package tray. Just lift it up enough to get access to the shock mounting bolts.
h. it will take a good 10 minutes for the system to fill with air and level itself out correctly...thought it would be quicker.

Anyway, I was rather surprised at the difference after replacing just the left rear shock....wow, so much more stable, less floating and bouncing. Very impressed. Think I'll let it go awhile before doing the front right. FR appears to be much easier than the rears, FWIW...no seats to remove.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Great info Todd. I have a set of air-shocks that came off a 2005 with 50k miles as backups. My front drivers side was replaced by the previous owner under his extended warranty at about 80k miles. The other 3 are original with 132k.

Couple questions. I am interested in that sst. Can you post some pics of it. I would like to get one or make one for when I need it.

When you say moisture, do you mean an oil like film on the body of the shock? This is what I understand how they leak. Also, another sign of a failing air shock is a thumping noise they can make going over rough road.

Also, how bouncy were the bad shocks. Could you really bounce them with your weight on each bumper?

toddmorr

yeah thats right, $50 for this. i guess if i was a pro mechanic it would be cost justified.





you can see the two halves operate on a hinge, and it closes around the air tube, about the diameter of a drinking straw

toddmorr

this is a good shock, the area right above the rubber skirt is covered with typical road dust, thats it





this is a bad shock. the area on the shock body to the left of the rubber skirt has a caking of oil/grease and dirt, implying a leakage

I don't really understand the engineering behind these shocks, meaning, they also have some amount of oil in them that tends to leak when the air bag also leaks, it appears. When I tipped my bad shock to the side, oil dripped out of the housing inlet area, where the air tube enters the shock body.

toddmorr

when I say bouncy, I mean, by pressing with all my weight on a corner of the vehicle, then letting go, it bounced up and then down slightly. That should not be. A correctly functioning shock should let you bounce the corner of the car down with your weight, then it comes up and stays up. No up and down. Likewise as you drive down the road, although the stresses up and down are greater, there still should be very little up and down of the car body.

it is indeed a bit difficult to tell when a shock should be replaced. Irregular tire wear is another indicator, feathering on the edges for example, although that could also be other issues in the suspension I believe.

i guess the other test would be to drive down the road with someone else in a car right next to you, observing the wheel movement....any pogo-ing of the wheel is a huge problem...that would indicate badly shot shock, esp on our UL's which don't have a spring to dampen any movement.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I have no oil leaks or bounciness, as of yet. When I spoke to the Lexus master tech at my dealer he mentioned of course the hydraulic fluid leaking but also talked about a kind of popping or thud type sound the shock can make going over rough road. My theory this is more common for shocks that do not suffer from salt and rust damage. He actually said this was more common then leaking.

I took a risk when I purchased my whole set because there is no way you can test them. The pics looked good. The only thing that I did not like was that the car lived in Ohio. I got a great deal for all 4. They have been sitting in my closet for almost 3 years now.

Anyway, your post inspired me to pull them out and check them over thoroughly. I took off the outer protective rubber boot to clean them up and check for rust. There was a little bit on the fronts so I cleaned it off and put a little black paint on them. They look in good shape. No signs of leakage.

I suspect my front left is getting close to needing a replacement. No signs of leakage but I believe I am hearing this sound under certain conditions. No like a metal to metal contact but more of a muted thud and it seems to happen when I first start driving vs after the car has been on for a bit.

As far as that service tool goes, I will probably end up getting one. I don't think I could fabricate that from the pics. Sucks that tiny piece of plastic is $50. What a rip. Here is a pic of my 4 with the outer boots removed. I will reinstall those and zip-tie them like they came from the factory. Front left and right are different parts. Rears are the same.

ltendayte

There was a little bit on the fronts so I cleaned it off and put a little black paint on them. They look in good shape. Not signs of leakage.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Hey, that's my line...

Edit: It is odd this person logged on and quoted what I said without quotes and logged off.

toddmorr

i did not have any of the sound you mention, my car was a florida/NC car its whole life, if that matters. I am certain the left rear was bad, less certain now that the right front is bad. Will go with it for a while to see. I can tell you the ride is very nice...oh so smooth, vibration free, and quiet. It just feels very stable and planted. Makes the whole UL thing worth it. Bet I could get it even better with some select bushing replacement...the car is 65k after all.

by the way, its the fronts that are the same part number, backs differ right to left. And the backs are truly different right to left---they are offset a bit, and the air tube only goes in one location and cannot stretch. I tried to install a right one in the left....no way.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Oh good catch. I assumed the larger shocks were for the front. That means my rears had a bit of rust not the fronts. By the way, do you remember what website you got the tool from?

toddmorr

yes, there were a couple websites that had the tool but I got it from Handsontools.com. Came no problem, 50 bucks delivered. if you want to borrow it, just ping me..

heathervb

My front diver side air shock has recently started leaking but I don't experience the same symptoms. I only knew it was leaking when I saw that side was lowered all the way after sitting overnight. The compressor fills it up in about 1-2 minutes and it holds air for a couple hours after turning the car off. When the air is full, I don't experience any bounce nor sounds. It drives as well as ever. However, I do see that it is leaking grease/oil. I'm not going to bother with factory replacement. Hoping to buy aftermarket air suspension within a year or so

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

If you are into the VIP scene and lowering aftermarket air seems to be a popular choice. I would not be comfortable with the question of reliability. The oem system is actually incredibly reliable when compared to other manufacturers or aftermarket products but it is not designed to lower the car to such extremes. You can also source a good used air-shock in the meantime if you want.

heathervb

Yeah, going for the extreme low/VIP look eventually but for now I'm just spending on getting the car in tip-top running shape. A healthy car is always more important than a good looking car. The leaky shock doesn't bother me too much and as long as my compressor survives, I'll be fine. I think it would be a waste to spend money on repairing or replacing the shock when I plan to replace the whole system soon.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I agree. Let us know what system you end up going with and maybe share some pics if you are so inclined. Personally, I have never heard of the oem compressor failing.