help suspention or steering problem?

[trimman]

this is my third week behind the wheel of my 3rd gen 3.0ltr surf,luv it to bits.
its my first 4 wheel drive and not quite sure of the ride and handling to expect?
the feeling i am getting is that of driving over cobble stones,thought it might be the tyres so changed front to back and vice versa,still the same.
driving on motorway at 70 can take hands off steering wheel and can maintain straight line and no movement on steering wheel,the vibration seem to be coming though the chassis, when when cornering hard on a very bumpy surface hops violently across the road.
could this be the shocks? these are not the adjustable type,the truck has done 55.000mls, tyres are winter ones i have jacked up the front and felt for movement in ends and bearings ,these feel ok,there is a little bit of play in rack .
has anyone had this problem before?

[ukviha]

Sounds like the same problem i had , i changed shocks and springs....hey ho great again.
I would check the tyres though as japanese winter tyres are normally crap for normal use and everyday driving....we DONT seem to normally drive around in snow at 35 mph instead expect the same tyres to do 80 on the motorway.

[dirtydog]

When do we get a ride in the Noble???
Nice garage

[trimman]

cheers damian
im getting these vibrations at low speeds also, what is a good make of tyre to fit?i think i might try tyres first before shocks and springs.
martyn

[BUSHWHACKER]

Could be steering damper? is there one on a 3rd gen? I dunno.

[trimman]

When do we get a ride in the Noble???
Nice garage

next time your in leicester give me call

[trimman]

Could be steering damper? is there one on a 3rd gen? I dunno.

i dunno either vince need a workshop manual

[Tallyman]

Another thing to check is your tyre pressures. Most on here tend to run at between 28-34 psi, depending a little on which tyres are fitted. Check those first as that could be part of your problem, especially if it will run "hands off" as that would suggest your tracking is ok.

[Deviant 1]

I have the same problem with mine. 61000 miles. Not sure if it was the U J on the propshaft causeing it . Somedays it's ok , some not. It starts around 45 mph and is shocking at around 65-70. getting around 80 and all is fine. Thought it was the balancing but checked by two different garages and all ok.

[trimman]

Another thing to check is your tyre pressures. Most on here tend to run at between 28-34 psi, depending a little on which tyres are fitted. Check those first as that could be part of your problem, especially if it will run "hands off" as that would suggest your tracking is ok.

hi mike ,
tyre pressures are 29psi alround was the first thing that i checked

[trimman]

I have the same problem with mine. 61000 miles. Not sure if it was the U J on the propshaft causeing it . Somedays it's ok , some not. It starts around 45 mph and is shocking at around 65-70. getting around 80 and all is fine. Thought it was the balancing but checked by two different garages and all ok.

ill check the uj at the weekend i never thought of that, vibrations are constant at all speeds

[Rob]

Mine had lots of vibration and used to hop sideways if I hit any bumps whilst cornering - had a few brown trouser moments!
The problem was mainly caused by very knackered front shocks. These were replaced along with the rears with Explorer Procomp ES3000, when I fitted a 2" suspension lift (yes i lost the hard/soft feature, but with the stiffer springs I don't need it now).

I also replaced the lower control arm bushes at the same time. In hindsight, these were quite expensive from Toyota and the old ones didn't seem too worn when they came out.

Its also worth having the wheel alignment done (not just tracking, the whole lot ie camber, castor etc). I had it done by Toyota for £80 as the only independant garage that could do it around here were a bit baffled by the whole thing. The Surf was far better to drive after this.

My steering rack bushes also have a bit of play so the alignment isn't 100% spot on (very close though), but I can't be bothered to sort this yet as it still drives better than it ever did before. You can't get all of the steering rack bushes separately from Toyota but there is a company in the US that make/sell them.
Hope this helps

Cheers
Rob