Suspension and steering — design description [Toyota Land Cruiser J100]

Front suspension

The front suspension has an independent design. The steering knuckles are connected by upper and lower suspension arms (control levers) by means of ball joints. The levers are bolted to the frame at their opposite ends. The standard equipment includes a stabilizer bar, which reduces the vehicle's sway and roll when turning.

Instead of coil springs, torsion bars are used, which are attached to the upper suspension arms.

The basis of the front suspension is telescopic shock absorbers. The lower shock absorber supports are bolted to the lower suspension arms. The upper ends of the shock absorbers are secured in the support brackets of the supporting frame.

Rear suspension

Rear Suspension Components

The rear suspension is organized by means of a pair of coil springs, two telescopic shock absorbers, four levers (two lower and two upper) and a reaction rod connecting the left end of the bridge to the load-bearing frame beam. The anti-roll bar is bolted to the rear axle assembly and is attached to the vehicle frame by two struts (refer to the illustration above).

Steering drive

The models in question are equipped with a hydraulically reinforced rack-and-pinion steering gear connected to the steering knuckles by means of two steering rods. The mechanism housing is attached to the cross beam.

Often, when servicing suspension and steering components, you have to deal with fasteners that cannot be loosened. The fasteners "stick" because they are constantly exposed to external influences, are in contact with water, dirt, soot and other substances that promote corrosion. In order to facilitate the procedure of loosening such "stuck" fasteners, they should be soaked in a large amount of penetrating oil beforehand. Cleaning the exposed threaded parts of the fasteners with a hard wire brush also helps to loosen rusted nuts. Sometimes, in especially difficult cases, a drift can be used to loosen a "stuck" bolt/nut. The drift rests against the edge of the nut/bolt head slot, then sharp blows are applied to its opposite end with a hammer. Make sure that the drift does not come off, try not to damage the thread with inaccurate blows. Another quite effective method is to heat the fastener that is difficult to loosen and the surrounding component surface with a blowtorch or gas torch, although the authors of this Guide do not recommend resorting to this technology unless absolutely necessary due to its potential danger associated with the possibility of fire and the risk of burns. Various types of extensions, collars and pipe attachments are designed to increase the torque when loosening the fastener. However, remember that you should not use such reinforcing devices in a set with a ratchet-equipped drive - the risk of failure of the ratchet mechanism is too great. Sometimes a "stuck" fastener begins to give in after it has been slightly tightened clockwise. All fasteners, the loosening of which required the use of extraordinary measures during assembly, are subject to replacement!

Note: After loosening the fasteners, carefully check their condition and, if necessary, replace them with elements of the same size. When assembling, tighten the fasteners of the suspension and steering components strictly with the required force.

Attention! Do not attempt to straighten deformed suspension and steering components under any circumstances – replace defective parts with new ones!

Since suspension component maintenance procedures are performed under the vehicle, care must be taken in advance to ensure that the vehicle can be lifted and secured in the raised position (prepare a reliable jack and supports).

[The original is published on the website: www.toyotaman.ru]

Attention! Never perform any work under a vehicle secured in a raised position only by means of a jack!