Suspension and steering Toyota Land Cruiser 100

TLK front suspension design

The TLC suspension is called hydropneumatic. The front independent torsion bar design includes:

• Pump – pumps up hydraulic fluid.
• Valves distribute its flow.
• Receivers – accumulate hydraulic system pressure.
• Sensors – determine the suspension level above a horizontal surface.
• Telescopic shock absorbers for adjusting the suspension height.

The elastic element of the system is gas. It is obtained due to the pressure in the device. Hydraulic suspension works like this:

• Electronic sensors assess the condition of the road surface and the direction of movement. They also record the vehicle's speed.
• In accordance with these data, the required pressure is supplied to each shock absorber. Their work becomes optimal for each current moment of driving.
• The result is a smooth ride, the car does not “notice” potholes and irregularities.

The electronic system either lowers a car traveling at high speed or raises it above the road surface in difficult areas where the speed is reduced.

Every second, the electronic unit collects and analyzes information about the position of the Land Cruiser 100 relative to the road. If necessary, adjusts the clearance.

When the car's mileage is 150,000 km, the suspension ball joints are replaced. They come complete with lower control arms. Worn bearings do not knock, but they damage other parts of the chassis.

At the same time, the shock absorbers are updated along with the ball ones.

How to replace silent blocks of levers on Focus

Dismantling is often done by sawing off, and installation by pressing or hammering (to make the silent block fit easier, you can use WD-40 or a soap solution, but in no case lubricant). Both silent blocks can be changed only with the lever removed.

The process of dismantling the lever and replacing silent blocks

In the photo with comments you can clearly see what awaits you in order to decide what is easier - replacing the Ford Focus 2 silent blocks with your own hands or entrusting this matter to specialists.

First of all, jack up, remove the wheel and unscrew the ball joint.

If there is no special puller, then to make it easier to remove the ball joint, you can press it with a jack and knock it out using a tool.

Unscrew the nuts securing the rear and front silent bars.

We remove the lever.

Here we see defects in the rear silent block. Such gusts can be a source of noise on bumps, and the steering wheel can vibrate at speed.

Before digging and cutting off the old silent block, you need to remember the angle at which it stands on the lever (it’s better to make marks), otherwise you won’t place it symmetrically, as well as how deep it is set.

If the silent block is severely torn, then by drilling holes in the rubber between the base of the silent block and the lever rod, you can turn it to tear it off. So we clamp it in a vice and do it.

Turn and remove the base with fastening.

What remains on the lever rod will have to be filed with a grinder and knocked down with a chisel and hammer.

I decided to do something a little differently with the other silent block and immediately sawed it neatly.

We cut off the rubber on the inside and lightly, so as not to damage the lever, make a cut, and then knock it down with a chisel and hammer.

Be sure to sand the lever shaft well with sandpaper - otherwise you will be tormented by pressing on a new silent block.

These are the rear silent blocks of the front arm that were purchased for the Focus

To make planting easier, you can heat it with a hairdryer (but be careful not to burn it)

Focusing on the marks, we plant the silent block. To make everything go smoothly, it is better to moisten the rod with soapy water or WD-40.

Having aligned the marks, we put the silent block on the lever. My marks are 2 slots on the silent block, we place them in the middle of the welding seam of the lever.

We collect everything and put the finished lever in place. When tightening the lever mounting bolts, it is advisable to lubricate them with a thread locker, and the ball pin, so that it is easier to remove next time, with graphite lubricant.

After replacing the silent blocks of the lever, it is advisable to go and check the wheel alignment.

Land Cruiser rear suspension

It is assembled on the rear frame. The main elements of the dependent (spring) suspension:

1. Upper wishbone. The lower end of the shock absorber is attached to it.
2. Lower trapezoidal arm. The spring rests on it.
3. Rear control lever. It is designed so that the track of the rear wheels changes within the smallest ranges during vertical movement. The vehicle gets a stable ride under any road conditions.

If a leak develops in the hydraulic suspension, the electronics turns off the pump - the car lowers and the suspension stiffens. In this case, you can switch from hydraulic suspension to shock absorbers.

Suspension with ride height adjustment can be problematic. After a run of 100 thousand km, the body position sensors or their wiring break down. They are changed at service centers along with transmission oil.

Working on mistakes (part 3)

The previous part of the article is here.

As often happens, when developing a high-tech and knowledge-intensive product, by-products themselves arise, but no less valuable. For example, the SOYUZ launch vehicle was developed by Sergei Pavlovich Korolev’s design bureau from a ballistic launch vehicle built on instructions from the Party and the Government to deliver nuclear warheads to the vicinity of Washington. Washington on the map is still a city, and not an inland radioactive sea, therefore, the rocket was not used for its intended purpose, but Gagarin was the first to fly into space.

May the leaders of the Washington Regional Committee forgive us for such an analogy.

In our case, the spring suspension received its own completely independent biography. It must be said that at that moment we were superficially involved in suspensions, we mainly developed and produced simpler products - power bumpers , underbody protection , expeditionary luggage racks ... We took up the development of Veix suspensions partly out of despair, partly out of scientific interest.

The subframe itself did not seem complicated to us, the product was easily calculated and produced by us, and it was obvious that we would produce it. First of all, it was necessary to solve the problem with the springs. There were a lot of calculations, experiments and tests. But then the day came when we removed the springs from the stand that we considered worthy.

The torsion bars were dismantled and the first version of the spring equipment was installed.

And then something happened that we did not expect. The very first ride in the car not only showed the functionality of the design - the car drove much better than stock. Absolutely in all respects. It went smoother, the rolliness disappeared, the suspension breakdown disappeared on a sharp bump, on a speed bump; the car literally screwed into turns, especially on a rough road. Well, complete delight. We expected, honestly, that we would get a suspension that was not much, but tolerably inferior to the factory torsion bar, but we received a suspension that was much superior to it.

We didn’t keep our work a secret from our friends, so very quickly people appeared who wanted to create something similar for themselves. And we began to install our pendants. Including cars with hydraulic suspension.

The longevity of the hydraulics, it must be said, leaves much to be desired, and when the car’s mileage exceeds 300 thousand kilometers, the system, with its regular failures, turns into a constant headache for the owner..

Installed

observed, listened to feedback, corrected something,

watched again...

Over time, an interesting detail emerged. On the one hand, we often observed sales of cars after converting them from hydraulic suspension to conventional torsion bars. The owners, accustomed to comfort, were not ready for such dramatic changes. On the other hand, according to the assurances of the owners for whom we installed our clamps, our suspension was certainly inferior to the hydraulic suspension, but was characterized as quite acceptable. It became obvious that our suspension was a very worthy way to get rid of the “hydra”.

Gradually, the production of spring suspensions became our separate direction. Today, more than a hundred such sets have been sold. We changed the design many times, refining the system of fastening and installing springs and accessories on the car, achieving better driving performance, ease of installation, versatility, manufacturability, etc.

Having completed work with the elastic element, we proceeded to the subframe. To the elevator by 10 cm. As expected, the design of the subframe did not cause any great difficulties. The general principles of such products were formulated by our colleagues from abroad thirty years ago (By the way, in world practice, combinations of springs and shock absorbers similar to ours are called “Coilover”). The only thing we categorically disagreed with them on was the separation of the beams of the front and rear axles of the silent blocks. We designed and manufactured a monoblock subframe. Moreover, it is also a carriage for the front axle.

In addition, we slightly changed the geometry of the front suspension as a whole: we increased the clearance under the front axle by 2.5 cm. Not a big figure, but in terms of wheel size it’s equivalent to moving from 33 to 35 diameter. We took into account the change in the relative position of the suspension components by moving the subframe forward by 7 mm and lowering the axle down by 100 mm relative to the original position.

It was necessary to create an extended knuckle as part of the subframe kit. . And we created it. Nothing complicated. There is nothing to write about, everything is visible. Not having a foundry, but having on our staff the best welders of the collapsed defense industry, winners of the all-Union “Best in the Profession” competitions, we took the original fist as a basis, lengthened it accordingly, carried out heat treatment and received a product that is obviously superior to foreign analogues in strength and manufacturing accuracy , since in our version the hub is mounted on the original axle. In weight, we also won by 30-40 percent relative to American fists.

That's it, let's go.

This was followed by another series of full-scale experiments to improve various characteristics of the front suspension. It seemed right to move the lower shock absorber mounting points as wide as possible to increase the car's stability, responsiveness to the steering wheel and, importantly, an attempt to get closer to the comfort standards set by the new flagship of the SUV line - Toyota-TLK-200. It was this shock absorber that we installed on a number of cars and is successfully used to this day.

With the use of the TLK-200 shock absorber, the problem could be considered solved. All the conditions have been met, the vehicles have already traveled many thousands of kilometers. There were only a few flaws in the design. Let's list:

1. Like the Americans, a unique fist. We could produce tons of them, but the fist remained not factory-made, which, by our standards, was considered an ugly decision. The bipod of the steering tip was also non-original, and the tip itself required lengthening the threaded part.

2. When the turning angle was close to the limit, there was a violation of the geometry of the front suspension, the wheels turned disproportionately. This did not affect tire wear or handling, but we saw our mistake.

3. It was not possible to produce a suspension lift on cars with “hydra”.

4. The shock absorber mounting bolt was completely defenseless and, in the event of an impact and bending, could immobilize the car.

It seems to be not fundamental, however, unpleasant moments. Such a fly in the ointment.

Two more months of experimenting and thinking and finally the final version.

We present to the public an absolutely original, unparalleled Russian kit for improving the cross-country ability of the Toyota Land Cruiser 100 “Lavrits”. A kit named after our friend, who made an invaluable contribution to its development.

Only our kit allows you to lift a car regardless of the elastic element used in the suspension. You can leave the hydraulic suspension, you can use springs from any manufacturer with the specified parameters, you can use original or reinforced torsion bars.

When installing our kit, only the factory bipod and two axle brackets are removed and replaced with our products. The remaining elements remain unchanged. The upper ball joint mounting bracket not only acts as a knuckle extension, but also strengthens it in a weak spot - under the upper ball joint. According to the (certainly deliberate) decision of Toyota engineers, the original fist is made quite fragile, being one of the passive safety elements. At the original wheel sizes and at the calculated, let’s call them “civilian”, operating modes of the vehicle, the fist strength is more than enough. But when the unsprung mass is additionally loaded with wheels larger than the recommended diameter and reinforced torsion bars and shock absorbers are installed, the cam often cannot withstand the loads and bends along the thin neck of the upper ball joint socket. When using the car in Rally-Raids, the neck is necessarily reinforced with pads.

Let's summarize:

1. The total lift of the car was 10 cm.

2. The axle gearbox dropped by 10 cm, while the lower silent blocks dropped by 7.5 cm - the distance between the old and new position of the silent blocks of the lower arms. Thus, the clearance under the front axle increased by 12.5 cm without increasing the angle of operation of the CV joint.

3. Due to the installation of progressive, longer springs and long-stroke shock absorbers on the rear axle, the suspension articulation was 68 cm versus 48 cm in stock.

4.The vehicle's cross-country ability has increased sharply due to the independence of the front suspension, and now exceeds the cross-country ability of classic bridge vehicles.

5. The comfort and handling of the car have deteriorated somewhat, which was expected, but is not comparable with the improvement in cross-country ability. This is mainly due to the increased center of gravity and a slight increase in unsprung masses. Fuel consumption has not changed in comparison with the car on the “body lift”

6.The design of the subframe made it possible to protect the underbody of the car in the form of a powerful and smooth ski, on which the car literally glides. Sticking does not occur due to the presence of a ledge of 10 cm, whose action resembles a step on a boat, immediately behind the front axle. Only a small part of the bottom area is in direct contact with the obstacle - like pavements with their bridges, our machine compacts the obstacle with its protruding flat subframe, immediately behind which the bottom rises sharply.

7. All changes are reversible, but you need to pay attention to one small nuance, unfortunately, this point cannot be avoided due to the engineering features of the car, behind the front axle there is an axle cross member, it is attached to the frame with bolts, after dismantling it it will be necessary to cut off a small piece of this fastenings, you can later weld them back, saving this piece.

8. Installation does not require any special tools, takes no more than one work shift and is performed by a semi-skilled mechanic.

Currently, similar work is being carried out for Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Pajero sports cars. Our plans are to develop similar kits for all SUVs. We are confident that the main result of our work described above is not the TLK-100 lift, but the formulation of an approach, principles for designing similar kits for any off-road all-wheel drive vehicle, and the creation of subsequent kits will not require the same amount of effort and time as the first.

ATTENTION! We officially declare that such products will NEVER be certified by us due to the unprofitability of certification of small-scale products, as well as the presence of a mandatory condition for certification: “coordination of changes made to the design of the car with the manufacturer.” We, to be honest, have not tried, but for some reason, I think Toyota does not agree... A car owner installing our lift kit on his car must rely solely on his common sense and experience in operating our products by the “all-wheel drive online community.” We strongly recommend that you thoroughly study the numerous reviews from our customers posted online. We are ready to give a guarantee only for the quality of manufacture of our products; responsibility for possible consequences from the operation of cars equipped with our products lies solely with the owner and the organization that carried out the installation.

Good luck on and off the roads.

Toyota Land Cruiser 100. How to strengthen the suspension

Depending on the purpose of use (extreme tourism) and driving style (sports), drivers decide to strengthen the suspension.

Do it yourself:

• They start with the wheels. They replace the stock wheels with larger ones; they should also be wider. This will ensure the stability of the car. Wide tires with a low profile are installed on the wheels, which improves road grip.
• Shock absorbers. Change to tougher ones. If the car has air suspension, then they achieve an increase in ground clearance. New shock absorbers dampen body vibrations more confidently.
• New strong springs. They increase suspension stiffness. There are two-section and with variable turns. The advantage of the former is that their lower part is softer than the upper. With this replacement, the wheels do not come off the road.
• Anti-roll bars. They prevent the vehicle from rolling. It is permissible to install a double version. But then the car loses its smooth ride.
• Silent blocks. All connections of the levers are softened by them. The standard ones are replaced with polyurethane ones, they are tougher. Some silent blocks are removed altogether; their role is performed by bolted connections. In this case, the factory levers are replaced with reinforced ones.

Such suspension has a bad effect on ride comfort. But the car does not sway or roll on sharp turns.

Replacing levers and silent blocks on a Toyota Corolla 120

Signs of malfunction of car suspension components:

• car roll to one side;
• difficulty in controlling equipment at medium and high speeds;
• systematic knocking, beating, vibration in the steering wheel;
• tossing a car when overcoming road obstacles;
• metallic creak accompanying the control process.

The average service life of suspension elements is 60 – 85 thousand km. mileage Intervals exceeding the 100,000 mark are exceptions rather than practice. The manufacturing quality of spare parts and the driving style of the car are fundamental factors affecting the service life.

Before starting replacement work, we carry out comprehensive diagnostics, assess the general condition of the suspension elements, identify parts that require updating, and prepare consumables in the required quantity.

Replacement sequence:

• We install the car on the inspection channel, an electric lifting mechanism is possible;
• We place a hydraulic stand under the engine, since we will unscrew the support fastening to access the lever bolts on the right side;
• The service life of the suspension elements on the right and left sides is approximately equal. Experts recommend replacing two at the same time. Initially, unscrew the fastening of the ball joint of the left wheel, then two bolts and silent block fasteners;
• remove the lever from under the car;
• using a hydraulic press we press out one (two) silent blocks. As an analogue, use a stationary vice;
• If there are defects on the surface of the lever, there is damage to the metal or welds, the suspension element must be replaced with a new one. In all other cases, new silent blocks are pressed into the standard places;
• install the lever with new rubber bands in its original place;
• We begin dismantling the right element, having first lowered the engine support by 2 - 3 cm to provide access to the mounting bolt.
• We carry out a similar procedure for prevention, pressing in new rubber bands, and installing them in their original place.

During the work, we inspect the ball joint, brake cylinder, pads, and brake fluid supply lines. If there are signs of wear or deformation, the components must be replaced with new ones from stock. Eliminating small, sometimes insignificant faults will prevent large-scale breakdowns in the future. Thus, you can save money, time, effort, resources.

Subject to following the recommendations of the specialists, purchasing original spare parts, subsequent maintenance after 80,000 km. A moderate driving style will only increase the replacement interval for parts.

Symptoms of suspension problems

On the Land Cruiser 100 SUV, the suspension design is reliable. But some signs indicate its wear and tear:

1. The braking distance has increased - a sign of suspension failure. During emergency braking, the rear wheels lose contact with the road surface - the shock absorbers are worn out.
2. Loss of stability, sudden wheel slip - the problem is not in the tires, but in the shock absorbers.
3. The car rocks - again the shock absorbers. The ride becomes not very comfortable, silent blocks and other elements of the suspension and transmission wear out.
4. The car rolls from bow to stern. “Pecking” of the body of a Toyota car occurs when the shock absorbers do not perform their function. The weight of the car is redistributed unevenly - a threat to the safety of passengers.
5. Knocks from under the bottom when vehicles go over uneven roads. A sign of serious suspension failure. You can't drive a car like that.
6. The ground clearance has decreased - the suspension springs have worn out. They sag due to metal corrosion.
7. Tires wear unevenly - springs sag.

When such changes are noticed, the car is sent for diagnostics. It can be computer-based or bench-based. Problems are also identified visually and manually.