Landcruiser 100s Sahara Suspension Fix?

I think Member - John R fitted polyairs to overcome the problem on his Sahara. His member profile is Here but he'd be up in Innamincka at present.

Theres another thread here.

I have a client who replaced the air suspension with a TJM kit and it works very well. I know he had a few challenges bypassing sensors and the like but he seems to have succeeded. Not sure where it stands with warranty and insurance without an engineers certificate though.

The poly air bag in the rear coils is always an excellent option for towing. You could also check out the suppliers of replacement air suspension to see what they may have to offer

RobA

I strongl suggest that you speak to Darren McRae of Autocraft. Not many people know about this suspension but he definitely dies. He hs done quite a few Sahara suspensions, inc resetting the sensors and shockers and lifts, and he has had contact with US suspension people as the lift / lower is standard equipment in the US. I may be wrong but I am pressty sure the Sahara has standard like coil springs at the rear and torsion bars at the front. The lift or lower is done in the pump up shocker.

Anyway he will know. He is away on a trip till the end of July.

His email is
Darren McRae [darren@auto-craft.com.au]
Phone is 0409 513 549 however don't expect a response this month.
You will also find info on www.lcool.org forum go to members area.

Hi Barry,

I have a 2000 Lexus LX470 and I believe that the suspension system you have is identical. I tow a Bushtracker Off Road caravan which when loaded for a trip, goes a shade under 3.5 tonnes. I too got the "Low" indication the first time I hooked the caravan up. I queried it with Lexus and was told by the service guys that it meant that the load was too heavy for the adjustable suspension to be raised by the switch but that was all - not to worry about it because the suspension would still perform as designed.

Well, as of now, the Lexus has done 260,000 kms and I have towed that van across every state in Australia with about 40-50% being on rough dirt. We have towed the van about 80,000 kms and for most of that, the suspension indicator light was on low. I do use weight distribution gear and I run with a ball weight at around 200-250 Kg.

The suspension is stock standard and has not required any servicing.

If your suspension is the same as on my vehicle, I would recommend weight Distribution gear and don't worry too much about the indicator light.

Hope this helps.

Hi Barry.
Have a look at thread No 55049 on this site. There is a bit of info there. It seems that Polyair or Coilrite air bags inside the rear coils are the quick and simple answer. It fools the system about the weight of the car. I have used Polyairs for some years with zero problems, but Coilrites are just as good.

A Weight Distribution Hitch is a quick fix but they have a catch. The factory system works on oil pressure in the shocks with the oil pump under the bonnet on the LH side (no air is involved). The system looks at the total weight of the car, not just what’s on the ball. This means that if you used a WDH with the van, all may be well. But if you took the van off for a side trip you may find your total weight still to high owing to the gear in the car and it will drop down again. Just what you need for a side trip up a rough track. With air bags fitted this problem does not occur because the bags live on the car and can be pressure adjusted to any situation to keep the car level (no warning light on).

As a bit of an aside, if you can afford the cost, weight and space carry a couple of spare shocks with you (genuine Toyota), one front and one back. These are special shocks and you are unlikely to get them over the counter outside the main centres. If a shock fails the system pumps all the oil out in a flash, the car goes into alarm mode and drops to the bump stops on all four wheels. Except the back if its got air bags. I’m not sure but maybe the car goes into limp mode as well.

Regards. CliveG (NZ)

Thanks all,

I will be very glad if a set of polyairs fixes the problem. A Brisbane Toyota dealer said that polyairs are not compatible with the Sahara's hydraulic suspension.

I would also like to reinforce Allan's tirade from thread 55049 about Toyota. I thought I had done my research knowing a Landcruiser can tow 3500kgs which roughly means a ball weight of 350kgs but the Sahara (according to Toyota) sags to low with a ball weight of above 80kgs. There is nothing in their advertising to say that their top of the range vehicle is inferior for towing. Think Sahara, think Toorak tractor!

Thanks for the feedback.

Barry

Barry, I have just decided to fit a slightly heavier set of Kings Springs to our Landcruiser Sahara. The Polyairs were fitted when we bought it and the pipe fractured on our Simpson Desert trip just over a week ago. Just a sharp piece of metal or a stone I guess and the car travelled on the Low setting for a couple of hours.

Our Sahara has a steel step bar with a wheel carrier, drawers with food, fridge, recovery gear and compressor and stuff, yeh, water, sometimes extra fuel.

Travelling on Low means you can easily hit the bump stops and previous experience means a potential bend in something - axle or chassis. In our case the other day, part of the drawbar extension of the Karavan. Not the fault of the Karavan or it's manufacture but the Polyair deflation and a third party extension. All now fixed!

I have this morning phoned Polyair, Airbag Man and Kings Springs and the decision is to go with a slightly heavier spring, but continue with the Polyairs in a supporting role. The cost of the springs fitted will be under $300 and the AHC should operate pretty normally with a load. The theme of the message I got from airbag people has been to share the load between the systems rather than use Polyairs or another at 30psi - their maximum inflation rate.