suspension problem on 98' Toyota Levin

brembo26

Hi all hows things, just having an issue with a 98' Toyota Levin AE111 Super-Strut suspension model.

Basically whats happening is that its:
1) Snapping wheel studs and only leaving one while driving (Lucky the wheel didnt fall off!!), this has happened on another occasion after relpacing the first set that broke.

2) Whatever is wrong its wearing the tyre badly in the middle. I have never heard of tyres wearing in the middle so this is a big shock to me!

Now the figure of 8 piece that's part of the front drivers side suspension was badly worn and i taught that would have been the cause of the first set of studs to break so I changed that and within a few days of replacing it the second set of studs snapped.

I have no clue as to where to start sorting this problem out so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

thanks,
Brembo.

Bruthal

Tyre wearing in the middle is usually from over inflation of the tyre anyway. Check the wheel is not buckled in any way as well, and studs are not over tightened possibly.

brembo26

well the tyre shouldnt be over inflated anyway because it was only ever checked for pressure and it never lost any so didnt need to pumped anymore than it should. doubt the wheel is buckled because the wheel has been on it for over a year with no hassle and has never had a smack, but how do i check anyway?

Thanks for the reply.

Brembo.

brembo26

i must also mention that when all the nuts were there and it was being driven, every now and then there would be an awful vibration through the whole car. it would last 2 or 3 seconds and dissapear again for a good few miles.

Bruthal

To check for a buckle you would get someone to drive the car slowly while you look at it from the front.

Maybe loose tie rod ends could be allowing the wheel in question to wobble at times on its axis either. This could also cause the tyre wear your seeing.

brembo26

would there have been a chance that that had to come off and put back on to change the figure of 8? even though saying that there was tyre wear and it had broke studs before we changed that piece??

EDIT: Could it be a worn tie rod as well?

Bruthal

I`d have it checked straight away anyway.

Nissan doctor

A suspension problem can't cause a tyre to wear in the center only. That is caused by over inflation or excessive high speed. What pressure do you keep the tyres at? There is also no type of suspension wear that would cause the wheels studs to snap.

Are the wheels original or after market? If aftermarket, do you have the right hubcentric ring? i.e the plastic or metal ring that goes on over the hub to make sure the wheel sits correctly.

brembo26

Cheers for the input!

The tyre pressure is sound, hasn't ever needed to be touched. This came on randomly. No real excessive high speed, 120km/h at most as its only urban driving, maybe sometimes pulling away hard but that's very rare (they are a sow on petrol :P). They are after market wheels alright and im nearly 100% sure that the insert your on about is there. These same wheels have been on the car for over a year and a half and its only in the past month or so it has started sheering nuts and wearing the tyres.

Nissan doctor

brembo26 wrote: »

Cheers for the input!

The tyre pressure is sound, hasn't ever needed to be touched. This came on randomly. No real excessive high speed, 120km/h at most as its only urban driving, maybe sometimes pulling away hard but that's very rare (they are a sow on petrol :P). They are after market wheels alright and im nearly 100% sure that the insert your on about is there. These same wheels have been on the car for over a year and a half and its only in the past month or so it has started sheering nuts and wearing the tyres.

What pressure to you keep them at though? I would double check that the hubcentric ring is there on that wheel and if it is, you'd really need to get someone who knows what their looking at to check it out as its a very unusual problem.

brembo26

Its not actually my car so ill ask him tomorrow. It wouldn't be anymore than 32psi anyway. Its a shame, they are lovely cars but its breaking his heart at this stage. Another thing I should mention I suppose is that when they do break off and one of them is still in the space in the wheel is that they are very very hot! Im guessing that this indicates some rubbing somewhere and transferring the heat to the studs?

Thatnastyboy

brembo26 wrote: »

Hi all hows things, just having an issue with a 98' Toyota Levin AE111 Super-Strut suspension model.

Basically whats happening is that its:
1) Snapping wheel studs and only leaving one while driving (Lucky the wheel didnt fall off!!), this has happened on another occasion after relpacing the first set that broke.

2) Whatever is wrong its wearing the tyre badly in the middle. I have never heard of tyres wearing in the middle so this is a big shock to me!

Now the figure of 8 piece that's part of the front drivers side suspension was badly worn and i taught that would have been the cause of the first set of studs to break so I changed that and within a few days of replacing it the second set of studs snapped.

I have no clue as to where to start sorting this problem out so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

thanks,
Brembo.

I reckon the other superstrut part is gone,i think its referred to as the 'banana arm'

and possibly a few other bushed parts maybe the tie rods as you said, there seems to be a lot of movement going on.

As for the snapping wheel studs, Ive never heard of that happening with an ae111, i really don't know why this would be happening..

When the figure 8 bar goes, the other bar is usually not far behind, and the other side of the car wont be too long about loosening up id say.

Would you consider a mcpherson conversion? (putting the front setup from a standard corolla or a bzg ae111?) - It doesnt work out too expensive, about the same cost as replacing all of the superstrut arms, and you get much more durability and way cheaper suspension parts costs, also a lot more aftermarket support i.e coilovers, gas shocks etc if you're into that sort of thing.

Anyway back to your problems,

See part no.s on the link: 48068E, 48069A, 48069, 48068, 48066B and 48066A

check them all ^^ on your own car for wear and movement, if there's any play they will need replacing, and they are made so you cannot change the bushes you have to buy the whole piece

http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_J_1998_TOYOTA_TRUENO_AE111-BCFVF_4802.html

Nissan doctor

brembo26 wrote: »

Its not actually my car so ill ask him tomorrow. It wouldn't be anymore than 32psi anyway. Its a shame, they are lovely cars but its breaking his heart at this stage. Another thing I should mention I suppose is that when they do break off and one of them is still in the space in the wheel is that they are very very hot! Im guessing that this indicates some rubbing somewhere and transferring the heat to the studs?

Well whatever force is at play causing them to sheer will be generating alot of heat.

The wear issues with the superstrut suspension is well known but the amount of play that comes into the SS joints would not cause the issues you are having. Not with the car still being drivable anyway.

Its an interesting one, let us know the outcome if you get to the bottom of it.

brembo26

thanks for your reply Thatnastyboy ill get on to checking all them tomorrow. To be honest id say he got away long enough without having to change anything on the front end. Think he has it about 3 years now and its always only on and off the road.

Yes he would love to do the mcpherson conversion but he's kind of worried about sourcing the setup thats needed. Is it possible to do front and back? Is it a diy job or would a professional have to be got?

Would still like to rectify the current problem though before having to go stripping the crap out of it to do a conversion.

Thanks to all who replied so far!

brembo26

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Well whatever force is at play causing them to sheer will be generating alot of heat.

The wear issues with the superstrut suspension is well known but the amount of play that comes into the SS joints would not cause the issues you are having. Not with the car still being drivable anyway.

Its an interesting one, let us know the outcome if you get to the bottom of it.

Yeah I really dont get it either, there must be a blink on the car or something :P If the problem is ever sorted I will not hesitate to inform ye all.

Thanks again to all who are replying!

Thatnastyboy

brembo26 wrote: »

thanks for your reply Thatnastyboy ill get on to checking all them tomorrow. To be honest id say he got away long enough without having to change anything on the front end. Think he has it about 3 years now and its always only on and off the road.

Yes he would love to do the mcpherson conversion but he's kind of worried about sourcing the setup thats needed. Is it possible to do front and back? Is it a diy job or would a professional have to be got?

Would still like to rectify the current problem though before having to go stripping the crap out of it to do a conversion.

Thanks to all who replied so far!

The wheel nut problem is a good one, could it be a ruined wheel bearing? i remember seeing one loose a few wheels nuts because of a fecked bearing, it didnt shear them, they just came off..

after 3 years im sure superstrut is due a change, especially on our bumpy roads

The front parts required are identical to any e1* series corolla i.e 92-97 and most 97-01 corollas. The rear setup on all ae111's and corollas (excluding a corolla estate) with or without superstrut is the same, superstrut is only on the front of the car.

Here's whats needed for a conversion (ms= macstrut/standard corolla parts)

Shocks
MS hubs (ABS) - Best to change the wheel bearings while you're at it
MS lower ball joint- usually already connected to the hub when you get a used hub
lower control arm
anti roll bar
MS anti roll bar brackets and bushes
drop links
inner and outer tie rods - new items preferred, replace dust boot if the old one's ripped, toyota genuine boot is the best here
Single pot brake caliper
MS brake disc
MS brake line

list lifted from another forum but its 100% accurate

Its not that big a job if you have a ramp or a pit to work with, you'd do it in a day if you had a few pairs of hands that were used to working on cars, you dont need to be an expert imo.

brembo26

Thanks, very informative!

Right the bearing may be questionable... There isn't any noticeable play on that side but im sure that could cause the vibration that occurs every know and again as I have mentioned???

When I say the studs get sheared I am saying the there broke clean, not one bit rough except for one of them that actually tore a hole through the bit that's in the nut.

Ill show him all the bits needed for the conversion and ill let him make up his own mind on it. Have you seen a car with this conversion done before? any ideas on what it would cost for the bits?

Thanks again!