Suspension Interchangability

[TAXI]

Hi Guys,

I have a 1990 Toyota Celsior, at the moment Im quite confident the airbags are dead. Is it possible to ditch the airbags and replace with coil and shock suspension from the Lexus LS400?

Thanks!

 

[Kiwi.in.aus]

Yes LS400 springs and shocks will bolt straight in , but why would you ?
Air shocks are cheap when you consider they last about 15 years !!
What standard shock can do that ?
The air system not only works better but it gives you adjustability height wise and stiffness also which really does make a difference .
If you go to shocks and springs [ yuck !! ] you will have to change them all over and then fit new shocks as the originals will be well shot .
Abbott industries do a replacement rebuilt air unit with a lifetime warranty on the airbag for about Aus $600.00 landed per corner , also I doubt all your shocks are gone , most probably just one , so with the Abbott units you can do one at a time .

 

[TAXI]

I wont need anything else to bolt them into a Celsior?

The reason is I am planning to tow with the Celsior and I think springs and shocks would be better in the long run. I wasnt planning on using second hand LS400 springs and shocks I will buy brand new aftermarket ones.

At the moment my car is slammed, I dont know what the reason is but my suspension seems to have gone to the lowest settings and whenever I go over speed bumps it bounces and bottoms out, feels extremely hard too.

 

[1UZ-MX83]

Hi Guys,

I have a 1990 Toyota Celsior, at the moment Im quite confident the airbags are dead. Is it possible to ditch the airbags and replace with coil and shock suspension from the Lexus LS400?

Thanks!

Yes, did the same to our '89 Celsior a couple of years ago...(In fact, bought the units off David...Speak to him, he may be able to get you a set).

Once installed, simply switch of the TEMS via the boot switch, and remove the fuse (a bit of trial and error due to the Japanese markings - this will stop the TEMS light being illuminated on the dash).

Certainly made a difference to our car's handling!

 

[TAXI]

Sounds easy... do I just need the springs and shocks... nothing else? Am I able to pull the pump and lines out once the airbags have been removed?

 

[Kiwi.in.aus]

If you are towing how nice would it be to always have the car level ?
And how nice to be able to hit a switch and raise it up or stiffen it up ?
I had 4 big fat adults in mine the other day and before I left the driveway the car was perfectly level , was going down the freeway so had the TEMS off for a nice soft ride , after I dropped the fat dude's off , hit the TEMS switch so I could hit the corners again , very nice .
Also consider that the rest of the suspension is 15 years old as well , I would be going new wheel bearings , new lower ball joints , new inner rack ends , new tie rod ball joints , and new radius rod bushings as well .
Then you can think about doing the rear .
There seems to be a ground flow against the LS400 airbag system ??
Don't understand why .
In real terms it's actually very cheap .

 

[TAXI]

I totally understand what your saying... Im not completely against the air bag system its just I have this car that is completely slammed, I can barely drive it anywhere because its so uncomfortable and I dont know what else to do.

 

[Kiwi.in.aus]

You need to find out exactly what is at fault .
It may well be your pump is gone/not working ?
Then if your pump is ok try and find out which or how many of your units are leaking .
For a start check that the suspension is actually turned on , the switch is in the boot on the left hand side in the tool compartment .

 

[TAXI]

The switch is definitely turned on, have also checked fuses. Cant hear any air leaking either.

How do I check the pump is working?

 

[turbo355]

So does the whole car sit low? Have you checked the car for fault codes?

 

[TAXI]

Yeah the whole car sits low and the ride is very harsh and bouncy... Here is a pic. Not quite sure how to check for fault codes to be honest.

 

[turbo355]

I wouldnt be driving it like that. It would be driving on the bump stops. Using either the the diagnostic port in the cabin or the one in the engine bay, jump Tc and E1 with some wire. The dash will then flash up some error codes. Count the flashes. 3 flashes pause three flashes would be 33 for example

 

[TAXI]

I rarely drive it for that reason. I will see if I can do the diagnostics tomorrow. Is there a write up on it somewhere I can look at?

 

[erik.wyatt1]

on a quick note off the subject...which are the tc and e1? the closest lex dealer is like an hour an a half from me and ive been trying to figure this out forever.
oh, by the way, i have a 1991 ls...will it matter?

 

[TAXI]

Ok I bridged the 2 jumpers like you said... A/D Main, TRC and ABS flash is that meant to happen?

 

[turbo355]

all the lights will flash, just means diagnostic mode. You need to look at the "norm" light and see what its doing. Count the flashes

 

[TAXI]

The norm light just stayed on, it didnt flash at all