Dealer Aligment Failed - Seized Camber/Caster Bolts - DIY Fix

So went in for aligment (had a slight pull to right), and dealer said they could not align completely because the “ECCENTRIC is seized in the Lower Control Arm” and that I would need new LCAs for $1200..... This smells of crap. Truck has 65k miles, and rarely off-roads (but it has seen mud and water).

Thoughts?

And if this does sound legit, are LCAs and and Caster Kit very difficult to replace? I am pretty good at working on the truck (done leafs and coil overs a bunch, but never LCAs...).

Thanks guys!

Also here is a pic of the alignment specs:

 

its not bs. the craptastic design of them gets water and the bolts rust to the internal bushing sleeve. 60k miles on my truck and they are frozen just the same. youll have to cut the bolts to pull the arms out and install new bolts/arms.

 

Here is the parts list for the hardware:
Qty. 2 4819860011 front suspension, lower control arm, adjust cam Tacoma Camber No.2 4WD
Qty. 2 4819060020 front suspension, lower control arm, adjust cam Tacoma Camber No.1 4WD
Qty. 2 4840960020 CAM SUB-ASSY, TOE AD
Qty. 2 4845235020 PLATE, TOE ADJUST, N
Qty. 2 90119A0166 BOLT, W/WASHER
Qty. 2 90178A0001 NUT, FLANGE

Hit up @gunny1005 for price on the above.

You could then do

$168 Whiteline W53312 Front Control Arm Bushing, Black

Whiteline bushings in your existing lowers. Get you out of the whole mess (with a nice upgrade) for around $250 in parts.

 

Yeah these are the same parts on the dealer quote. You say I could use WhiteLine Bushings, this would prevent this from happening in the future correct?

 

unfortunately there is no 100%

bolts get frozen in bushings without preventative maintenance like greasing occasionally

 

Not necessarily. But some anti-seize on the hardware at installation will help a lot.

 

Well of course it can’t 100% prevent it. Just don’t want to put in the exact OE that will fail again for sure.

I don’t believe my OE LCA bushings were greasable.. these don’t seem it either but maybe I’m missing something.

I guess at this point what I need to figure out, is if I need new LCAs, LCA bushings, or both? In order to minimize this repeating.

 

The bolts are not lubed at all from the factory. I doubt they would ever seize if you liberally lubed them at assembly. I just did all of mine, but only one was seized. I used an air hammer to "tap" it out. I did not need new LCAS. I honed the sleeve and installed all new bolts and cams,

 

Cut mine out recently

 

I just rebuilt a set using the Whiteline bushings, and a Moog LBJ. We had to sawzall out both of the front OEM bushings.

 

Some people have also used the Dorman arms: 522-720 Right, 522-719 Left.

 

Not greasing these things from the factory is criminal malpractice. It guarantees a huge repair bill just past warranty, that is completely avoidable,....brilliant!

 

Wow. This is crazy that Toyota didnt grease these suckers!

Ok, well I was just under the truck and based on these pics of having to cut the bushings/cambolts, it may be a bit much for me in my driveway.

Got a good mechanic I use, might take it to him in a bit and see what he thinks.

Seems to me like I need all the parts listed here by EDDO. I will get the WhiteLine Bushings also.

Two questions: Do I need two orders of this WhiteLine bushings (one for each LCA)?

And How do I grease up the new cambolts? Anti-Seize on the bolt in the sleeve?

 

The biggest issue is that the alignment was actually not too bad before they changed it. (Except for the toe) They actually made it a lot worse and there is no way that the before alignment specs made it pull to the right. Your pull was caused by something else. Brake drag or tire problem.

 

One kit does both arms.

Slather it on the bolts and the sleeves.

 

Here's the Amazon link for one complete kit.

$168 Whiteline W53312 Front Control Arm Bushing, Black

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0070I9I12/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Copy that. So based on all your parts you do not believe that I need new actual LCAs? The dealer wanted to replace these also. I believe it’s because they would have to cut out the cambolts and didn’t want to fool with the bushings...

If I understand this correctly, maybe I can do this in my driveway

 

The OEM bushings will come out with a little heat and a bottle jack once the arms are off the truck. You'll need a press to install the Whiteline bushings. I took mine to a shop for that.

 

You shouldn't need new LCA's. You will need access to a press to install the Whiteline and LBJ's and then it's a simple driveway job.

 

He's only at 65k miles, so it might be a bit early for ball joints. Probably smart to do it all at once, though.