Front end suspension work sequence

Those that know, mind giving any suggestions on sequencing of these replacements? Planning to take my time and knock this out together.

1-Upper control arm bushings and ball joint
2-Lower control arm bushings and ball joint
3-Steering rack bushings, inner and outer tie rods
4-Sway bar bushings

Have new OEM ball joints & bolts, inner and outer tie rods. Energy suspension bushings. Studied vids and read up a bunch but haven't seen all this done in a package. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Unless you are very lucky getting the Control arm bushings out this will be a very long weekend on longer.

I have never been able to remove control arm bushings without the torch to burn the rubber and break out the bushings in pieces.

Make sure your Cam bolts are free when you go for alignment some shops will refuse a alignment if they are not free. Get the steering wheel centered on the work order.

Can the truck sit?? I myself would not attempt this all at once. Unless it is your only option.

Did you mean sway bar instead of torsion bar ?

If you have Torsion bars you do not have a Tacoma Front end.

Best of luck!

 

Does the budget allow: cutting out the U&L control arm bolts. Replacing the U&L control arms with a kit. Saves removing and replacing the bushings and ball joints. Regardless be psychologically prepared to cut the alignment adjustment cam bolts out.

 

I was hoping the OP was real lucky !!

Then had seen in his research that the Cam bolts might need cut out.

 

I did all of those in one go over the summer. Bivouac is right, you will definitely have trouble removing the uca bushings, so prepare for that. I didn’t have a vertical press so I tried the bottle jack method, which was sketchy and ultimately didn’t work. I finally heated it with a propane torch until it just started smoking and was able to get them loose. You may have to do more heating than that depending on the condition of the bushing sleeves.

I would expect to need new cams, and if you have to cut them out it will add a lot of time. The steering rack and sway bar bushings are an easy one though, assuming all mounting bolts are in good condition

 

I would reuse as much as much oem stuff as possible, the aftermarket stuff is really hit or miss.

I don’t have much advice on what to take apart first, it gets to be pretty clear once you’re working on it. Once you’ve got the coil over out then you can work the ucas and lcas in whatever order.


I used a sawzall to get my lca bolts out, they were stuck. We got the old bushings out with a torch and an air hammer.


Do you have access to a press? That can make life easier.

 

I am planning on replacing the upper control arm with a JBA control arm.
Do I need anything special to that or any other parts besides the new control arm?

 

Always good to have new Cam Bolts unless they were just replaced.

If the Cam bolts are original new Cam Bolts are most likely a given.

Good time to do Steering knuckle Gussets if you wheel hard.

Have your coil overs been out the studs in the Top hats have a bad habit of breaking loose and spinning.

I find them in the way being a pain to work around.

 

So I did everything you’re planning to do and a bit more last summer before we moved to Oklahoma. I think I had my truck down for a solid week in total. Here’s a few things that I’ll always pass on if I have to recall the situation.
1) Study Up: I had the OEM manuals and tons of YouTube videos (saved/organized). Those Timmy the Toolman vids is where most of my knowledge came from. He rocks.
2) The tools. I believe I made the right choice to buy a 20Tn press from Harbor Freight. I had to do my wheel bearings. BUT… it was super helpful pressing my new bushings back into the LCAs/UCAs. If you’re not gonna buy one (approx $200), then ya might want to source either a local shop or someone who has one. Next, I think I rented about $300 worth of equipment from Autozone/O’Reillys. I rented a ball joint tool set and like 3-4 other press kits. I knew I was gonna get my $$$ back, so I could care less. What is really important, is having the right cup sizes to press things in/out. I remember still having to use some sockets laying around my garage to get a perfect fit for some of the jobs. Blow Torch. Gotta get some good consistent heat to burn out the rubber in those OEM bushings. I’d have two bottles on hand. Brushes. You’re gonna have to clean up those OEM bushing housings after u burn out the rubber out. Have throw-away brushes on hand. That vulcanized rubber crud is no joke. It’s nasty AF and you’re not gonna want to touch anything else with them brushes afterwards.
3) Process. I just ripped into it and went from outside and worked to the steering rack.
-Steering Rack: When I got to the steering rack I pressed out/in the new bushings and then (stupidly) tightened the rack back to the body. Don’t do it!!! I remember having to undo my steering rack like 4 times for dumb reasons. Just tighten it up by hand, and when you’re absolutely sure it’s time to move on, then go ahead and tighten it back to spec. I remember the LCA alignment bolts couldn’t be removed w/o having significant play in the steering rack. Just reference the Timmy videos. That’ll show u everything u need to know. Also, have some small/short ratchet straps and bungee cords available when u do remove the steering rack. It’s not the heaviest thing, but if it falls by it’s own weight it could damage the line’s attachments to it.
-Tie Rods: breaking that inner tie rod off the steering rack can be a chore. I used a box wrench on the tie rod side and then a small pipe wrench on the rack side. Worked like a charm. As for the outer tie rods, definitely make marks where the OEM ones were in their original place. That’ll help you get them back (close) where they need to be when buttoning things back up. You’ll still have to get an alignment to make sure everything’s spot-on.
CV-Axles: not sure if you’re gonna do this one, but if u there, at least examine the boots. It’s an optimal time to replace those if need be. Also putting in a diff-drop to help the axle angle, to keep the boots from rubbing too much. I ended up replacing my CV-Axles because I had a leaky boot and I was at about 200k miles, so I just bought new ones. Taking them out, I used a brass punch and hammer to open the gap up, but had to use a heavy pry bar to finish getting them out. That clip that keeps them in place sure does its job. Oh yeah, if you’re going all the way to the steering rack and gonna remove the inner tie rods, then you’ll need to drain the transfer case.
UCAs: Watch out removing the upper bolts. There’s air bag sensors you’ll need to move out of the way to get the bolt all the way out. I removed/installed the UCAs by myself. I might sure be easier with two ppl, but it is possible solo. Removal of the oem bushings was pretty straightforward. I did the small hyd. Jack+heat method. Be prepared for that bushing to shoot out. 2/4 shot across my garage. Burning out the rubber from OEM cups sucked. Use a fan to keep them fumes from overtaking u. It’s some nasty smoke. And I’d have some good catch basin underneath the cup, that vulcanized rubber ash will still the concrete real bad. I think this process was the suckiest job in the whole scenario. It’s gotta get done though. Putting the newly assembled bushings back in was a combination of the ball joint press and the 20Tn press. Glad I bought that big boy. Even though I might never use it again.
LCAs: if you’re gonna reuse those cam alignment bolts, clean them up real real good. It’ll only make life easier. Definitely make alignment markings on the frame where they were set at before removing them. Refer to the videos about torquing things back up to spec. I believe curb weight needs to be applied before torquing to spec.
Ball joints: Definitely easier taking the whole knuckle assembly out and doing it in the vise. The uppers weren’t that bad, u just gotta have the perfect fitment between your press cup and the ball joint. That being said, it wouldn’t be a bad choice to have the ball joint you’ll be pressing in, in your hand, when checking out ur press kit. You’ll be stopped in ur tracks if u don’t have the right cups.
Wheel bearings: not sure if you’re gonna do these, but i feel lucky I got through the whole scenario w/o screwing anything up and/or hurting myself. Definitely have those Timmy vids on standby and don’t drink too much when doing this. I’m a fan of having a few Nattys when I wrench, but the amount of force u use when pressing things in/out of the hubs is massive. I forgot to remove a circlip once, before pressing out the bearing, and of course I had a few in me, and oh crap…. I just kept pressing and pressing…. Luckily I undid the press and saw what I had done… I had to reverse press the bearing a bit to remove the circlip, then had to fix the circlip when I removed it. The wheel bearing job what the most technical for sure. If you’re considering doing it, you’d better have all the right equipment and knowledge. Otherwise… contract a shop to do that part for ya.
Synopsis: Do it. Knock it out. Get organized. Be realistic, especially with time. It’s totally doable. Especially with all the invaluable resources on this site.
Good luck

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Thanks for all the advice. Edited my torsion bar confusion. I ordered new cam adjusters and bolts.

 

Sounds like these front suspensions are a real bear to deal with, both in process and parts quality on the aftermarket stuff.
I just got mine on the road for the first time under my ownership and it's obvious the front shocks and maybe the springs are toast. That was going to be my fist step to get some Bilstein 4600s and maybe new stock springs (rear is already done) and then evaluate the condition of everything while I'm in there. Looks like its all been in there since 2002 and 170k miles. Are the 2WD PreRunners just as hard to deal with as the 4WD?

 

I've been preparing to replace my UCA and Upper Ball joints. I failed at removing the UCA bushings. Tried a torch and hammering out the remaining metal housing and couldn't get it (with a hammer/vice etc). Just too awkward and difficult to get the proper leverage. Had a local shop do the bushing removal and replacement for me. I'm hoping to do just the UCA and Upper ball joints in one go, but honestly not looking forward to it!

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/shortrounds-04-double-cab-trd-at.369401/page-2#post-15139953

Go to post 32. I wrote most of that up a while back. Sorry pics are gone

 

Appreciate the link friend. Flu has had me down the last 4 days so it'll be a few more before I can start the project. Will update as I can. Thank you

 

Got it all back together and test drove this afternoon. Upper ball joints were the hardest task since I didn't remove knuckles. Everything else was fine provided I took my time and didn't whammo my head, hands etc. Friday most of day, Saturday spent on control arm bushings and ball joints. Then piddled each eve a couple hours till fully assembled Wednesday night. Alignment looks darn close, toe is good and steering wheel adjusted center. Camber and caster can't be out more than a degree or two but floor may not be exactly level in the garage and using simple angle finder with aluminum angle on rims. Made plastic sandwiched with motor oil turntables from youtube vid and worked great while adjusting. Looks and drives very well the short distance I test drove it. Alignment shop next week to complete things. Body bushings next for me and calling it done. Thanks for all the advice.

 

Expect the project to snowball. That’s the story of my life with every project on my 5 various 1st gens.

I’ve had to cut off 7 control arms because of frozen Cam Adjusters.

 

Understand completely. Have done a good bit of other work already. Cam adjusters on mine were in great shape but replaced them anyway. Thank God I didn't have to deal with rust and corrosion.

 

Let us know about the body bushings job. Gotta do that myself sometime soon. I’m curious about the mid Bushings in particular. Seems tricky to remove. Good luck

 

Got those done this afternoon. Used thread below for reference mostly. 4 main body bushings were not bad. Used ATF and everything broke free. Took bolts out of steering column. Also took loose two rubber bushing bolts at corners of bumper to quarter panel. The two bushings alongside the radiator were the hardest to get to. I didn't drop the front bumper like energy suspension recommends. Loosened everything and dropped nuts off one side. Jacked that side up with one jack and boards just behind middle body bushing near door hinge. Used a small tie down strap jack from frame to the axle on the floor jack to anchor frame. Then jacked body up 3-4", put a 2x4 for a safety between frame and body and went to work. Used a small ratcheting box end 14mm wrench on bushing mounting bolts that point downward then put a break bar into the open end of the wrench to get more leverage. Slowly broke all those hard to get to bolts that way. Bolted up that side, tightened mount bolts but didn't tighten bushing till I got the other side done and lowered. Then tightened it all. Front bushings at radiator will spin a little but a longer open end 14mm will slide in through the side of the grill to anchor the top when you torque it. Just remember what all you took loose and take your time. May do leaf spring bushings since I bought the full kit but those have already been replaced a few years ago so no rush. Need another day where I can take my time on those too. My frame isn't corroded so this wasn't a bad job. Am sure others where there is lots of road salt have a time with this. Good luck to you as well.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/body-frame-mount-bushings-diy.407123/page-2#post-28424098