Lower Control Arms and Cam Bolts: how I learned to stop worrying and love the tacoma

Just did the ECGS bushing on my stock 2019 TRD off-road as a preventative measure last weekend. While I had everything apart I noticed that the driver's side lower ball joint, while not yet loose, was definitely at the tail end of what I would call reliable, fairly easy to move by hand, (the tie rod end was much stiffer), So I decided to look into replacing the Ball joints as cheap preventative maintenance.

I would prefer a real upgrade, but every good aftermarket LCA is really only designed for use on lifted trucks with real coilovers, also they are quite expensive. For a straight up replacement, the consensus is that OEM lower control arms should be replaced entirely with OEM LCAs since the cost for the parts is nearly the same. So I placed the order with Ourismann, (Formerly mcgeorge), and received an email the next day stating the LCAs are backordered everywhere with no real ETA. So I cancelled that order and ordered a pair of Moog LCAs which were delivered today. I will rebuild the OEM LCAs sometime soonish once I can source a good balljoint and bushings.

This brings me to the final boss: the Cam Bolts. Since it is a 2019 that I daily drive in upstate NY, although I stay on top of Fluid film and pressure washing the undercarriage year round, I full expect the cam bolts to be siezed in place. I skipped the Moog greasable bolts and most of the similar parts due to thoroughly mixed reviews on the internet.

So now I am trying to decide on what to grab for Cam bolts, Greaseable or "regular"? OEM or Aftermarket improved design? Looks like KP Offroad has a good design with the octagonal washers, but I am concerned about losing the fine adjustability of the OEM design if that could cause an issue getting the alignment spot-on.

What is the best approach for a stock set-up? I would like to avoid issues like seized cam bolts and alignment going out of spec due to the cams moving on their own in the future. The only suspension "mod" I have planned for the near future is installing a TRD pro suspension so i will use the stock tabs rather than welding on the KP offroad ones.. I have also seen SPC and Solo Motorsports have cam bolt kits and am open to other recommendations.

Hindsight being 20/20: I would have just purchased a OME or FOX coilover set-up and aftermarket LCAs instead of buying 9 side-quests to complete.

 

Oem cam hardware and TONS of antiseize is almost the only choice. Oem Toyota hardware is superior to aftermarket cam hardware if you're keeping the stock set up.

If you're afraid of flattening the stock cam tabs you could beef those up with any of the available kits.

Even with those "locking" hexagonal cam setups you'll run the chance of everything seizing up after a couple years anyway

 

I had also thought about drilling through the new LCA bushings and installing a zerk to be able to grease the pivot point every tire rotation. Couldn't find any discussion on whether that had been done before on the tacomas. The appeal of the indexable cam bolts is for the alignment setting staying put, I plan to grease the ever-loving shit out of whatever I put in the new LCAs, I am sure if I do that with the OEM design, the grease would allow the alignment to drift out of spec much easier. The 3 competing attributes seem to be stability, serviceability, and fine adjustment and the usual "pick 2" rule applies

 

oem control arms are very strong, just take the alignment bolts out and slap lots of antisieze on the body part of them and youll be good. stop over thinking.

 

The alignment tabs can flatten easily. If you don't weld, you can have someone weld a bead on the outside edge of the tabs for reinforcement. Like said above, coat the bolt with antiseize.

 

Exactly.

 

I think you guys may be misunderstanding what my concern is. The oem control arm is fine.

This issue(s) at hand are:

I cannot get oem control arms or ball jointsso I got a set of moog control arms, the ball joint quality and longevity from moog is a point of contention all over this and other forums.

The oem cam bolts leave a bit to be desired in that they sieze in the bushing no matter what climate they are in and they are prone to drifting out of the set position once lubricated, which is the only reason I am considering greasable and/or indexable cam bolts.

I am looking for input from anyone who has experience with such cam bolts on stock suspension, and if possible, input regarding where and how to get a decent ball joint to rebuild a factory style lower control arm.

 

I am anticipating having to cut the bolts to get them out and am wondering about upgrading to a cam bolt that offers improvements over the factory cam bolt design.

 

The question to ask is how badly has your alignment drifted out of spec?

I went with OEM LCAs and cam hardware + Total Chaos cam tab gussets for cheap insurance...hasn't moved yet.

 

The ones that lock into position will also seize up tho so you'll be back to square 1 no matter what you chose.

 

Quite a bit to be honest, the steering wheel is off center, no suspension mods, no offroading, mostly highway driving.

The question i have for anyone running something like the KP offroad bolts is: how good are they in terms of getting the alignment zeroed in? Do they get it in spec but far from perfect? Or are they able to get cross caster and camber dialed in nearly perfect still? I know that all bolts in a factory control arms will be prone to corrosion without regular lubrication.

 

OP, Mark your alignment on the cams and lossen them up, and see if they move. One side at a time and loosen both the back and the front. Jack the each side up by the frame and let it just barely touch the ground so the cam will be easy to turn. I'll bet they are not seized.

 

Are you talking about the octagon cams? Those should only be used for offroading. If you are only on the street and those cams are tightened properly then they really shouldn't move. Make sure those tabs are straight up and perpindicular to the arm and not leaning outward

 

I always had shit luck with rebuilding LCAs, however more than a few people have had great success with the replacement ball joints and bushings.

As others have said, the OEM cam bolts also suck.

That said, I put the Total Chaos cam tab plates on my truck, then made a rectangular plate to replace the alignment cam. After very carefully driving home from the alignment shop I drilled a hole in each plate and replaced the cam bolts with grade 8 hardware.

I then proceeded to beat the snot out of the truck and never had alignment issues again. Until a civic committed suicide under my front bumper and bent the frame.

You could do something similar by drilling a hole in the alignment cam and frame, then installing a grade 8, 1/4" bolt in the hole to prevent the cam from rotating. Then you can remove the bolt if the alignment ever needs adjustment.

 

That was my question too when time came to refresh the front end and never found the answer so I just went with the most cost effective (imo) solution with the Total Chaos steel tabs and lots of anti seize.

Not saying that's the perfect solution by any means tho

 

For a newish truck that is daily driven, I think you might be over thinking things. Are you sure you performed the correct inspection procedure for the ball joints? If not, did you compare your balljoints to newer ones, e.g. inspected them when newer? How is the truck driving? Any noticeable issues?

Replacing possibly good parts is not preventive maintenance. What do think you are preventing? I highly doubt a 2019 balljoint will fail and send you into the ditch.

Why are seized cam bolts a worry? Let the pros at the alignment shop worry about them.

I think you might have fallen into the trap of believing too much of the FUD in this site.

Unless you are doing something outside the normal with your truck or it is very old, this is the buy maintenance you really need to worry about.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-maintenance-intervals-simplified.766505/

 

No inspection procedure needed to tell me the ball joint is worn. It is obvious by the lack of resistance to moving, i have worked on enough stuff to tell when something needs attention.

Siezed cam bolts are not a worry, simply looking for the best replacement option.

Im paying the alignment shop for an alignment, not to have to correct other problems on my truck. The only reason i dont do it myself is i dont have the funds to buy the equipment to do an alignment.

Replacing moving parts that are considered wear items is the definition of preventative maintenance.

the truck pulls left and the steering wheel is off center. Why would i wait for a noticeable sympton of a bad ball joint if I have identified a worn ball joint that needs to be replaced now?

 

What does this mean?

Best way to find a bad BJ is to support the control arm with a jackstand (close to the wheel as possible) and the wheel/tire off the floor. This way the suspension is at its normal ride height, but the weight is off the tire. Then use a floor jack to lift under the tire and see if the BJ separates when the knuckle moves upward.

 

Certain types of play in ball joints is normal. For example, up and down play in my SPC ball joints is normal because there is a spring that compensates for the wear. Side to side wear on the other hand is not considered normal. This is explained in the SPC inspection procedure. I’m not familiar with the inspection procedure for the stock LCA balljoint.

Preventive maintenance is meant to prevent wear. Except in certain contexts, replacing worn parts is not preventing wear. The wear already occurred. Preventive maintenance includes things like changing the oil, greasing zerks, washing, etc

I’m also rather skeptical that a 2019 street driven taco is in need of new LCA balljoints mostly because I love once in my gen x life had to replace any. I suppose it’s possible you damaged yours or got a bad one.

 

I missed this part. The truck pulling to the left is most likely due to the alignment being off. The steering wheel being off is most likely the tie rod adjustment being off. I would eliminate those before spending time and money on new LCA ball joints which are likely fine unless you damaged them or got bad ones from the factory. They are sealed and maintenance free. Take the truck to the alignment shop and explain both issues. It was only like $100 when I got my alignment done last if I remember right. My alignment has been off a few times, but I wheel my truck.