DIY LCA Cam replacement 2005+ Tacoma

26mm for the larger cam

 

Haha, must have missed it

 

Really? It is a 26MM bolt for the cam? Sears don't gots dat!

 

They have them in a set in store, but individually, you have to buy online and ship to store.

 

Yeah, I found one online n ordered it. Pain in the ass that there isn't a Craftsman store. I'd go to it all the time. Sears don't cut it for me.

 

One of mine was totally seized and another nearly so at only eight months following the build date. Both were fronts.

One note that may be of interest to those with this problem. The rear cam bolts on both arms have a slit in them that goes lengthwise and its opening is accessed at the rear next to the hex. I found that a #16 or #18 flat-tipped hypodermic needle will go in a long way. A home-brew of 50:50 acetone and atf can be injected in there. I've done this a number of times and it will seep out both sides of the rear cam bolts and help loosen them. May have to do it for several days.

This is for those trying to free the rear bolts, not a maintenance item as I believe the Cole-Parmer chemical compatibility charts show that the acetone, and possibly the atf, may be destructive to the rubber bushing.

 

Quick question on old thread. I've installed 5100's in the front and prior to getting an alignment, my shop warned me about the tendency of cam bolts to seize in LCA bushings. After plenty of research on TW, I've been soaking with PB Blaster for a week or so.

My question is: If they are seized up, will the cam tabs be bent? Or rather, can the cam bolts be seized up without bending the tabs? My tabs are all perfectly straight. I know this thread is for 2nd Gen but I drive an 03.

Thanks

 

^^^ Better: home brew of 50:50 acetone:atf. This came from a well known study done a few years back by Practical Machinist on a bunch of off-the-shelf products and the home brew. The home brew was better by a long shot. BTW, PB Blaster scored bad in the test.

Shake, shake shake before putting on and put it liberally on both sides of the cam bolts. Note that the rear cam bolts have a slot in them that runs a good way the length of the bolt (on 2nd Gens at least). Clean out if dirty but take a large syringe and 14 gauge needle and you can inject your stuff a long back along the rear bolts.

That is exactly how bent my right front cam tabs. Make sure you counter-hold the other side of the bolt -- preferably wedged tight against something.

If you get desperate get out the sawsall and cut the bolt off. Go to the big box store, or a decent contractor's place like Grainger, and get a pack of these blades: Lenox Gold, Bi-Metal, Part No.614G, 14TPI, 6". That cam bolt is super-hard and just laughs at all the other brands of blades. The Lenox one was the only blade I could find that would cut through that bolt.

Good luck.

 

I just received my 4 1/2" angle grinder and cut off wheels from Amazon and I didn't think about this at first but it doesn't seem like the wheel is large enough to go all the way through the bushing. It looks the one you're holding in this picture is a similar size to mine. How did you get it to work?

 

Cycle the LCA.

 

^^^ In some of the other threads people who have tried used the sparkle wrench said they were not comfortable with doing it that way and resorted to the technique I describe in Post No. 28 above. Do what works for you for sure, but I felt I had the most control and least potential for collateral damage to me and the control arm mounts using the sawsall and blades technique.

Good luck.

 

Thanks, that thought came to me after I typed my question.

Thanks man, I might get a sawzall just in case. Do you think a Harbor Freight sawzall will be enough for this? I really don't have another $100 on a quality one.

 

^^^ The HF stuff is hit and miss for sure. The good thing is you can always return it . For reference my Sawsall (the real one) is only 4.0 amps and works just fine on this kind of stuff. If you get a HF you might want to step it up some as they are known to overrate their product capacities.

The biggest thing is don't cheap out on the blades and get just any old metal cutting blade, no matter what the brand. Too many of us have been down this road before. Get only the Lenox blade. They come in 5-packs which makes them reasonably priced. Use the Lenox Gold, Bi-Metal, 614G, 14 Teeth per Inch. Written on the blade itself is "THICK METAL, LONGEST LASTING EVER, T2" Its SKU No. is 21067614GR.

Go sloooow, not fast. You might also want to use a bit of oil to help keep it cool.

Good luck.

 

I'll post details about how my cutting went when I have more time but I finally replaced everything! I still have a problem with my alignment though... There are more details here:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/su...er-changing-camber-hardware-lca-bushings.html

But I'm at a total loss...

 

sub'd to try