Upper Control Arm/Caster, Camber bolts.

Hey all forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong spot lol, posted a few threads before but still new to all this. I have an 08 tacoma with a four inch rough country lift (Yes I know they're not the greatest lifts but I bought the truck like that and it is what it is) I've got the extended rough country struts and all was well for the last year or so. Yesterday in the woods we were messing around and having fun til I noticed a squeak/clunk, look under and see that the tie rod is loose like noticeably loose. I limped it home and got up today trying to tighten it, the entire thing just spun so I figure either the tie rod end is broke internally or the bolt just loosened up which I find odd because depending on the job I do it myself especially a tie rod end and always torque to manual specifications. While thinking about that I trailed off onto what could cause this and I know it could be many things, worn knuckle, failed tie-rod end, stress due to the lift and the geometry of the front suspension. I'm trying to fix this one part at a time due to recently starting a family so looking for budget friendly options. I'm always told at the shop they aligned my truck up the best I can and last alignment especially which was 3 months ago I was told they got it as good as they could and made a comment about my camber/caster bolts being different on each side so I was planning on purchasing some. Then I started thinking about the UCA's (apologize for the rambling lmao). My real question is what would the best budget friendly upper control arms for a 4 inch lifted truck, I was looking at old man emu and jba and spc but 890$ is pretty wild in my opinion but if thats the only option I will save and buy them no problem. I just want to know if there's a certain set for my lift that will help with the angles and my alignment as well as camber caster bolts. I know the bolts are fairly cheap I just want a quality set that will actually help my issue. Last alignment I didn't get the spec sheet but my tires are wearing even and the truck is driving straight. I'm just baffled at how the tie rod just loosened up all of a sudden or maybe the garage removed it and re-installed without torquing it but I'm unsure because this garage is one of the most reputable ones around. Apologies about the rambling my mind trails off on a million other things, I just want my truck to be safe and solid. Thanks all!

 

Not sure what is meant about the camber/caster bolts being different, but here's a thread with part numbers and picture reference: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cam-bolt-part-numbers.642047/

Make sure to grease or anti-seize the inner sleeve for those bolts unless you want to have them seize up and cut them out later (you don't want this trust me).

Can't say much about the lift or UCA suggestions without more info...do you have a 2WD or 4X4? Reason being is they go about this in different ways and the parts will be different.

 

4wd TRD Sport not sure what they meant either only thing I can see is cant you purchase aftermarket camberbolts that provide more adjustment that with maybe one side being stock not really sure

 

OK then if yours is 4WD then this is probably the lift kit you have: https://www.roughcountry.com/product/toyota-suspension-lift-kit-746-20

Which means (at least from what I can see) it re-uses OEM upper control arms and tie rod ends. All I'm going to say beyond that is you said you bought the truck like this and it is what it is. Hope you like it because for better or worse you are stuck with it likely forever...

To your question "what caused the tie rod end to fail"? Who knows, could be anything, doesn't matter since you probably don't know what condition they were in when you bought it. Just replace them and move on. OEM ends are good and cheap. If the knuckle is actually worn out (which is probably not the case but hey I guess I've heard crazier things) then you need to call Rough Country and get some new special knuckles that work with your kit.

Regarding what your mechanic says about the cam bolts you'll have to ask them for more details else it doesn't make sense. OEM are generally best quality, aftermarket are usually worse and offer no extra adjustment over stock. If the mechanic told you the cam bolts are frozen and won't adjust properly then you need to cut them out and install new bolts so they can do the job they were intended for and so you can get a good alignment. There's no magic here, it's just maintenance.

Regarding what is the best UCA? Depends. What else do you want them to do that the OEM UCAs aren't already doing? I'd stay away from SPC arms because I've been burned on them once but some people still like them. Lots of options out there but you need to know what you want from them first. If you don't know then stay OEM and save your money.

 

nope

 

The Rough Country 4" kit is actually one of their better products (the RC 3.5" (non-DB) kit and to some extent, the 6" kit (w/spacers) are what cause the most headache for people). This isn't to say it's high-performance race material, but I wouldn't be overly concerned that the kit itself is causing your issues.

Do you have a pic showing where/how the tie rod is spinning? Seems as long as the jam nut is tight, there should be no way for it to spin unless it came disconnected at the knuckle (in which case you'll have much greater issues than just a squeak/clunk). Maybe you're talking about a different component?

Also the cam bolts being different doesn't necessarily mean anything. Maybe one or more were simply replaced in the past due to them freezing up with rust (a very common occurrence). If they don't fit well or are the wrong size, then that would be a different issue (maybe post some pics of these too).

Generally you should not need UCAs with a drop bracket lift. However if you're trying to maximize your travel, then ones that are adjustable or don't deviate too far from stock geometry are what you'd want since your lift has the DBs that maintain more of the original factory geometry. SPC arms will work since they can be adjusted (I know there's at least a couple guys on here running them with RC DB lifts).
I know there had been some complaints about SPC's ball joints, however they did very recently switch to a new design, so maybe the issue is resolved? I've not used them myself.
You may need to raise your droop stop bumpers since the SPC arm is thinner than the stock arm and may not reach it before it hits the coil spring (check first though, depending on the length of your coilover, it might not be an issue).

See this post about raising the droop stop:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/spc-uca-boot-tear.847290

 

The jam nut end of the tie rod is fine its that the it seems the castle nut that connects the tie rod end to the knuckle has loosened up which I just find odd since it was torqued to spec. I tried to tighten it with a wrench but the entire thing spun which to me is normal its slipped out of its taper and has nothing to hold onto and like any balljoint or tie rod end they spin naturally. Un-sure if this can just happen over time or not this hasn't happened ever before I've owned the truck for a few years and only put one set of tie rod ends and followed torque specs as per the manual. You can't notice the play unless I whip the steering wheel left and right rapidly but it is loose as if it slipped out of its taper, my worry is that driving 50km out of the woods on an end that slipped out of the taper is that I ruined my spindle. I'm going to attempt to tighten it and re torque and see if it holds if not I have a spare rough country spindle anyway just more of a hassle then just changing the tie rod end.

 

Truck was in a minor fender bender 2 years ago that resulted in the entire passenger side being redone, being hard headed as usual I decided to change the drivers side myself cause to me suspension components should be changed in pairs just my sort of rule of thumb to make sure its all new and wears the same. I installed the tie rods and torqued to spec, not so worried about the camber bolts and uca's after reading all of the replies. Just worried my spindle is ruined but I have a spare spindle anyways. Just odd and a pain in the arse, I've owned six vehicles this being my first taco and its the first time I seen a tie rod get loose and not just have regular play/failure in the joint.

 

Ok, I think I'm following you now...

The tapered stud is what is spinning in the knuckle when you turn the nut...

Try putting a pry bar, a 2x4 (wood), or whatever you can find against the inside of wheel and the tie rod end (TRE) and use that to push down against the TRE while you tighten the nut. That should help keep the stud from spinning while you tighten it.

 

I tried that with no luck to tighten it but I did manage to get it off. I'm going to be changing it anyway cause I can easily swivel the joint around with one hand and I definelty missed the maintenance on these in a bit considering the noises it makes turning lol. I'll replace and change with new one no visible damage to the spindle itself and the taper on the tie rod doesn't seem damaged. Felt to make sure didnt feel much. I'll try with a new tie rod end and hope it stays on im just at a lost to why it loosened up. Might throw blue loctite on er upon reassemble. On another note I always run these moog tie rod ends from UAP (Napa auto parts) with lifetime warranty. If you know of any tougher/heavier duty ones for modified vehicles. The trucks got 4 inches of lift and is sitting on 35"x12.5 tires so I expect premature wear on suspension components just tryna make sure I'm not putting trash parts on lol always thought moog was alright on my passenger vehicles but maybe not so much for offroad. Thanks for the replies fellas went off on a tangent in the og post overthinkin the whole situation.

 

Good to hear you at least got it off.
Moog was once good, but they went to pot decades ago. Not knowing what else out there is good, I would suggest OEM being your best bet (this seems to be true for the suspension ball joints and CV axles as well).
Maybe Dana Spicer has something (I know they make a lot of the OEM parts for vehicle manufacturers, but they also sell aftermarket too).

Check that there is no powdercoat inside the TRE hole on the RC knuckle. That is something that can cause things to not stay tight. You should also recheck their tightness after 1000 miles any time you have things apart (RC actually tells you to do this after the kit installation, but I think after you have something apart applies as well).

I don't suggest using Loctite... (that is what the cotter pin is for) If it's not staying tight after repeated attempts, then the tapered hole is most likely damaged (oblongated).

 

Kits been on the truck for 3 years since I owned it and however long the previous owner had it, I'll clean the tapered hole real good and inspect but with a quick look it seemed round with no burrs or damage to the hole. Going to try a different brand of tie rod end to see, everything looks good so far just seems like a failed tie rod end. Will torque to spec and re torque after 1000miles to verify. Thanks a lot!

 

Echo what he said. I'm on my 4th set of UCA's (OEM, Icon, SPC, and now JBA). JBA is proving itself as the best. Save up for them. Their technical support is way better than the others by far in my experience. Tie rod may have not been torqued well and just worked its way loose over the years. I would read through a lot of other threads to ensure you know the allignment process really well (JBA can probably give you some tips and a talk with Rough Country might help also) so you can ensure the alignment shop is doing their job properly. Also, best wishes on starting that family. Pinch them pennies taking care of that truck and make it happen!!!