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Help getting lower control arm to drop enough for shock removal

Discussion in 'Suspension' started by OutbackHack, Jul 4, 2012.

  1. Jul 4, 2012 at 10:24 AM
    #21
    OutbackHack

    OutbackHack [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I don't think theres anything damaged on the cams, as far as I know no one has touched them before me, and all I've done is unscrew them. Maybe the picture just isn't showing them right, but I dot have another Tacoma handy to compare against.
     
  2. Jul 4, 2012 at 10:30 AM
    #22
    OutbackHack

    OutbackHack [OP] Well-Known Member

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    With the two bolts undone under the ball joint, the LCA is complete seperate from the spindle/steering/UCA assembly. I can lift those parts up and away by hand. Can take a picture once I get back home. Basically it doesn't look like anything is attached to the LCA except for the lower bolt of the shock an the 2 pivot point bolts where the LCA attaches to the frame. It just won't swing low enough to unload the spring.
     
  3. Jul 4, 2012 at 10:38 AM
    #23
    bjmoose

    bjmoose Bullwinkle J. Moose

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    Hmmm.

    At that point, personally, I'd punt and remove the complete coilover. It's possible that in doing that you'll see what the hold up was.

    But what you want to avoid is having some "mystery hangup part" holding 500lbs of pressure.
     
  4. Jul 4, 2012 at 10:39 AM
    #24
    brutalguyracing

    brutalguyracing BIG DADDY

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    F.U> GUYZ
    broken mods
    you could have had the coilover out in 5 minutes....and another 5 to compress them....
     
  5. Jul 4, 2012 at 10:40 AM
    #25
    brutalguyracing

    brutalguyracing BIG DADDY

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    broken mods
    yes i am not seeing things in pic 3 your cam tabs are flattened......
    now you need to remove lca and have them weled or use the tc cma gussets.....
    and fix the problem that is causing them to fold over witch is frozen cams assemblys.....
    and prob new bushings in said lca.....
     
  6. Jul 4, 2012 at 10:48 AM
    #26
    bjmoose

    bjmoose Bullwinkle J. Moose

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    Only folks who've done it many times can do it anywhere close to that fast. And even then only with air tools. And even then "5 minutes" is a rough approximation. :D
     
  7. Jul 4, 2012 at 10:54 AM
    #27
    brutalguyracing

    brutalguyracing BIG DADDY

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    broken mods
    i dont have any air tools nor do i have any inpact wrenches everything i do is all by hand...
    yes i have had them in and out in less then 20 minutes....
    but i have done it before.....
    hardest part was removing sway bar links... after that 1 spindle nut, bungie cord and 14mm for top 3 i think or 12mm not sure and a 19mm for lower shock mount and done.....

    if op hasnt worked on truck before then he sure as shit should not be trying this method of removing his coils
    end of story
     
  8. Jul 4, 2012 at 11:00 AM
    #28
    XXXX

    XXXX Well-Known Member

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    All this... your cam tabs are fubar. I can't beleive anyone would do that. You need to loosen the bolts, install the cam bolts correctly and get an alignment ASAP, then fix your cam tabs.

    Whoever touched your truck should never touch it again and if no one has your, LCA bushings and bolts are toasted.

    You ever jump it? Wonder what the UCA bolt looks like???
     
  9. Jul 4, 2012 at 11:10 AM
    #29
    bjmoose

    bjmoose Bullwinkle J. Moose

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    BTW: I also agree with the others on your flattened cam tabs.
     
  10. Jul 4, 2012 at 11:12 AM
    #30
    bjmoose

    bjmoose Bullwinkle J. Moose

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    Anyone who's watched me work knows I'm the slowest mechanic in the history of the mechanical age. :D
     
  11. Jul 4, 2012 at 11:14 AM
    #31
    brutalguyracing

    brutalguyracing BIG DADDY

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    broken mods
    i just curse alot and shed blood.....
     
  12. Jul 4, 2012 at 11:21 AM
    #32
    XXXX

    XXXX Well-Known Member

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    ftfy


    is this confession?

    I dropped my truck twice on a widow maker :D
     
  13. Jul 4, 2012 at 12:10 PM
    #33
    OutbackHack

    OutbackHack [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Alright, so I'm back home and I retightened the LCA alignment bolts, lining them back up with the marks that I painted on prior to loosening them. I'm still not sure what people are talking about with alignment tabs, compared the side I fucked with with the other side which I didn't touch and don't see a difference. If someone could point it out to me better I would appreciate it.

    Also here's a picture of the LCA ball mount bracket showing that it is floating free of the wheel assembly.

    Reattached the top center bolt on the coilover and tried following the toyota instructions for remove the entire coilover assembly. Still seems like something is keeping the LCA from dropping if the consensus is that it's not the alignment bolts.

    Thanks to everyone that's been trying to help.

    LCA ball joint disconnection.jpg
    LCA front alignment bolts reassembled.jpg
    LCA rear alignment bolts reassembled.jpg
     
  14. Jul 4, 2012 at 12:14 PM
    #34
    XXXX

    XXXX Well-Known Member

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    They are fine :rofl:

    I just re-read your OP. I missed you had loosened them up and thought thats the way they were tightened.

    You didn't need to but while they were loose you should grease them up so they don't seize. Disregard all the comments from the peanut gallery :laughing:
     
  15. Jul 4, 2012 at 12:57 PM
    #35
    Blackcat10

    Blackcat10 Well-Known Member

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    Even though you have the nut off the top of the strut the lower control arm will not move down far enough because the lower bolt is still in the strut and when everything swings down the strut is put in a bind against the bump stop coming out from the bottom of the frame. Bad idea to use the truck as a spring compressor for a first timer. That spring is under roughly 600 pounds of pressure and you can not move fast enough to get out of it way.
     
  16. Jul 4, 2012 at 1:09 PM
    #36
    bjmoose

    bjmoose Bullwinkle J. Moose

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    [​IMG]

    That looks like a flattened or deformed alignment tab to me - even with the alignment bolts fully loosened.
     
  17. Jul 4, 2012 at 1:13 PM
    #37
    bjmoose

    bjmoose Bullwinkle J. Moose

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    Once you've completely removed the lower shock bolt, (you previously removed the two ball joint spindle bolts) and the only thing left holding the lower control arm onto the truck is the (loosened) lower control arm pivot/alignment bolts, the LCA should swing "open" like a trapdoor to almost a vertical position.

    As long as the coilover is fully assembled and the top nut is tightly in position, there' no risk in doing this. And if it's stuck, giving it a "mechanic's tap" with a hammer to free it from any friction that's holding it. (If you have to wail on it - there's something still hung up and you should check further.)

    Once the LCA is fully free and away - take off the three top hat bolts and the coilover should come off in your hand.
     
  18. Jul 4, 2012 at 1:16 PM
    #38
    Rich91710

    Rich91710 Well-Known Member

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    Look at his new pictures where he's wiped the dust off.

    The yellow is not the primer showing through from the end of the tab... it's a paint-pen mark on the outside, likely from an inspector.
    Look carefully "outside" of the yellow and you'll see black and the actual edge of the tab.

    His tabs are indeed fine.

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Jul 4, 2012 at 1:31 PM
    #39
    bjmoose

    bjmoose Bullwinkle J. Moose

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    OK. I'll buy that. The curve in the yellow mark definitely made it look like we were seeing the end of the tab.

    Here's my thread that describes my flattened tabs.

    http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/117332-lower-control-arm-profanity.html
     
  20. Jul 4, 2012 at 1:42 PM
    #40
    Rich91710

    Rich91710 Well-Known Member

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    Agreed.

    Between the cams being loose and the paint, I also thought they were frakked but I held comment until he clarified.
    When the cams were loose, the camera angle lined up the ends of the tabs almost perfectly with the edge of the cams so it looked like they were tweaked.
     

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