Moog Lower Control Arms

I've had a click/clack noise whenever I hit a dip or big bump. It went away after putting the stock shocks back in, (I had 5100's at the time) so I bought a pair of 6112's and didn't hear it for about a year. But now its back and I seriously doubt its the shocks again since its the exact same thing. I assumed its the LCA bushings, but you have me guessing now. I ran without the Sway bar and that isn't it? It's getting annoying again!

 

My truck started a knocking/loud click after a frontend alignment, would only do it on good size bumps and hitting the brakes, had to put up with noise until I could get my buddy/mechanic to look at it.
After ten or twelve passes with him standing in the road, he figured out that the alignment cams on the lower control arms weren't tight enough, got a big wrench on the nut side and cranked them real tight and haven't heard noise since.

 

The other thing is if they replaced all those front end parts and tightened everything with no weight on them, that could cause your noise which would be hard to figure out.

 

Since it happened right after alignment I would suspect that right away. Mine was great after alignment and when it was doing it before I tried torquing them to the 100 ft/lb spec. Even went to 110 to no avail. I may double check that again but at this point I've almost gotten used to it and it seems to have no other effect. Thanks though but been there done that. I want to see what Drew comes up with especially since he replaced the LCA's and still has it!

 

Yeah we will see once I can get my buddy over to rock the truck up and down with me under it putting my hands on everything. I’m stumped because the lcas are new, shocks/coils are new, UCA bushings and uniballs are new, wheel bearings new, so I just don’t know what it could be. Tired of throwing parts, and money at this dam thing. Hope I can figure it out and when I do I’ll be sure to update

 

dude, rebuild yours. You can get the ball joints and bushings for cheap. if you get them on Amazon warehouse, they are even cheaper. I rebuilt some for a friend, spent like 9 bucks on each bushing (warehouse) and like 10 bucks on ball joints (warehouse). went to a machine shop (don't try to change bushings yourself, it takes a long time and you need to burn them out and they cost like 30 bucks each bushing to remove and install. to have them press the ball joint was like 20 bucks. so i got rebuilt LCA's with all mooog shit for less than the new moog one. I have seen the moog one they sell for the taco's. the Toyota one is better (metal and workmanship) . the ball joint is serviceable too (comes with grease zerk). totally worth it

 

Thanks, I thought about that but I need it to be a quick turnaround as its my only vehicle right now and I would do just that to the originals and put them on the shelf. BTW I've heard that using the Moog bushings in the OEM LCA is not good, but using the whole assembly is okay? If/When I rebuilt the originals I will use OEM bushings. I've had them apart a couple of times and greased the hardware so that should be all good still. When I did have them apart last everything looked good so I dont know if thats the problem anyway. I think I will try torquing the cam bolts again because I don't think I did that after the last alignment?

 

Yeah I understand. If it makes a difference, i spoke with the shops prior and made and appointment. Brought them down and within 2 or 3 hours, everything was done. Just had to get a ride from a friend who was helping me do the repair. If u have someone that can take you, it becomes a quick, easy, and better solution than the replacements you were looking at. To be safe, I bought new alignment bolts. Get the genuine toyota ones. The aftermarket (moog) ones suck ass imo. When you put everything back together, just slap a bunch of anti sieze on the bolts only and it will always come back apart. Have a skill saw ready in case the old bolts are seized on and won't come out. I had to chop a few off in the past.

TLDR Rebuilt is better than the moog replacements. If you plain correctly, u can get them rebuilt in a few hours for less than buying sub par replacements.

 

I think I’ve found the source of my noise..... ac hardline mount. Tightened it up and haven’t heard the noise when I bounce the truck up and down..

 

Very good. One loose bolt huh? Is that looking down at it or from underneath? All that hardware you replaced. Anyway glad you found it. On mine I doubled checked the LCA cam bolts and one was a bit loose. Probably took a half a turn to get to 100ft/lb. Its better now but still if I hit the dip hard I still hear a slight click. I'm sure my LCA bushings are pretty shot by now? 6 years and 75k mi. Maybe I'l just slow down over the infamous dip that always shows it? LOL

 

Anyone try the SPC cam bolt kit headstrong sells for 30$ I ordered one and am wondering if it's any better than moog.

 

I went with oem - replaced all the alignment hardware and coated them with a dry film lube then prothane supergrease. Haven't had any issues since my last alignment and there is no signs of rust on them after 1.5 winters.

 

I will be installing these LCA's and rebuilding the OEM's as well. This thread is great.

I made some racks for my DR650 and found some great advice for coating. Find some appliance paint in the color you desire, and a good primer (I prefer zinc additives for anti-corrosion). I used this combination on my exposed racks and they are holding up beautifully.

On a side note: Thanks everyone for contributing to this thread. I cannot be without my truck in the event a repair goes wrong, so knowing a drop-in lca is an option is Huge for me.

 

Awesome. Take a few pics along the way and post up when its all done.

 

The install went great, I just wished I hadn't planned on changing my entire front suspension in 1.5 days. It was a tough marathon.

I did notice someone in these forums suggested a Diablo carbide sawzall blade.... and they are my hero. That blade made cutting out the LCAs a breeze.

 

FYI if you are planning an install as soon as they arrive.

I ordered Moog part

$112 RK621294 Suspension Control Arm and Ball Joint Assembly front left lower

RK621294 and

$123 RK621293 Suspension Control Arm and Ball Joint Assembly front right lower

RK621293 from rockauto. The RK621293 box had a RK621294 arm in it. Now I have 2 left lcas . I'm returning the duplicate now and hoping for the right one by next week.

I saw a review on Amazon that said the same thing happened there so I guess it's a Moog problem not rockauto.

 

Wow, that is strange, I had the same mixup as well. The return process was seamless via the website... I just hope the refund process goes smooth as well.

If this happened to anyone else: I had no choice but to get an immediate replacement from Autozone. The Duralast LCA they sold me appears identical to the Moog except for the stamped part number (which was similar itself). The only problem... it was nearly $200. Ouch.

 

More than likely stoners at the moog factory? Hmm hopefully they'll get that resolved soon by pulling them off the shelves and checking each one.

 

I got my replacement today and it's the correct one. It wasn't in a Moog box, just a bag with the part number stapled to it. It was poorly packaged and FedEx had to reseal it. Luckily they protect the ball joint with a cap so there isn't much chance of damage.

 

Same exact thing happened to me from Rockauto. Then I ordered one to the advance-auto store near me and it happened again. So Moog must have messed up a pallet of these because I ordered 3 rights and on one was “right”.