Lower control arms problem

Hello, I been having trouble with my 01 tundra it makes squishy sound from the front. So I jacked up the truck , thinking its my upper ball joint but I noticed passenger side tire moves side to side. When I do it noticed the sound coming from the Lower control arm. I also noticed one side is moving at the bolt area is that normal?

 

No. I'm assuming you have a loose cam just like I did yesterday.

You may have to pull the skid plate off to tighten the cam bolt. 22mm at 97 ft.lbs. Schedule an alignment soon after you have that cam tightened.

 

Ok this bolt?

 

A cam bolt is what the tire shop is supposed to adjust to align your tires/suspension.

They are an eccentric bolt which when loosened, and adjusted will change the angle of your lower control arm, steering knuckle, and subsequently your tires contact with the road.

I can't find any right now, but youtube has decent videos explaining it. Perhaps @Professional Hand Model could take over from here and clear up any confusion caused by me.

 

I also noticed the wheel moves slightly side to side even when it's not jacked up..i checked the wheel lugs they are tight

 

Steering rack or tie rod issue.

 

For the tire that moves side to side?

 

That screw is not budging

 

The other side of that, yes.

That side in the picture is the cam plate. It turns the whole cam as one piece. The bolt is on the other side and screws into the plate.

 

There’s always a little bit of play but yes.

 

But there is a lot of squishy sounds coming from the arm

 

Are the rubber bushings shot?

 

My steering rack is pretty toast and it makes a creaking sound. It gets worse and I can feel it in the wheel when the weather warms up when turning slightly. I don't have much play in the rack though.

I'd assume if you're getting play from the wheel with the tire in the air when trying to turn the tire back and forth (not up and down) then it's tie rod ends, wheel bearing, steering rack, or ball joints. I'd say in that order unless you have no up and down play in the tire and then I'd assume the wheel bearing is alright.

Try spraying some lube on the sport you think is making noise and see if it changes or goes away. If you have grease fittings on your ball joints, try that too. If the noise goes away or changes then you've found the source.

 

Squishy sound makes me think lower arm bushings. Mine sounded like a hotel mattress, or like when a kid rubs a balloon on their head to make it stick to a wall.


Kids still do that right?

 

Yes it seems like the bushings are bad. Easy and cheap to change?

 

Depends on a few things. When I replaced mine I bought aftermarket lower arms that had new bushings in them. It wasn't too bad but does include taking just about every suspension part off the front end. If you live where rust is a thing it can require cutting the cam bolts off, worst case scenario.

It is a great time to replace lower ball joints. Its hard to get them disconnected from the lower arm without destroying them. Outer tie rods have to be disconnected. If cam bolts are damaged and cannot be reused, add them to the shopping list. A company called SPC makes a budget set of alignment bolts. Your parts cost will depends what you get and what brand you get. I think I paid around $120 each for Beck Arnley brand lower arms.

Here I had removed everything but the upper arms.


Here it is put back on, minus the coilovers, brakes, and swaybar

 

Seems like a lot of work

 

It is, but worth it. Older vehicles may not be your thing with what repair shops are charging nowadays.

 

Clearly the solution here is to pull everything and throw in a LT setup.

 

Yes. It is.

Knowing English is your Third Language (awesome) I can recommend you DIY or have someone Rebuild the front end. At 20 years old, she is tired.

Expect it to be High Dolla (very expensive in slang). Whats your Original Language?

 

It’s a rite of passage for a lot of the guys here!

We can easily walk you through it in case you run into issues. There are tool kits you can rent for free from Autozone, Advanced Auto, etc. to make the job easier. First step I recommend is to get a copy of the Toyota repair manual to assist in removal and replacement.

First question I have is there a lot of rust underneath? That will help to determine if you might need to cut out the LCAs (lower control arms). That would be the toughest problem to face.

 

No rust.

 

That’s good news because a lot of people have had to cut out their LCAs because the CAM alignment bolt was frozen in place, myself included. Less likely if there isn’t any rust.

 

Pashto and farsi

 

Oh wow. Are you still over there or did you immigrate here?

 

That is a big difference. With that background, I'd say you are pretty easy to understand.
So you like your v8 Hilux?

 

Its a cool truck. The brakes are giving me problems. How about you like your truck?