Lower control arm replacement

Hello,

Taking my ‘02 Tacoma into the shop to do some repair work; and he mentioned $1000 to replace the lower control arms with OEM Toyota arms. Does this make sense?

Also, I’m looking to do a total replacement of suspension with maybe Bilstein 5100’s. Do you guys know of a good kit for this? Also what I should expect to pay for labor?

It’s a 4x4 car so I assume I need some extra parts in the 4x4 kit?

Lastly, would a suspension replacement require upper control arm replacement?

Thanks all

 

Question; why would the lower control arms need replacing?

One thing that does need attention every 100k miles are your lower ball joints; use factory-only LBJ.

A youtube video will give you an easy way to diagnose them.

In fact, youtube and this forum will help you do anything you need to on your truck.

An upper control arm would only require replacing if you opt to lift the front of your vehicle for over 2.5" due to CV angles and camber/caster.

 

Nope. What are they trying to accomplish.

Individual parts are widely available across several sites. Low range offroad, Downsouth Motorsports, Wheelers Offroad are popular here.

Well the upper COntrol Arm is a suspension component. So to perform a "Suspension replacement" you would need to replace the upper control arm.

Again, what issue are you trying to solve?

 

Here's one regarding the removal/replacement of the arms. You really only need to follow part of it for your lower ball joints if that's all that's needing attention -

http://www.bajataco.com/tech/control_arms_01.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abCCqMt2nM0

Next up, a quick walk-through of a suspension install -

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-gen-suspension-install.55486/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35V_l2Y8w_U

 

Oh, the lower ball joint on the LCA has worn out, so he recommended I replace the entire control arm. I definitely don’t have the time to do this myself so I am forced to go to a shop.

He did not mention that the LCA itself was worn though, just the ball joint.

With respect to the suspension, my current one rides bad and I thought I’d just do a replacement of the coil overs and all before I start off roading.

 

Seems like the ball joints are worn and need to be replaced. I assume he wanted to replace both while we were at it.

 

Watch the videos I linked, and you'll get an idea of how non-labor intensive the work is.

From there, you'll see that you don't need to replace the lower control arms if really only the ball joints need replacing.

While you're at it, look at the OME Nitrochargers+EMU Dakar springs or Bilstein 5100's+EMU Dakar's if you're looking for all-new suspension (without breaking the bank).

 

That's just putting coin in the mechanic's pocket. Unless your Lower Control Arm bushings are wasted, no need to replace them.

If the lower ball joints need to be replaced, REPLACE THEM. They should've been replaced under recall by toyota. You can google "tacoma lower ball joint recall" and you'll find the whole story on 'why'. The lower ball joints are fairly easy to replace. Multiple videos online for that and lots of info here. You could easily knock it out in an afternoon even if you take your time. We have Camelback Toyota in Arizona - their parts guru hangs out here and will take care of you on parts and shipping. Excellent outfit to do business with. You can reach out to him by direct message @gunny1005

If you do replace them yourself, be sure to order new bolts as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfLvtEnX9qk

 

Now that I remember, He mentioned that the bushings were worn out as well. So I don’t know that I can get away with just replacing the ball joints.

Now I just need to grab the right suspension with a 3 inch lift. Hearing good things about Billy’s and Dakar’s... let me know if you see a good kit!

 

The Bilsteins or OME's with Dakar's are the kit to get.

For more wheel travel/control/articulation, you start getting into the other manufacturer's such as Fox, Icon, ADS, and King. It gets quite expensive when you add all the supporting mods such as spindles, control arms, relocation of shocks, etc.

 

I'd still be very suspicious about taking the mechanic at his word and replacing the LCAs. I have 160k on my tacoma and still have the original LCAs without issue.

As for kits, @Kwikvette mentioned OME... Old Man Emu is a good performing kit for our trucks. @Wheeler's Off-Road Inc is an awesome outfit to do business with and they helped answer many of the questions I had when I was shopping around for a suspension kit. Reach out to them via direct message or give them a call and ask for Josh. Here is their OME product page for our trucks - It is totally do-able to install it yourself. A helper would come in handy with the leaf packs but its possible to do it on your own. Most shops are going to charge 600-800 to install it for you (at least those are the estimates I received). I ended up doing it myself to save the coin.

Also, depending on what size tires (if you're sticking with stock 265/70 or 265/75s, you should be ok) you plan to run, you might need to replace the upper control arms and go with an aftermarket solution. SPC is one choice and something to look at (i'm running them now and have no complaints). Lots of videos and threads which detail the install process of the suspension components. For the most part, the toyota FSM is going to be your buddy when nailing down the overall process/steps to install.

 

Would I need a special 4x4 suspension for my truck? So many options online and it’s hard to pinpoint

Also, does the Dakar option refer to the leaf spring?

 

No special equipment; you have a 4x4 so you'll see suspension items listed as being compatible with both 4x4, and Prerunner. Don't let this confuse you, you don't need anything extra.

Dakar's refer to Old Man Emu's leaf springs.

A lot of people opt to replace their tired out leaf springs on their 1st gen Tacoma's because they're most likely factory, and have a ton of miles on them already. For example, I've got 240k miles and they're FLAT.

Once you decide on a kit, you'll only need small odds and ends such as bushings/sleeves. These are needed for when you install your leaf springs on your shackles (the rear part of the leaf spring that connects to the frame).

You'll also need a u-bolt kit, which mounts your leaf springs to your axle.

Someone could chime in here but, would the OP need extended bump stops? I know I will based on the extended and compressed lengths of my Fox 2.0 rear shocks with OME Dakar leaf springs, just not sure about the Bilstein or OME Nitrochargers.

 

Maybe a better question should be, what do you want to do with your tacoma? Do you take it offroad now? 4WD usage? Do you want to keep it at its stock ride height or do you want more ground clearance?

 

I bought it used, it’s got a 5.5inch lift at the moment but I’m looking to lower it to 3 inches to improve drivability.

Looking to continue off roading, but don’t expect to rock crawl (hence lowering it and switching from 35’s to 33’s.)

I figure 5100’s would be fine for this method.

 

Got it. Do it right. Suspension lift. OME full kit which will includes: Dakars, OME Greasable Shackles with bushings, U Bolts, Coils and Nitrochargers. Since you want to run 33s, you're going to need to go aftermarket for the UCAs. All of that is a nice pairing. Ride is smooth and should do what you want it to do. You'll also need to go with an aftermarket bumpstop for the dakars or drill your stock out (I went with Wheeler's super bumps). For the front, check out - https://www.toyotabumpstops.com/. He's here on the TW forum and has a quality product.

The above should put you around 2.5" - 3".

Also check out -
https://adventuretaco.com/what-size-tires-fit-my-lifted-tacoma/

Everyone has a preference here. Some prefer Bilstein (and before I went with OME, I had Bilstein), some prefer another manufacturer. As for the OME Kit, I wanted to keep it all OME so I went with Nitrochargers.

Hope this helps - good luck and welcome to TW.

 

Awesome. For the aftermarket UCAs should I go with the one you linked above for $600 or is there something else I should consider?

Also been trying to find a kit that includes everything I need... will this work?
https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/shop/...FqNXkTLu11p_p6p3T9Ynz1YRvJqPq2shoCOfUQAvD_BwE


Been told to grab Dakar’s for the rear, but I don’t see any option to do so in that drop down.

 

Give them a call tomorrow and ask for Josh. He'll help you pin down exactly which coil you should be on based on your truck, usage and expectations. They can also custom the kit for you if you are absolutely set on Bilstein shocks - at least I think they can. Give them a call and check.

In addition to Wheelers, LowRange Offroad and Headstrong Offroad offer similar packages. I'm just partial to Wheelers lol.

 

Decided to go with full OME setup... question for you.

The truck currently has about a 2 inch body lift. And a 2.5” suspension lift.

I’m trying to lower this thing about 2 inches.

In this case should I get the 881 springs for the front? It has a front metal bumper and a winch which both look heavy. It’s also a V6.

Looking for ride quality here... ive read other forums and a lot suggest 883 or 884 springs but so nce I’m not interested in getting a huge lift out of this, are 881’s best for ride quality?

 

Gave them a call. Would you mind taking a look at my comment above and see if you can advice on which spring I should get?

Thanks