Alignment and Control Arm Bushing Questions

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Luciendar21

New member
I just got some new tires mounted on my 4Runner (see thread here). I had the tire shop perform a 4 wheel alignment to correct some fairly serious alignment issues. When I went to pick the truck up, the tire shop informed me that they were unable to complete several aspects of the alignment.

According to them (and it is reasonable what they claim), the jam nuts on the tie rods are frozen and could not be broken loose, so toe and steering angle are off considerably. They were also limited in their ability to adjust the eccentrics. They claim to have tried mild heat, but did not pursue it at length due to fear of melting bushings.

So long story short, I am probably going to have to replace control arms or control arm bushings, tie rod ends, and possibly the eccentric bolts. I'm looking for any suggestions on unfreezing these bolts or replacing bushings.

Are poly bushings worth pursuing?

I should buy a ball joint/bushing press and that should be all I need, right?
 
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Luciendar21 said:
I just got some new tires mounted on my 4Runner (see thread here). I had the tire shop perform a 4 wheel alignment to correct some fairly serious alignment issues. When I went to pick the truck up, the tire shop informed me that they were unable to complete several aspects of the alignment.

According to them (and it is reasonable what they claim), the jam nuts on the tie rods are frozen and could not be broken loose, so toe and steering angle are off considerably. They were also limited in their ability to adjust the eccentrics. They claim to have tried mild heat, but did not pursue it at length due to fear of melting bushings.

So long story short, I am probably going to have to replace control arms or control arm bushings, tie rod ends, and possibly the eccentric bolts. I'm looking for any suggestions on unfreezing these bolts or replacing bushings.

Are poly bushings worth pursuing?

I should buy a ball joint/bushing press and that should be all I need, right?
Click to expand...

Hope they didn't charge you. They have two places they can adjust and both are seized. So they should not have charged. Buy a really good penetrating oil. Spray them daily for a week or two and smack then with a hammer careful not to damage anything. Then get large breaker bar and try to break them free. I had same issue. Had to cut LCA bolts out.
 
The tie rod nuts on mine were frozen too, but I gave the shop the go ahead to use a torch on them (only singed the rack boots a bit). I also had to cut my lca eccentrics out, but I greased the new ones going in. Do yourself a favor and get the whole oem lca, replacing just the bushings was a MAJOR pain (had to burn and air chisel them out) and some people have had alignment and bushing issues with aftermarket.
 
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2 things.

First, I never met a tie rod jam nut I couldn't get off with a little heat and 2 24" pipe wrenches.

Second, the 1st 2 times I took my 1st 4Runner to get aligned, both shops tried turning the eccentrics without loosening the cambolts and flattened out the gussets. Are they saying they're all frozen? I had one frozen and just as JayRolla said, it had to be cut out. Personally, I would get under there, mark the cam position. Then lift up one side at a time until almost all the weight is off the axle, then loosen the cams from the front (the part that looks like a regular bolt head) and turn them from the other side (the inside of the LCA - both cam adjusters face each other on the inner part of the LCA) You should be able to turn it around and around although, for alignment purposes, you only turn it from 0 to 180 degrees with the notches up. If a cam is frozen in the bushing you can feel it bind and want to "bounce" back to the same position unless the bushing rubber is unattached from the inner sleeve then it will just turn but wont move the LCA in or out, which is what the eccentrics do.
 
Remember, only one side of the eccentrics will turn as mentioned above.

Find yourself some 12"-18" pipe wrenches on eBay. I'm partial to Proto brand wrenches. Get yourself a torch and Mapp gas, the Benzomatic TS4000 is an amazing torch, and my most commonly used tool. You'll have em loosened up in no time.
 
Interesting points. I have some pipe wrenches, I'll give those a try, and I have a MAP Pro torch (BZ8250HT). Putting it up on stands ends up being a whole day procedure, but I'll have to give this a try next week.

In the meantime, I'll soak it in WD-40 once a day.
 
WD-40 isn't a very good penetrant, it's thicker. PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench will give better results.

I used to use WD-40 on everything until I used a true penetrant and hardly ever use WD-40 again (although it does block rust quite well and lubricate mechanical parts).
 
gamefreakgc said:
WD-40 isn't a very good penetrant, it's thicker. PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench will give better results.

I used to use WD-40 on everything until I used a true penetrant and hardly ever use WD-40 again (although it does block rust quite well and lubricate mechanical parts).
Click to expand...

Is that so... seems I've been misled and misinformed. Good to know.
 
JayRolla said:
Research ATF acetone mix. 50/50. They say it's the best penetrator. I've never tried it.
Click to expand...

Something even better is a candle. Heat those bolts up (a lot), and hold a candle against the threads as they enter the nut. The heat will draw the wax in, and break the rust free. Learned this from my father in-law years ago, and it's never failed.
 
MStudt said:
Something even better is a candle. Heat those bolts up (a lot), and hold a candle against the threads as they enter the nut. The heat will draw the wax in, and break the rust free. Learned this from my father in-law years ago, and it's never failed.
Click to expand...

That's not a bad idea. I'm always afraid to use a torch after using penetrant since I don't want to light my 4Runner and garage on fire.
 
gamefreakgc said:
That's not a bad idea. I'm always afraid to use a torch after using penetrant since I don't want to light my 4Runner and garage on fire.
Click to expand...

A penetrating oil like PB Blaster won't catch on fire. If you're using something like WD-40 that will catch on fire.
 
The best in a can is Kroil. Costly, but worth every penny. It will catch on fire. Using such and an impact yields the best results for me.

I have used a candle a few times. When it works it works well but you have to get the bolt very hot. Also it seems that older candles work better to draw the bolt out.
 
LittleCaesar said:
The best in a can is Kroil. Costly, but worth every penny. It will catch on fire. Using such and an impact yields the best results for me.

I have used a candle a few times. When it works it works well but you have to get the bolt very hot. Also it seems that older candles work better to draw the bolt out.
Click to expand...

That is the best money can buy. Lab tests showed the acetone ATF mix works even better. Way cheaper.
 
If the tie rods are old and busted I would replace them since you're getting an alignment anyway. Check to see if the boots are ripped or if there's play in the wheel. No point in putting all that effort/kroil/PB/wd40/wax into a broken part. Coat the new set in anti-seize.
 
MStudt said:
A penetrating oil like PB Blaster won't catch on fire. If you're using something like WD-40 that will catch on fire.
Click to expand...



Ohh it catches fire with too much heat. Found that out pulling a flywheel from an Evinrude outboard. Not nearly as easy at WD-40 but it is flammable.


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