bent lower control arm

3

3bears

Senior Member
so a few days ago i slid off the road (ice) and had to get pulled out. we pulled it out using the tow hitch. since then I have noticed no difference in driving or anything....of course this time of year we rarely get above 40mph.
today I was chipping away some ice from under the rig and noticed that my passenger side rear lower control arm is now slightly bent ( must have hit something when I went off road)
is this going to be a problem and if so can it wait till spring when it gets up to 30 or so degrees and lay outside in the snow to fix or better yet... wait till the few weeks of "summer " we get to fix. no garage
but like I said...i have noticed not difference in driving
 
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3bears said:
so a few days ago i slid off the road (ice) and had to get pulled out. we pulled it out using the tow hitch. since then I have noticed no difference in driving or anything....of course this time of year we rarely get above 40mph.
today I was chipping away some ice from under the rig and noticed that my passenger side rear lower control arm is now slightly bent ( must have hit something when I went off road)
is this going to be a problem and if so can it wait till spring when it gets up to 30 or so degrees and lay outside in the snow to fix or better yet... wait till the few weeks of "summer " we get to fix. no garage
but like I said...i have noticed not difference in driving
Click to expand...
It’s not ideal, but it can wait until it gets warmer out. Worst case scenario it will cause some uneven tread wear if you find enough surface traction. It’s putting the other rear control arm bushings in a bind to a degree too.
 
Wouldn't worry about it like [MENTION=319302]Bad Luck[/MENTION] mentioned. As long as it's driving fine, I would wait until the weather is better.

When you do get around to doing it, I've got two videos that will help you out. Part 1 shows most of what you need, but I suspect based off where you live, one or both of your cam adjusters will be rusted and stuck inside the bushing sleeves. You'll need to cut them out. I would recommend having a couple cam adjusters on hand for this job so your rig isn't down for an extended amount of time waiting for parts. Part 2 covers how to cut them out and also shows another way to get the bushings out using a press. Good luck!

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Last edited:
If you can't feel any difference driving even the tire wear will be minimal Find a couple of used control arms and put new bushings in them. Then its a quick and easy swap if you do one side at a time. Just be aware that the rear control arms for the 96-97 were shaped differently, but i do not think the length was different
 
St Runner said:
If you can't feel any difference driving even the tire wear will be minimal Find a couple of used control arms and put new bushings in them. Then its a quick and easy swap if you do one side at a time. Just be aware that the rear control arms for the 96-97 were shaped differently, but i do not think the length was different
Click to expand...

96-97 work on all gens for the Lower. I am running a 97 arm on my 2001.

I had to cut my bolt off on the frame side, as the arm was so jammed up, it seized the bolt. even after getting it out, and on the bench, I could not separate the nut from the bolt.

Removing the donor arm from the parts truck was dead easy. I didn't even need a floor jack. Install was pretty easy. I just put the floor jack under the rear axle on that side, installed the arm to the Axle, the jacked up the axle until the arm lined up. Easy Peasy.
 
jross20 said:
Time to upgrade to beefy rear links!
Click to expand...

I 2nd this! Get the SPC links in my signature. If you're gonna lift and go off-road, the stock links aren't up to the task and the bushings will fail. I had 2 stock sets of rear lower arms fail over the years. And, as you've seen, they bend easily.

My .02
 
how does the SPC rear LCAs compare to those of Sonoran Steel?


Zhehan said:
I 2nd this! Get the SPC links in my signature. If you're gonna lift and go off-road, the stock links aren't up to the task and the bushings will fail. I had 2 stock sets of rear lower arms fail over the years. And, as you've seen, they bend easily.

My .02
Click to expand...
 
HiluxSurf SSR-G said:
how does the SPC rear LCAs compare to those of Sonoran Steel?
Click to expand...

Sonoran Steel Offerings:

1/4" thick Dom tubes, Poly bushings -

1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner - Heavy Duty Poly Bushing Rear Lower Links
– Sonoran Steel Fabrication LLC

Same tubes, stock rubber bushings -

1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner - Heavy Duty OEM Bushing Rear Lower Links
– Sonoran Steel Fabrication LLC

SPC Links:

3/16" thick DOM tubes, Heavy-Duty Rubber bushing on the frame side, xAxis Sealed flex joints on the axle side. Lifetime warranty.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...e7/specialty-products-control-arm/spp0/25945/

https://www.spcalignment.com/compon...Runner&year=2000 - 2000&from=USAFrom&to=USATo
 
NegroTundra said:
He bent the rear Timmy. Might link your rear LCA video....
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, good catch. I missed "Rear".

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