Curse you LCA bushings!!!

[BigFishAllDay]

I'm so glad I didn't have to fight this battle... mine came out pretty clean... :moon:

There is more fun in store for you... getting the old bushings out of the arms. These are mine as they sit today. Everything is removed, and ready for the new Whitelines...

I used the stock bottle jack to push the majority of each bushing out of the LCA. The bushing will tear and most of it will come out, attached to the inner metal sleeve. I recommend putting a big washer in between the head of the jack and the bushing, otherwise the head of the jack can get stuck in the control arm, bound up by the rubber leftover around the sides from the bushing.

Just toss the stock inner sleeves. They get re-used with the ES kit, but not with the Whitelines (I cleaned mine up and kept them because I had considered going with the ES kit). Then get a propane torch and heat the outside surface of the LCA surrounding the bushing area. Apply heat until you can hear a sizzle... once you get the sizzle, that's all you need. The bond between rubber and metal will be broken and you can scrape out the remainder of the rubber with a screwdriver, etc.

The sawzall will be your best friend for removing the outer bushing sleeves from the LCA... Get a metal blade, secure the arm in a vice or with some clamps and go to town. BE CAREFUL not to cut through the sleeve and into the LCA. The sleeves are only about 1/16" thick and you'll get through them fast with a good metal blade. I could tell when I was through the sleeve by looking at the cut line every couple of seconds. When it went from shiny metal to brown/dirty/rusty metal I knew I was through the sleeve.

Last but not least, the Whiteline's are a nice product. I'll be installing my set next week...

 

[danthemanx07]

Dude... Your experience sounds EXACTLY like mine. Haha - here is my thread on the debacle http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/148071-my-hate-northern-runners-runs-ever-deeper.html

I ended up destroying one of my LCAs to get it off. As suggested, the air hammer may do the trick. I did not have one at the time. I ended up cutting the LCA into 3 pieces with a 6 or 7 inch cutting wheel. The problem I encountered when I tried to just cut out the sleeve was the diameter of the wheel necessary to get to the sleeve wouldnt get there without cutting into other things, IIRC. You may give this a try though to check my memory.

Another thing I did not try is a sawzall from the side to through the sleeve.

If you go with trying to cut the sleeve, you will likely have to make two cuts on each sleeve. to get the arm off.

Overall - this is HUGE f-ing pain in the a$$. There is no good way to get the things out when they are seized like this.

If you do end up cutting the sleeves, I think I have spares that I pulled with some LCAs at my local u-pull it yard. The Cam bolts are expensive from the dealer I think.

Lastly, ditch the energy bushings for the Whitelines - I installed them in mine recently. Another PITA.

Heat up the circular housing of each of the rubber bushings with a torch and push out ALL of the rubber. There should be nothing left but the inner metal sleeve that surrounds the bushing. If you don't get all the bushing material out, it with snag on the blade of a sawzall and make cutting the sleeve out difficult. Also because it will obstruct your view of your cutting depth.

Once the rubber is all out, CAREFULLY cut the sleeve with a sawzall as described above. You can likely get them out with one cut, but to makes it much easier. Once you cuts are made, knock the sleeves out with a hammer and chisel.

The Whitelines go in pretty easily. Lube them up with grease and knock them in with a 3-4lb dead blow hammer.

All in all - if you are like me - this is crap you need to do to the Runner, so grin and bear it, and you will be happy with the results.

Here is my LCA bushing replacement thread - http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/157347-lower-control-arm-bushing-replacement-using-whiteline-bushings-need-some-help.html. It obviously needs a little completing.

 

[1blink]

I suppose you are talking about a hack saw blade... I'm thinking my dewalt sawzaw may have an opinion about this...:lightsaber:

I tried a the sawzall method first with some good Milwakee metal blades. The cam sleeves are just too hard. Didn't seem like I was getting anywhere.

 

[Gerdo]

AIR CHISEL !!!!
Quick and easy.

 

[Scotty_h]

My Whiteline bushings arrived on Friday and I am waiting for the YOTA cams and sleeves to come in the mail soon. I'm glad that I've had to wait this long as all the info provided to me will come into play I'm sure. I need to go to Lexington, KY tonight (Go CATS,) so I will likely start this tomorrow... or sometime this week depending on how tonight goes.

Thanks all, I'll keep you posted.

 

[cdrewferd]

I'll be ordering my Whitelines soon. This makes me appreciate my always in Colorado 4Runner. I removed the LCA's very easily when I did my lift. Tried to replace the bushings at that time, but the dealer got me the wrong ones.

 

[Scotty_h]

so yesterday I broke into the swing of things and got onto the deconstruction. I received from toyota, new cams, sleeves, back faces and bolts for a new, cleam installation.

As Gerdo advised, I popped the lobes off of the siezed sleeve and got to chiseling on the passenger side. (with such great advice for the ready, maybe I need to track down a 'Lil Skip) The steering rack gave some issue and I had to drop it from it's place from ALL of it's bolts to reach the cam bolts. Proceeded to air chisel the p*ss out of these sleeves until I folded them in enough or broke them enough to fit out of the LCA frame bracket. Front and rear.



The driver side came out without a hitch, but would prove greatly siezed with the bushing to the LCA. The truck dismantled... :gun4: BTW at this point, 4 hours work to get to figuring out that I needed to cut, 6 hours finalized both LCA removals.... ya know, FYI



I torched and pressed with the jack but only 1 of the 4 bushings came out with my efforts. I decided to call last night done with the truck tore down and the LCA's to be dropped at the shop while I went to work today.



My guy with the press was stoked to get in pieces and not a full vehicle, so he turned the work out by 4 and cut me a friendly break on the price for $40. :naughty: I suppose, since he's helped me put on my bumper, winch, heated out stripped bolts from my manifold and pressed my rear axles together, he may have been relieved that we were just talking bushings.

BUT he did have to cut out the final 2 bushings from the driver control arm...

Crummy picture, but folded in outer bushing sleeves... See pressed in Whitelines...

Some assembly required...



One side finished tonight with UBJ to replace... more tomorrow:moon:

 

[danthemanx07]

Looking good. Haha. I had to do this in the parking lot of the apartment I was living in at the time without air tools... In August... In New Orleans. Average for the week was close to 100 - haha, and I was wondering why I was sweating so much... You have a much beeter setup than I did.

Strange - my whiteline bushings did not come with those large washers. The bushings were very tight against the LCA mount without any washers. Let us know whether you end up using them or not.

 

[Scotty_h]

Strange - my whiteline bushings did not come with those large washers. The bushings were very tight against the LCA mount without any washers. Let us know whether you end up using them or not.

the installation required those washers. I even had to flare out my LCA brakets on the truck with a cresent wrench to get one of them to fit. (Maybe a touch bent from use) The cam bolt will easily draw it back together. That metal is surprisingly thin and pliable.

 

[danthemanx07]

the installation required those washers. I even had to flare out my LCA brakets on the truck with a cresent wrench to get one of them to fit. (Maybe a touch bent from use) The cam bolt will easily draw it back together. That metal is surprisingly thin and pliable.

Interesting... The bushing kit that I ordered has been discontinued since I bought it a few months ago and replaced by another part number. I wonder if that is what the change included.

 

[Scotty_h]

Spent the past hour and half hours heating and hammering... anyone with aftermarket UCA's try to remove this disk?



PITA,

Dantheman, Not sure, seems like those washers are kind of needed to protect the bushings, maybe your kit was designed a little different. I wouldnt' sweat it though. Espeially not enough to redo the freakin job

 

[Jumpkix]

Got it tore down with a hanging LCA in no time, but have been BATTLING the sleeve that connects the two cam lobes. I've heated, hammered, pressed and cursed at these d#*@, piece of rusty garbage bull s*%$, dog licking, monkey turd, no good, sorry sack of corrosion, Hallellujah and holy s#$% !.. Where's the Tylenol?

Christmas Vacation. Hi five.

 

[Jumpkix]

Got it tore down with a hanging LCA in no time, but have been BATTLING the sleeve that connects the two cam lobes. I've heated, hammered, pressed and cursed at these d#*@, piece of rusty garbage bull s*%$, dog licking, monkey turd, no good, sorry sack of corrosion, Hallellujah and holy s#$% !.. Where's the Tylenol?

 

[Scotty_h]

Christmas Vacation. Hi five.

ding, ding, ding, winner. :first:

 

[Jumpkix]

ding, ding, ding, winner. :first:

Freakin' love that movie. Seriously quoted nonstop throughout the year.

 

[TCMach]

Spent the past hour and half hours heating and hammering... anyone with aftermarket UCA's try to remove this disk?

Why did you have to remove these? Putting them in is bad enough. Couldn't imagine taking them off. Also curious on your impression on the whitelines, I may need to do this unfortunately...

 

[Scotty_h]

Why did you have to remove these? Putting them in is bad enough. Couldn't imagine taking them off. Also curious on your impression on the whitelines, I may need to do this unfortunately...

Well.... Since my Upper Ball joints where so new I was thinking that the play I had experienced was on the spindle portion of the Ball joint. I figured that I would replace it as I had concerns of it "wallerin" out the taper. Upon removal, it seems that it was mostly my ball joint but the taper had been worn. So i removed it for replacement.

Whitelines.... for rust projects or removal of old factory bushings that may be siezed... the ONLY way to go. The only bushing that got pushed out and not cut out had the outer sleeve breaking down. It was the only one that didn't have to be folded in on itself. I think complete replacement for a thorough job is well worth the extra $30 difference.

Now... just found a hairline through this hoop. In the market for a fast new steering knuckle... hooray,

 

[txbonds]

Well.... Since my Upper Ball joints where so new I was thinking that the play I had experienced was on the spindle portion of the Ball joint. I figured that I would replace it as I had concerns of it "wallerin" out the taper. Upon removal, it seems that it was mostly my ball joint but the taper had been worn. So i removed it for replacement.

Now... just found a hairline through this hoop. In the market for a fast new steering knuckle... hooray,

Hey bro, hope the drivers side steering knuckle assembly from my 97 helps out. Per our conversations I'll get it boxed tomorrow and let you know on the shipping timeline. I'm guessing about 2 days for FedEx ground but will keep you posted.

Talk to you in the morn.

 

[Scotty_h]

Hey bro, hope the drivers side steering knuckle assembly from my 97 helps out. Per our conversations I'll get it boxed tomorrow and let you know on the shipping timeline. I'm guessing about 2 days for FedEx ground but will keep you posted.

Talk to you in the morn.

You sir, are a champion. Thanks for the help to get me back on my way....:clap2:

I guess removing that puck was a less than great thing for the life of that knuckle. Big hammer won...:boom: The puck COULD have been salvaged maybe, but I'm trying to build a truck that I don't have in the shop for another 50,000... Ya know... Unless I buy something for it :naughty:

 

[txbonds]

You sir, are a champion. Thanks for the help to get me back on my way....:clap2:

I guess removing that puck was a less than great thing for the life of that knuckle. Big hammer won...:boom: The puck COULD have been salvaged maybe, but I'm trying to build a truck that I don't have in the shop for another 50,000... Ya know... Unless I buy something for it :naughty:

Is that puck from a LR UCA? I have some spare ones of those if you need one that had about 10k miles on them I think. NateMob included them with the arms when I bought them.