LCA Bushings need replacing.

[mrtifftiff]

My LCA bushings need replacing on both sides. I just called the dealership for a quote and they only replace the whole LCA running at $900(including labor) a side. Holy hell. At that price I might as well get all new TC LCAs. Replacing them myself is way beyond anything I would be capable or comfortable trying. Has anyone paid a shop to replace just the bushing and how much did it cost? I really want to avoid spending $2000 in new parts if possible.

Edit: I have an Icon lift up front

 

[Engineer]

Sorry I can't help with costs but I am curious as to how many miles you have on the truck. I would not have expected they would fail on 13' so soon.

 

[mrtifftiff]

Sorry I can't help with costs but I am curious as to how many miles you have on the truck. I would not have expected they would fail on 13' so soon.

Just shy of 50,000 miles; ~42,000 post Icon lift. I have put a lot of rough miles on my truck. Between low and slow miles throughout Utah and bombing down forest roads in Washington, I am not surprised something has failed. Upgrading the LCAs is the wiser thing to do but financially it is a terrifying prospect. I would much rather replace the bushings and adjust how I drive than drop $2000+ on new parts and labor.

 

[Engineer]

Just shy of 50,000 miles; ~42,000 post Icon lift. I have put a lot of rough miles on my truck. Between low and slow miles throughout Utah and bombing down forest roads in Washington, I am not surprised something has failed. Upgrading the LCAs is the wiser thing to do but financially it is a terrifying prospect. I would much rather replace the bushings and adjust how I drive than drop $2000+ on new parts and labor.

Thanks that helps put it into context, hope someone else on here can give some input.

 

[Jeremy556]

What makes you think the LCA bushings are shot?

MSRP on OEM LCAs is $372 and 2.8 hours per side (I guess your dealer charges $190 per hour...)
TC LCAs are $850 and the same labor per side

 

[wfo9]

You can also replace the bushings for about $80 (without labor)
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=8.3128

You need to know what you are doing though. Requires heating and an arbor press... Been done plenty of times on FJs. Should be the same parts....

Here is a thread to reference that describes one way to remove/install the new bushing. (he burned the old rubber out with a torch). I think this is what I would do to save some bucks.
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...ch/393657-energy-suspension-lca-bushings.html

And here are the instructions.
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/Installation_Instructions/Energy_Suspension/17535.pdf

I'm probably going to do this as soon as mine start making some noise. Looks easy.

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

I am thinking mine are going back too. But I have 75k miles. I will go with the Total Chaos LCAs so that it is easier to replace the bushings down the road if need be. Yes they are pricey but to have the bushing pressed out of the lowers is quite an endeavor too.

 

[Keemonrunnin]

My LCA bushings need replacing on both sides. I just called the dealership for a quote and they only replace the whole LCA running at $900(including labor) a side. Holy hell. At that price I might as well get all new TC LCAs. Replacing them myself is way beyond anything I would be capable or comfortable trying. Has anyone paid a shop to replace just the bushing and how much did it cost? I really want to avoid spending $2000 in new parts if possible.

Edit: I have an Icon lift up front

I am thinking mine are going back too. But I have 75k miles. I will go with the Total Chaos LCAs so that it is easier to replace the bushings down the road if need be. Yes they are pricey but to have the bushing pressed out of the lowers is quite an endeavor too.

How are you finding out that the LCA are shot(besides the dealer saying so)or what are the indications of the LCA bushings going bad?

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

I am getting and have had a popping sound upon accelerating and some times turning. I have eliminated all other culprits. Plus I have been wanting to go with the TC LCAs for a while now.

 

[wfo9]

What makes you think the LCA bushings are shot?

MSRP on OEM LCAs is $372 and 2.8 hours per side (I guess your dealer charges $190 per hour...)
TC LCAs are $850 and the same labor per side

$850? I thought they were more like 1500 a set. Maybe I'm looking at different ones. link?

 

[Jeremy556]

$850? I thought they were more like 1500 a set. Maybe I'm looking at different ones. link?

I rounded up to the nearest $50 based on the price listed on TC website $1679.59, but I also used Toyota MSRP, which is much higher than you should actually pay.

 

[mrtifftiff]

How dangerous is it to drive around with bad bushing? My trail grapplers have less than 10,000 miles left in them so I am not concerned about uneven tread wear. I've decided that I am just going to bite the bullet and get TC LCAs but I am moving 1,200 miles and this is an expense that I didn't build into my budget. Am I risking catostrophic failure driving at freeway speeds for 1,200 miles? FML. My credit card is going to love me.

 

[wfo9]

I rounded up to the nearest $50 based on the price listed on TC website $1679.59, but I also used Toyota MSRP, which is much higher than you should actually pay.

Gotcha, you meant 850/ea. I started thinking that was not bad... I would probably change the bushings vs spending that much. Then again, its only money vs time and possible frustration. Always a hard trade-off to make.

 

[mrtifftiff]

What makes you think the LCA bushings are shot?

MSRP on OEM LCAs is $372 and 2.8 hours per side (I guess your dealer charges $190 per hour...)
TC LCAs are $850 and the same labor per side

The mechanic that my family has been using for the past 20 years told me the bushing needed to be replaced. Then I called the dealership for a quote. I knew something was wrong because I get weird sounds and vibrations; particularly when slowing down. Not the normal uniball pops but the kind of vibrations that reach your seat/butt cheeks that you know shouldn't be happening. TBH, I am not a gear head by any stretch of the imagination. I had to look up what bushings were when I got home from the mechanic. Looked under my car and to my untrained eye, I couldn't see anything wrong.

 

[wfo9]

How dangerous is it to drive around with bad bushing? My trail grapplers have less than 10,000 miles left in them so I am not concerned about uneven tread wear. I've decided that I am just going to bite the bullet and get TC LCAs but I am moving 1,200 miles and this is an expense that I didn't build into my budget. Am I risking catostrophic failure driving at freeway speeds for 1,200 miles? FML. My credit card is going to love me.

Don't take this as a very educated answer, but if it is just making noise.... common sense would say you have nothing to really worry about.

If it is driving funny then I would fix it first.

Rubber bushings tend to not catastrophically fail. But my only skin in this game is :keyboard: YMMV

 

[wfo9]

The mechanic that my family has been using for the past 20 years told me the bushing needed to be replaced. Then I called the dealership for a quote. I knew something was wrong because I get weird sounds and vibrations; particularly when slowing down. Not the normal uniball pops but the kind of vibrations that reach your seat/butt cheeks that you know shouldn't be happening. TBH, I am not a gear head by any stretch of the imagination. I had to look up what bushings were when I got home from the mechanic. Looked under my car and to my untrained eye, I couldn't see anything wrong.

This is easy, go to your mechanic and see what he would charge to replace the bushing via the instructions (pdf link) I posted. It might not cost you much at all. Seems like a no brainier option to me.

 

[Jeremy556]

The mechanic that my family has been using for the past 20 years told me the bushing needed to be replaced. Then I called the dealership for a quote. I knew something was wrong because I get weird sounds and vibrations; particularly when slowing down. Not the normal uniball pops but the kind of vibrations that reach your seat/butt cheeks that you know shouldn't be happening. TBH, I am not a gear head by any stretch of the imagination. I had to look up what bushings were when I got home from the mechanic. Looked under my car and to my untrained eye, I couldn't see anything wrong.

I would check that your LCA bolts are torqued down correctly, then get a second opinion, based on your symptoms, and not indicating suspected LCA bushings.

Using a large screw driver or prybar, the OEM bushings are pretty flexible front to rear, which may be the basis of your mechanic's diagnosis, but it is normal. I don't recall exactly how easy it is to see around the LCA mounts, but this type of bushing usually displays visible signs of failure in the form of cracking, tearing, or dry rot.

 

[adam2562]

did any of you get rattling up front that turned out to be your LCA's?

 

[Jeremy556]

did any of you get rattling up front that turned out to be your LCA's?

I had slop in my steering and a bunch of bad noises that I eventually tracked down to worn out UCA bushings. At full droop on stands, everything was tight, but when I lifted from the LCA, putting the UCA in normal alignment, there was movement. I was very close to replacing my steering rack before I pulled my head out of my ass and inspected the suspension at normal ride height.

My KDSS bushings had also worn out by 100k miles, and replacing those got rid of some random noises.

 

[mrtifftiff]

I was told that my wheels were shifting back and forth when slowing which was causing my tires to wear unevenly. I will be getting a second opinion in the coming days and I will update.

Edit: Also, my steering wheel will oscillate(rapid 1/8" in either direction) when traveling 30-60mph. It smooths out when I go any faster. I initially thought it was a symptom of my rim cap be busted(unbalanced weight) but I admittedly have no idea what I'm talking about.