Rear end clicking

[McDeth]

I've been experiencing some clicking noises coming from the rear end of my 4runner upon stopping, starting and going over rough terrain. Upon further inspection I've noticed that the (what I believe are) control arm bushings that attach to the frame are shot and that the mounts themselves are shot too. The bolts somehow have managed to waddle out of their holes and have damaged the mounts and are letting the bushings themselves move back and forth inside of the mount. Not being an auto mechanic and also not having a repair manual for the car, is there any place that makes after market frame mounts for the rear control arms? Otherwise I'm looking at having to cut them off of a junked 4runner and then fabbing them to mine, which I am not looking forward to.

Also, are there any other sources for the actual bushings themselves? I had to buy two bushings for the front sway bar and Toyota gouged me for $150 bucks worth of parts.

 

[Nelsonmd]

If you don't have ready means to weld used mounts to your axle, then you could look into getting an entire rear end including control arms from a salvage yard.

Add your location to your profile, and your 4runner year and model in your sig. There are certain parts of the country that have lots of salvage yards, and if we know where you are, someone may have a line on a good rear end.

I think you might look into replacing the whole axle or just the housing anyway to avoid having to grind off and weld a new piece. Otherwise, be sure you find a good welder (not a mechanic/body shop that welds).

 

[McDeth]

If you don't have ready means to weld used mounts to your axle, then you could look into getting an entire rear end including control arms from a salvage yard.

It's not the mounts on the axle that are ruined, it's the mounts that are on the frame. Unfortunately, replacing the entire axle wouldn't really do anything.

Add your location to your profile, and your 4runner year and model in your sig. There are certain parts of the country that have lots of salvage yards, and if we know where you are, someone may have a line on a good rear end.

I'll do this. In the meantime, I'm located out of Fresno, CA and drive a 97 4Runner Limited with locking axle.

I think you might look into replacing the whole axle or just the housing anyway to avoid having to grind off and weld a new piece. Otherwise, be sure you find a good welder (not a mechanic/body shop that welds).

I got a quote from my local 4-Wheel parts for the job and they said it would take about 3 hours to do the job. They wanted ~400 for it which imho isn't too bad, but I still have to find the parts for them. Of course, the whole 4-Wheel parts thing doing the welding is sort of making me cringe because a lot of the people that work there look like they're fresh out of high school.

 

[Nelsonmd]

Oh, my mistake, yeah you will have to find new mounts to get welded on.

Honestly, $400 sounds pretty high. You should keep looking for a dedicated welding shop. Look for an old guy. I am sure there are young guys that are good at welding, but I wouldn't want to risk it on your frame unless you just can't find a better welder.

Anyone out there near fresno know of a good welder?



BTW, I remember reading a thread about someone who seriously jacked up their frame side control arm mounts, and ended up fixing them and beefing them up. You might search for that to see what they did. I don't remember if it was here, on yotatech, or maybe even ih8mud. Can anyone help me with that one?

 

[brian2sun]

How about some pics of the damage? Are the bolt holes just rounded out? If so (I'm guessing that's what it is), you can just drill holes into some small squares of plate steel (maybe ~3/16") and weld them to the outsides of the mounts. Or just weld washers to the outside. I wouldn't take your truck to 4WP to have them do fab work. They have a hard time taking tires on and off without damaging something.