GX4SEVEND
New member
This. Exactly what I did and don’t have issues with the squeaking now
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TC Lower Control Arm Poly Bushings
- Thread starter Spungus
- Start date
This. Exactly what I did and don’t have issues with the squeaking now
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
honda250xtitan
New member
Glad you got it sorted out. I fear itll be a constant maintenance issue though...the way these align with one LCA bolt adjusted differently than the other bolt the arm will never be sitting square inside the mounts. So the bushings will always be in some sort of bind. It just means itll wear out and need to be replaced which isnt a deal breaker but something to remember.
Jeremy556
New member
How long in time/miles?
Based on this thread, I ordered some prothane grease. I've been running squeaky TC UCAs for like 250k miles. Using superlube they are quiet for maybe a couple weeks, tops.
honda250xtitan
New member
my DK uppers use the same bushings, theyre silent, i use whatever grease i have in the grease gun for my Walker mower. lol. thats gotta be annoying
Deuxdiesel
New member
What was he using? I can't understand a damn thing he says.
rdruss
Senior Member
A reason I went with the cam bolt eliminator kit and keep both adjusted the same.
AirspeedX
New member
I'm having some similar frustrations.
Between the uniballs and bushings, I'm ready to go back to stock LCA's.
I'm using Lucas Red n Tacky but might switch to Amsoil as stated above. Anyone know if it would be ok to just start pumping it in and mix it with the Red n Tacky? At least until the next bushing replacement. I just changed the bushings (and in Canada they aren't the easiest to get for a decent price) and only a few months later Im getting squeaking again. I do pump a few shots in here and there.
I'm honestly missing my stock LCA's. Very tempted on selling the TC's and going back to stock but we'll see. With my 1 year old at home now, my priorities have changed and it's not as much fun wrenching on my truck for situations like this.
Between the uniballs and bushings, I'm ready to go back to stock LCA's.
I'm using Lucas Red n Tacky but might switch to Amsoil as stated above. Anyone know if it would be ok to just start pumping it in and mix it with the Red n Tacky? At least until the next bushing replacement. I just changed the bushings (and in Canada they aren't the easiest to get for a decent price) and only a few months later Im getting squeaking again. I do pump a few shots in here and there.
I'm honestly missing my stock LCA's. Very tempted on selling the TC's and going back to stock but we'll see. With my 1 year old at home now, my priorities have changed and it's not as much fun wrenching on my truck for situations like this.
Spungus
New member
Booooo
Damn, well it was all rose-flavored farts for about 2k miles but after a particularly rocky trail out in CO the squeak started to come back. Then after a couple rain storms and some daily driving, the sound is pretty much back to square one. I tried to loosen the cam bolt a bit to re-grease with the amsoil, but there are spots that the grease just can't get to without a full rebuild. It just seems the TC lowers aren't conducive to normal everyday driving. I ended up ordering stock lowers from Toyota so when the TC lowers finally break my spirit I can revert.
I do see a few comments above that there is another recommended lube, prothane grease, that I will give a shot. There are still a few more months of offroad season, so I will rebuild with the prothane this weekend or next week and see how it holds up. Otherwise going back to stock before my garage turns into a walk-in refrigerator and I lose the will to wrench in the winter.
I do greatly appreciate everyone's comments and feedback, as I really want to make these work without bi-monthly maintenance. Virtual beers around.
Damn, well it was all rose-flavored farts for about 2k miles but after a particularly rocky trail out in CO the squeak started to come back. Then after a couple rain storms and some daily driving, the sound is pretty much back to square one. I tried to loosen the cam bolt a bit to re-grease with the amsoil, but there are spots that the grease just can't get to without a full rebuild. It just seems the TC lowers aren't conducive to normal everyday driving. I ended up ordering stock lowers from Toyota so when the TC lowers finally break my spirit I can revert.
I do see a few comments above that there is another recommended lube, prothane grease, that I will give a shot. There are still a few more months of offroad season, so I will rebuild with the prothane this weekend or next week and see how it holds up. Otherwise going back to stock before my garage turns into a walk-in refrigerator and I lose the will to wrench in the winter.
I do greatly appreciate everyone's comments and feedback, as I really want to make these work without bi-monthly maintenance. Virtual beers around.
honda250xtitan
New member
see if you can buy some Delrin bushings from Dirt King. IDK if they'll retrofit into the TC arms but its something to consider. I"m sure DK has the sizes for you to cross reference.
Spungus
New member
Ok, update time. Cleaned the amsoil grease out and rebuilt with the prothane grease. Holy hell I thought the amsoil was sticky, but the prothane grease is on another level. It acts like a glue or caulk that is halfway set and it will not come off anything it touches. I put it together a couple weeks ago with an alignment soon after. Been smooth and quiet so far, but haven’t had a chance to take it to the trails just yet because a stupid ball joint needed replacing on the driver LCA after the alignment. So yea, these things need constant TLC if you use them off the pavement. I wouldn’t recommend these if you live in a snowy climate, they are definitely for desert running. Water can easily get in the ball joints and freeze causing the fabric crap within the joint to fail. At least that’s what I think happened, I’ve only had these on since November. My uppers have been in for almost 4 years and haven’t had to touch those besides greasing them as needed, which by my count was twice. But the uppers aren’t as exposed to road mess. Trails out here are open until mid December, so I have some time to put in some wheeling and will report back for those interested. My plan going forward, if this prothane grease solves the issue, is to swap out the stock LCA’s during the winter season and put the TCs back in when the season starts back up around May. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s really just 5 bolts to pull the control arm out, and after all the times I’ve rebuilt these things I can do it in my sleep at this point.
I’m hoping this will help the next poor soul who decides to give these a go. Not saying they aren’t worth it, but I would’ve loved this info before taking the dive.
I’ll be back soon!
I’m hoping this will help the next poor soul who decides to give these a go. Not saying they aren’t worth it, but I would’ve loved this info before taking the dive.
I’ll be back soon!
jrandom
New member
[MENTION=175778]Spungus[/MENTION] thanks for the updates!
Hey so when you pulled the bushings to clean them did you notice any unusual wear on top, bottoms sides or edges? I mean these are hand built as far as I know (I have the expedition KDSS version) and when I got mine whomever pressed in the passenger side ball joint did a poor job or maybe didn’t check the joint itself. it was super stiff and it took a lot of shitty drivability to break in. Also knowing that there are differences in all our trucks suspension tolerance it took some work for me to get mine initially installed, the distance in the A between inside front to inside back bushings was definitely a lot smaller than stock so it took a lot of “finesse” to get them in place.
So I guess what I am getting at is I don’t think any of us that have bought these are going to have the same experiences. I have absolutely had my share of aggravation and smashing hammers on the driveway frustration, I am just glad these didn’t kill me in the break in period. So a generous 3 out of 5 stars. I will add zero complaints with the UCA’s they are a breeze by comparison.
I totally agree, I have probably on 12k on these and now they are FINALLY broken in and drive well. BUT we have some ugly winter conditions too and I find myself making sure the balls are free of road grime after storm cycles, YES these take more maintenance than I want. I am glad I kept my stock lowers because I have had the same thoughts as you. For the $2500 and the time personal time I have put into these, I wouldn’t do it again unless I was doing a very specific purpose built truck. My current 4runner is more of a jack-of-all-trades and it does what I want really well.
That said, for everything suspension-wise I have done to this truck and for the amount that I drive it requires a fk’ ton of maintenance by comparison. I knew it would require more, mostly I enjoy doing it, just not quite this much. When I do a tire rotation for example, I do everything while the wheel is off, clean, grease, check and torque (everything you should be doing do anyway
). A twenty minute job on stock is usually a few hours taking my time.
So there is my honest opinion.
Hey so when you pulled the bushings to clean them did you notice any unusual wear on top, bottoms sides or edges? I mean these are hand built as far as I know (I have the expedition KDSS version) and when I got mine whomever pressed in the passenger side ball joint did a poor job or maybe didn’t check the joint itself. it was super stiff and it took a lot of shitty drivability to break in. Also knowing that there are differences in all our trucks suspension tolerance it took some work for me to get mine initially installed, the distance in the A between inside front to inside back bushings was definitely a lot smaller than stock so it took a lot of “finesse” to get them in place.
So I guess what I am getting at is I don’t think any of us that have bought these are going to have the same experiences. I have absolutely had my share of aggravation and smashing hammers on the driveway frustration, I am just glad these didn’t kill me in the break in period. So a generous 3 out of 5 stars. I will add zero complaints with the UCA’s they are a breeze by comparison.
I totally agree, I have probably on 12k on these and now they are FINALLY broken in and drive well. BUT we have some ugly winter conditions too and I find myself making sure the balls are free of road grime after storm cycles, YES these take more maintenance than I want. I am glad I kept my stock lowers because I have had the same thoughts as you. For the $2500 and the time personal time I have put into these, I wouldn’t do it again unless I was doing a very specific purpose built truck. My current 4runner is more of a jack-of-all-trades and it does what I want really well.
That said, for everything suspension-wise I have done to this truck and for the amount that I drive it requires a fk’ ton of maintenance by comparison. I knew it would require more, mostly I enjoy doing it, just not quite this much. When I do a tire rotation for example, I do everything while the wheel is off, clean, grease, check and torque (everything you should be doing do anyway
). A twenty minute job on stock is usually a few hours taking my time.So there is my honest opinion.
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Spungus
New member
There was definitely some warping on the top-hat of the bushings, but that is normal. If you look at the bushing shape of the stock LCA's they have a slight curve to match the concave on the cam tabs, so the poly bushings will take that shape eventually. I did notice you have to finesse the control arm into the cam tabs because of the tight fit, but it didn't seem excessive. I would prefer a snug fit, honestly.
However some good news, the prothane grease is working it's magic though. I haven't heard a peep from the bushings since I've rebuilt. That includes 4 big trips through mountain trails/passes and maybe 8-10 tanks of gas. I have a moab trip planned for October (open invite to the forum!) and I will be thoroughly convinced if I make it back from that trip without squeaks. I still plan on putting the stocks back on in december before the deep freeze sets in. Water gets into the balljoints and freezes too easily which damages the teflon liner inside. I already had to replace both lower balljoints about 10 months after I got the LCA's because of poor tracking and visible slop. The new ones are stiff for sure, but I replaced mine a week ago and haven't noticed any issues with it being too tight.
I'll keep checking in to provide any updates!
However some good news, the prothane grease is working it's magic though. I haven't heard a peep from the bushings since I've rebuilt. That includes 4 big trips through mountain trails/passes and maybe 8-10 tanks of gas. I have a moab trip planned for October (open invite to the forum!) and I will be thoroughly convinced if I make it back from that trip without squeaks. I still plan on putting the stocks back on in december before the deep freeze sets in. Water gets into the balljoints and freezes too easily which damages the teflon liner inside. I already had to replace both lower balljoints about 10 months after I got the LCA's because of poor tracking and visible slop. The new ones are stiff for sure, but I replaced mine a week ago and haven't noticed any issues with it being too tight.
I'll keep checking in to provide any updates!
Spungus
New member
Final(?) Update
Well I think I can finally put this one to bed for now. Since my last post I have gone wheeling about a dozen times in CO, and one big trip to Moab. Since using the Prothane super grease that was recommended, I have not heard a peep from the LCA bushings. I am so impressed with that stuff, I cannot recommend it more for anyone who has poly bushings.
If anyone wants more info or is on the fence with going with TC control arms, shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to chat about it.
Like I've said before, a big thanks to everyone that chimed in. I don't think I would've figured it out without you all! I'll update this thread if needed, but no news is good news at this point.
Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season. Cheers.
Well I think I can finally put this one to bed for now. Since my last post I have gone wheeling about a dozen times in CO, and one big trip to Moab. Since using the Prothane super grease that was recommended, I have not heard a peep from the LCA bushings. I am so impressed with that stuff, I cannot recommend it more for anyone who has poly bushings.
If anyone wants more info or is on the fence with going with TC control arms, shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to chat about it.
Like I've said before, a big thanks to everyone that chimed in. I don't think I would've figured it out without you all! I'll update this thread if needed, but no news is good news at this point.
Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season. Cheers.
85GT-79FJ40
New member
I don't have the TC lowers but I did swap Whiteline urethane bushings into my stock lowers. I used the super-sticky grease like the prothane stuff. It's been 9 months and they are just now starting to make noise. I think until greasable pins that actually fit a 5th gen are available this is just what we have to deal with. I'll probably just start hosing them down with Wurth HHS-K spray grease until I feel like pulling it all apart again. And I just aligned it last week too!
