Total Chaos lower control arms

[GX4SEVEND]

For those of you that have them......are any of you experiencing loud squeaking?

Mine was so bad you could hear it 5 houses down in my townhouse complex. I brought it back to Toyota and they agreed it was unusual so they took it apart, repacked it with grease and put it back together and then greased the zerks. All for free.

Now here we are 2 weeks later and they’re loud again. I’ve had these same lca’s on two other rigs and had zero issues. Called Total Chaos and was told “yeah just make sure they’re greased”.

I’m extremely unimpressed with their help and their product lately. Had absolutely no issues in the past but these arms are horrible. And their response was very unfortunate seeing as how they’re 6 months old and should not be having issues and they offered no help.

So ideas of what to do now? Toyota will charge to keep fixing this issue and I don’t have the money to throw at it nor should I have to. Hoping someone has a quick fix and a much better response than Total Chaos

And just to get this out of the way......installed by a master tech with 15 years experience, a very build Tacoma with the same arms and he’s the one who said it doesn’t sound correct to begin with.

 

[MTN4RNR]

Have you isolated where the noise is coming from specifically?
At the ball joint?
At the bushings?
How were they greased?
What grease/lube was applied?
What's the dealer involvement? Did they install them?

Each will have different lubing requirements that could be the culprit of your noise. At the end of the day, it's racing technology, which comes with racing noises. That being said, my uppers rarely make noise unless I'm working them hard off-pavement.

 

[GX4SEVEND]

It’s the bushings. Same red grease as my uppers then super lube like I was told to use from TC and the tech and it’s still noisy. Dealer installed them that’s why they re did it for free the second time.

I don’t mind a little noise but this squeaks on everything. Driving down the road or over a speed bump. Any movement.

I’m friends with the master tech who did it. Has them on his taco.

 

[MTN4RNR]

It’s the bushings. Same red grease as my uppers then super lube like I was told to use from TC and the tech and it’s still noisy. Dealer installed them that’s why they re did it for free the second time.

I don’t mind a little noise but this squeaks on everything. Driving down the road or over a speed bump. Any movement.

I’m friends with the master tech who did it. Has them on his taco.

Gotcha. When the bushings were greased, did he loosen the bolts first? Sometimes they can squeak if there is too much pressure caused by pumping the zerk.

 

[GX4SEVEND]

My buddy literally took them back apart and started over. So both bushings on each side completely removed and regreased and then reassembled. Then had to pay to go have an alignment done again. It’s just nerve racking chasing this problem and throwing money at it.

Maybe TC will see this post and help. Who knows.

 

[MTN4RNR]

My buddy literally took them back apart and started over. So both bushings on each side completely removed and regreased and then reassembled. Then had to pay to go have an alignment done again. It’s just nerve racking chasing this problem and throwing money at it.

Maybe TC will see this post and help. Who knows.

I only mentioned the zerks because you said that they repacked them, and then greased the zerks. Are the bushings mushrooming at all on the edges? Similar but not necessarily as bad as this:

 

[GX4SEVEND]

No nothing like that. Torqued to spec. We just can’t figure out why they’re so loud.

 

[MTN4RNR]

No nothing like that. Torqued to spec. We just can’t figure out why they’re so loud.

Ok. Yeah, that's a head scratcher... Only other thing that I can think of is that because it's a lower control arm, it might have something to do with the alignment specs putting pressure on isolated parts of the bushings causing them to squeak. I know that my stock LCA bushing deflect quite a bit because of the 'twisting' nature of the cam-bolts.

Just to emphasize, I am trying not to be critical here. I am asking questions to work through (and share) what you have done already. I promise I am a happy guy over here :thumb3:

 

[honda250xtitan]

Ok. Yeah, that's a head scratcher... Only other thing that I can think of is that because it's a lower control arm, it might have something to do with the alignment specs putting pressure on isolated parts of the bushings causing them to squeak. I know that my stock LCA bushing deflect quite a bit because of the 'twisting' nature of the cam-bolts.

Just to emphasize, I am trying not to be critical here. I am asking questions to work through (and share) what you have done already. I promise I am a happy guy over here :thumb3:

that's an interesting thought. Its why camburg doesn't do bushings in their LCA's.

OP if you mark the cam bolts you won't need to re align.

Generally aftermarket bushings like TC, DK, etc use you can torque them to spec with the truck in the air, OEM bushings will bind/preload so those you wait till the weight of the truck is back on the tires. I wonder if maybe you should jack truck up, loosen cam bolts, get it all relaxed, set it back on its own weight and then torque to spec.

 

[GX4SEVEND]

I mean I guess that’s something else to try. We just can’t figure it out and these aren’t cheap parts and that just adds to the frustration.

If I could upload video I would. Something as small as a speed bump and it’s very noticeable.

I’m just wondering at what point do I just say hey there’s a defective part here somewhere and stop wasting time. It happens. Not everything is perfect. They make 75 million iPhones a quarter. Some are messed up. It happens.

I work 45-50 hours a week and juggle being a single dad as well so this has limited time I’m willing to spend chasing down issues. That’s why I called TC and unfortunately got nowhere.


Appreciate all the help guys.

 

[jrandom]

Mine are quite literally quieter than my stock were.

I greased liberally, assembled, installed in the air, snugged lowered then torqued. I had only driven it to the alignment shop and they were loosened and retorqued again.

I have saturated the UCA and LCA ball joints with blaster teflon dry lube multiple times to ensure they get a good break-in lube. Currently 1800 miles and a 1/4 of those offroad, still quiet.

 

[Maingear]

If the used bolts have a mirror finish from wear, get some fine valve grinding compound and polish them until a mat finish, clean, then reinstall with grease.

Justin

 

[honda250xtitan]

i'm interested to see what the issue is though. I ran DK LCA's on my titan (delrin bushings, moog balljoint) they were dumb quiet. But the PRG uniball/heim uppers required lots of lube and maintenance, obviously (race parts make noises). Squeaking was unreal when the uniball was worn, it'd sound like the rack was screaming just by turning the steering wheel from the uniball spinning with the spindle and squeaking lol.


If they bolted up with no issues, the bushings are the right size, etc, i don't see it being a defective part. That's not to say "operator error", just sometimes these types of parts take a little extra persuasion to work properly.

 

[jrandom]

just sometimes these types of parts take a little extra persuasion to work properly.

Right, it took a good 300 miles for my LCA uniballs to work in. When I went in for the alignment, he insisted something was binding, I thought it was the new uniball, maybe it was something else, I will check the spindles. The uniballs feel great now.

 

[Jetboy]

FWIW my shock bushings get crazy noisy when they're worn. Everyt 15k miles or so. Sounds like a a bushing. Something worth checking just to make sure it's really the control arm. Mine are due for a change now. Sounds terrible.

 

[jrandom]

FWIW my shock bushings get crazy noisy when they're worn. Everyt 15k miles or so. Sounds like a a bushing. Something worth checking just to make sure it's really the control arm. Mine are due for a change now. Sounds terrible.

Are you talking about the shock spherical bearings (I remember you saying you have a set of fox shocks), top and bottoms. Or another bushing? If so the bottoms I have checked, but the tops I haven't, since they're not as easy to get too.

Or did you mean to say "stock" bushings?

 

[GX4SEVEND]

I had factory lca. Swapped to total chaos and they’re loud. Nothing else changed. It’s the bushing 100%. Have installed them twice now and they’re still noisy. So aside from ordering all new parts and installing a third time I’m not sure what else to do.

 

[jrandom]

I had factory lca. Swapped to total chaos and they’re loud. Nothing else changed. It’s the bushing 100%. Have installed them twice now and they’re still noisy. So aside from ordering all new parts and installing a third time I’m not sure what else to do.

The only thing I could think of, if the outer contact surface of the bushing and the LCA race doesn't have enough grease, it would absolutely squeak. The inner bushing shaft and bushing contact would get grease easier than the outside via the zerk.

I tell you when I assembled and installed mine, I used aaaa fukton of Amsoil Polymeric Syn truck grease (this stuff) It is high pressure heavy duty grease and its thick. It is what I grease the entire chassis with too.

I wasted a bit of grease but it was sloppy, I mean sloppy goodness going together. Because, like you, I wanted zero squeaks and I didn't want to redo it.

So maybe either different grease than you used or more of it. I guess it could be a Q&A issue to, not out of the realm of possibility, it just seems less likely.

 

[GX4SEVEND]

Yeah when I bring it in for an oil change I will have them re look at it. I’m friends with the department manager so if there’s an issue they’ll take care of it. Gonna got the zerks again and make sure all is good.

The squeak is annoying but my main concern is if I’m damaging anything.

 

[Spungus]

Bringing this one back from the dead.
Did you ever solve your issue? I installed my TC lowers last December and have been struggling with the poly bushing squeak since they've been in. They work great besides the damn noise.

Thanks!