Idler Arm Brace Install

[Robinhood4x4]

If you wheel hard enough you're bound to bend the idler arm, especially if you have larger than stock tires. Downey makes an idler arm brace which is supposed to help prevent that from happening. I got my brace free from the person who sold me my downey HD coils, so I'm not sure if it's from downey or not. Also, since I got it second hand I didn't get any installation instructions, so I had to wing it..

Installation is pretty straight forward, but I did have to grind down a little tab that was on the idler arm to make the brace fit. All I did was grind down the tab, pop off the dust cap on top and unscrew the big nut, I didn't even have to take the idler arm out of the housing. Then I bolted the brace on and put everything back together. Done.

Here are before and after pictures of the idler arm.

Before:
http://robinhood4x4.com/Pics/idlerarm/before.jpg

After:
http://robinhood4x4.com/Pics/idlerarm/after.jpg

[Swissdrums]

Did you have to drill through your idle arm? The picture is a bit deceiving...

[Robinhood4x4]

No, those bolts go underneath the arm and the brace clamps on.

[Swissdrums]

Ah very nice...

[slosurfer]

taking it off to rebuild the idler arm is kind of a pain, but still better than a bent idler arm.

[marko3xl3]

Armor!!! :best:

Oh and I think you got a leak going there too. J/K :angel:

[4x4countrygirl]

Is it more preferable to get the brace, or the whole Idler Arm unit like the one from Total Chaos?

[slosurfer]

If you have the money, get the TC one. With the brace, you will still wear out your bushings in the idler arm. They are pretty cheap (less than $3 each). You can buy a brace and whole lot of bushings for how much the TC is. If I had the extra $$$$ I would go for the TC.

[DirToyBoy]

I had the downey gusset and was happy with it...never bent it

[Cheese]

People talk about rebuilding these arms.

My problem was bending them. I would bend the arm from am L to a 7 in a trip or two before the bushings had a chance to wear out.

Get the Total Chaos arm if you are serious about wheeling IFS. I would kill the arms every 3rd trip with the Downey brace instead of every trip with stock arms and no brace. I was on the one arm a month club for almost a year.

YMMV

[AxleIke]

Now i've got it.

I've only bent one arm with the brace. Dumb mistake.

Get the TC one if you've got the cash, you won't be sorry.

[91ToyTrck]

I would love to buy the TC idler arm, but that thing is crazy expensive. You can't tell me that someone hasn't made one or couldn't make one that wouldn't cost $300. I think they are capitaliizig on a name with that one.

I'm in no way discretting the product, but you can't tell me that little piece took $300 worth of engineering and then duplication. I guess I don't understand how they come up with prices.

Can someone explain that and maybe I wouldn't be so bitter about the price of the TC ARM.

[olharleyman]

GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDD DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhha

[BruceTS]

I would love to buy the TC idler arm, but that thing is crazy expensive. You can't tell me that someone hasn't made one or couldn't make one that wouldn't cost $300. I think they are capitaliizig on a name with that one.

I'm in no way discretting the product, but you can't tell me that little piece took $300 worth of engineering and then duplication. I guess I don't understand how they come up with prices.

Can someone explain that and maybe I wouldn't be so bitter about the price of the TC ARM.


http://www.chaosfab.com/product/accessories/toy4wd/95130.jpg
86-95 4WD Toyota Idler Arm
Eliminate sloppy steering on your 86-95 Toyota 4wd, install this custom chromoly idler arm. Internal double stacked sealed roller bearings replace the fatigued stock rod end and are impact resistant as well as durable. Laser cut brackets provide precision bolt holes so the idler arm simply bolts to the stock location. An inner sleeve is included so that you cannot over tighten the 3/4" through bolt. Built to handle extreme elements and perform under the toughest conditions, only grade 8 hardware is supplied. Drilling the centerlink to a 5/8" hole is the only modification necessary. Works with stock or long travel suspension!
PT# - 95130- 86-95 4WD Toyota / 92-98 4WD T-100
Price: $325.00

Considering the whole thing is made out of chromoly and uses roller bearings, I can easily see the list price as being appropriate. They don't produce high volumes, so material cost are much higher. The reason why you don't see anyone else producing them is easy, there isn't a large enough market for them.

[mastacox]

I would love to buy the TC idler arm, but that thing is crazy expensive. You can't tell me that someone hasn't made one or couldn't make one that wouldn't cost $300. I think they are capitaliizig on a name with that one.

I'm in no way discretting the product, but you can't tell me that little piece took $300 worth of engineering and then duplication. I guess I don't understand how they come up with prices.

Can someone explain that and maybe I wouldn't be so bitter about the price of the TC ARM.


Personally, I don't find the TC arm is all THAT expensive... I mean Downey charges $50 just for their bent/welded brace! The TC arm is made to be essentially indestructible, and from what I've seen, it is. $300 very well spent IMO. It was worth it for me just in holding a better alignment and avoiding unnecessary tire wear; before I installed it the plastic bushings in the idler would literally wear out in 4 weeks of 70/30 on/off-road driving.

The arm also took a lot of slop out of the steering feel, making it easier to hold a straight line on the road. Overall, this is a REQUIRED modification to any IFS that gets off-roaded IMO.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l70/mastacox/92%204Runner%20Pics/TCIdlerArm004.jpg

[sschaefer3]

Red Truck has one.

http://www.sonoransteel.com/1990_Mini/009.JPG