Front Control Arm Bushings and other suspension problems.

[Seanz0rz]

so its time for me to replace the control arm bushing on my IFS. they are heavily worn and cracked.

are there any other options besides factory replacement from toyota? ive looked through the Energy suspension catalog and found ones for the tacoma (i think) but nothing listed for the 4runners. do i have any options here? any one had any luck with other products? real question is can i use taco bushings on my 4runner? thought they were the same, no?

on to ball joints, i know a couple of mine have ripped boots, i have nearly 154k miles on the truck (i will have passed that mark by friday afternoon) so id like to replace them before they fail and leave me stranded on 3 wheels.

so im fixing those items, would you guys suggest also replacing tie rod ends (inner and outter)? i have the truck apart, i have steering rack bushings that are going in as well, should i replace these just to be safe?

thanks for the help guys!

[Ric]

as far as the bushings Ii "think" the Tacos will work, Im not 100% on that. I do know that the upper control arms acording to toyota are different, the taco will not fit the 4runner, but I know first hand that they will.

For the ball joints, mine need replacing also, mine have 210,000 miles on them and one is cracked also, let us know what ya do, OEM vs aftermarket.
Sorry I couldnt have been more help

[Seanz0rz]

i will absolutely go OEM on the BJs and the TREs.

[Ric]

cool, Phil over at TRDparts4u.com has always treated me right, I might give him a call.

[localmotion]

quick hijack, why are you adimant about going with OEM parts? I was going to go to advance and pick up some upper ball joints, but you kinda got me scared! HAHA

I have 250k on my uppers and they are cracked, so they are definitely time to go!

[Seanz0rz]

well for stuff like this, i usually like going with factory parts. if it turns out the cost is way more than the same part from napa or autozone, then ill likely go with one of those options. i am weary of replacing them at all because i know someday soon ill go to long travel. however i cant say if thats in the next year or the next 5. also with discounts from places like NTP, it makes the factory toyota parts that much more affordable.

[localmotion]

that is true! I just emailed Evan so hopefully ill hear from him soon.

I would replaced the tie rod ends unless you need to...but then again, if everythings apart, it may be easier to do it then. I guess it all depends on whether or not you have the $$$ to spend on parts that you may/may not need to replace.

[Jerm]

I would see if you couldn't find the control arms and the ball joints from someone who did a sas or long travel. That would be cheaper and you wouldn't have to worry about the energy suspension parts making noise, there were some people over on ttora talking about going to those and them making noise may want to search there. Its just a option for ya to help save a few bucks.

[Seanz0rz]

i have used parts, i dont want new used parts. not looking to save money, im lookin to save my wheels from falling off. id like to go with stock or something more robust than stock components.

[20005spd]

i replaced my r/f lower control arm bushings this year. the bushings were frozen/rusted to the eccentric bolt so i couldnt align that side. it was a huge pain to just get the lower control arm out with frozen bolt stuck. and the way toyota presses the bushings in, make it very difficult to press them out. it was a huge pain. i told myself id buy a whole new lower control arm than screw with bushings again. i would deff go with oem parts for bjs and tie rods etc. i wouldnt replace your tie rods unless they have play or if the outers have torn boots. what steering rack bushings do you have? oem or urethane? i have urethane in mine