Alignment reading. Seized bolts

Is this worth paying the $388 to get the camber/caster bolts replaced?

the readings don’t seem that far off but I figured I’d ask here

thank you!

 

How does it feel on the road? Seems like the camber specs would result in it the steering feeling a bit spicy.

If they can actually get the seized adjusters out for that price without wrecking the LCA, I’d go for that.

 

Tricky. Like @McSpazatron said, the cam bolts are tricky to get out if they're seized. They're usually just cut off and thrown away along with the LCA when you replace them.

The caster's on the lower end, factory range is anywhere from 2.8-3.8

 

Feels absolutely fine. No pulling at all. Steering is fine.

 

Depending on the roads and speeds you drive, she might need a lot more input on the steering wheel to keep it going down the middle. And you might end up wearing the outside of the front tires a bit more.

There’s a possibility that your contact patch will give you less traction. On a quiet road, experiment with maximum braking just to make sure it’s good enough.

The price they gave you may be much higher if you need new LCAs. I think new OE is like 400 bucks each.

 

You’re right. New is 400. What about Moog or Mevotech or other LCAs besides OEM

 

Hard call…it’s nice to have OE quality lower ball joints and bushings. Either way, make sure that the new ones get plenty of anti-sieze on the adjusters!

 

After I typed that, I agree OEM is the way to go.

 

Nothing wrong with Moog if that's what you decide, Rock Auto has Moog for 115.00. Match both sides with what ever brand you decide on, there are slight differences in aftermarket, I found this out replacing a LCA. Good luck.

 

I hate to disagree, but Moog is no longer what it used to be - which was one of the very best aftermarket alternatives. Now they're just another brand that's a mere shadow of its former self riding on their old reputation. The price difference alone should cause some alarm. OEM is the only way to fly if you want them to last.

 

Yeah. I’m going with OEM. Do you happen to know what that bolt is seized to? Is there a metal sleeve in the bushing and the bolt is sized to the bushing sleeve? I’m mechanically inclined and have all the tools. I’d really like to see if I could get those bolts out.

 

There is a steel sleeve inside a rubber bushing inside the LCA. The bolts and the sleeves both corrode and basically weld themselves together. That said, it is (sometimes) possible to get the bolts out, but the sleeve is generally corroded too so if you put a new bolt in, you run the risk of having an improper fit. Not to mention the fact that since corrosion is already present, the new bolts will just corrode - and seize - even faster than the ones you just spent so much time getting out.

Just how fast does the corrosion start? Here's a picture of a 4-month-old camber adjuster bolt from my (then) almost brand new 2021 T4R. (Scary huh?) I pulled all four of the bolts out after just four months in the salt belt to liberally coat them with Never Seize before re-installation and an alignment. I'm hoping that will help them live maybe a bit longer.

 

You could be right about Moog, it's what I've used in the past, like back in the 80's. The price difference is exactly what causes alarm.. more times than not while checking on prices, the local auto parts stores will gouge you to the tune of 2-3 times the cost of Rock Auto, and a few times after ordering from Rock, I got the parts in a AC Delco box, at the dealership parts counter it was twice the cost.. for the same part.. not cool.

 

Trust me on this one. I've worked on my own vehicles for over 50 years and my retirement job is working in a Toyota dealership Parts department. I get to talk to our Techs all the time as well as our wholesale parts customers. The only thing that hasn't changed about Moog is the bright blue and yellow box. Everything else has gone downhill chasing the lowest possible cost.

As for OE parts in general, yes, they are significantly more expensive. That said, they're generally much, much better built. You'd be surprised how many people believe that "parts that fit a Toyota" are exactly the same as "parts originally installed in a Toyota" - even though they cost 1/3 as much. Something had to be changed / cut to get the price that low.

 

That’s unbelievable. I had no idea that occurs like that.

 

There is a YouTube Toyota mechanic who gets asked all the time about OEM vs aftermarket. 90% of the time he says to go with OEM. He did recommend a rotor called Durago that I run and it’s fantastic. But everything else, he recommends OEM. Especially anything electric.

 

It really sucks these don’t get any anti-sieze or whatever at the factory. I suppose mine are going to be like that when it’s time. My alignment is probably a bit off since re-adjusting it when I first got my lift, because I’ve messed around with the height since then. But I’ll probably let it ride until the bushings or lower ball joint wears out, since the my K02s are wearing ok.

 

I’m going to let The Car Care Nut do it. His shop is 5 minutes from my house. I decided I want OEM installed and I love that TCCN guy. Going to cost me a little extra but it will be done right.

 

No kidding? That's cool. Hopefully he'll make a video about this

 

He is really a nice guy. I was once driving by his shop and saw him out front. I stopped and got a picture with him. Really a nice guy

 

Small world!

 

That’s pretty cool. I’m curious as to how far out you’ll need to schedule him out. At least this problem isn’t an immediate necessity, so it’s probably not a huge deal to wait a bit.

And I agree, it would be awesome if he makes a video on this!

 

ill let you know, im going to go up there about 4:00 and find out. You're correct, not an immediate "need" to get this done. Ill ask him if he will make a video out of it. Who knows.

 

Update. Just went up to the car care nut. Don’t need lower control arms he said he will use an electric torch and heat the bolt up and break the rust free. Taking it there next Tuesday.

 

Tell him to make a video. This is something a lot of 4Runner owners will encounter if they do not use anti seize.

 

Also super interested in the how the bushings fare after getting the heat. I’ve read about a fear of cooking the rubber, but heat is one of those black arts things. The trick could be simply knowing when enough is enough.

 

Me too. I agree with your statement. The tick is knowing when to stop. We live in the rust belt so this isn’t their first rodeo doing this.

 

I have a feeling that Texas rust doesn't hold a candle to Rust Belt rust. Said another way, they might come out down south, but up here, not so much.

 

Caster is supposed to be +/- 3.5°. If you do I would replace with greasable cams.

 

Just wanted to give an update as its in the shop today. Totally seized. Tomorrow he is going to try induction heat while keeping the bushing wet. If that fails I have two options, replace the bushing or control arm. He said to replace the whole control arm because to replace the bushing he has to take off the control arm and since i have 76k miles on it, might as well replace the both sides and that would be about 1400 vs 1000 for the bushings.