Removing Lower control arm. Options

[jordisonjr]

I got the control arm all unbolted, its basically just sitting it place.
Now I'm not sure how to go about removing the thing.

Does anyone have any insight on how to get it out?
I wasn't able to attempt to because I need a hand from a buddy, but if any one has some ideas to remove the lower control arm from experience, that would be awesome.

Thanks.

[Batman722]

pry, bend, pull, repeat.
The crash tube is in the way, usually they rust out, keep prying and pulling, it will come out.

as for the end link, here's a help I hope
http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=41243
just try not to kill the boot, if you do just buy some new twosrus st185 fronts and replace them.

[jordisonjr]

Yea I checked out that thread about removing endliks before, because I had the same problem with the rears.
Came back and checked it out earlier today befroe I took a second shot at those endlinks.
But I'm thinking I may just have to get new ones, because where the allen key goes is starting to strip, and I tried with vice grips and it just kept spinning, althought I did manage to get the nut off a little bit using an allen key.

Tomorrow I may go back at it with a better set of vice grips to see if that will help, althought I'd still be fairly hesitant to put those crappy OEM endlinks on again, incase they ahve to come off.
But at least this way I could put them back on while waiting for new ones to get shipped out and actually be able to drive the car.

[BonzaiCelica]

the little rubber on the front end links are somewhat torn apart, will that affect my driving feel???

[jordisonjr]

I don't think so. Not at first at least.
If dirt manages to get into those endlinks, it could wear out those joints and may start to affect the feal.
Not sure how much it will affect the ride though.

[jordisonjr]

Has anyone had problems putting the control arm back in?
When I go to tighten the bolt that goes parallel to th ground towards the back of the car, it threads in about 3/4 of the way and then just continues to spin, but not easy enough that you can do it by hand.
I don't think these are stripped though because it does it on both side and when I was removing that bolt it took a real long time to get out as well. It took a couple minutes of turning the bolt for it to come out.
Is this normal? Or is my subframe stripped?

[kamax]

I was wondering if anyone know where to get new bolts? When I took the one that parrall to the ground, it was rusted and pretty eaten up. I am trying to take the one in the front out but dam, the more i loosen it, the harder it is to turn. I am thinking of applying heat. because I am replacing the bushing on those anyone.

[jordisonjr]

I had the same problem, just keep turning it and use pb blaster or something similar and it should come out. I turned mine for about 10 minutes becasue i thought it was just a really long bolt and it eventually came out.

You can get new bolts from toyota, thats what I had to do too

[kamax]

I had the same problem, just keep turning it and use pb blaster or something similar and it should come out. I turned mine for about 10 minutes becasue i thought it was just a really long bolt and it eventually came out.

You can get new bolts from toyota, thats what I had to do too

do you happen to know the parts number for that? or did you just go in and ask for some?

[kamax]

well fml... my driver side control arm bushing is loose but the bolt is stuck to the bushing thingy in the middle.... lol won't come out and it's loose so when i spin my nuts, it spin -_-;;

anyone have any tip? hint? how to? to take it out.... vice grip ain't helping much.

[stephen_lee]

impace & something (tirod splitter?) wedged in between. use it as a lever to pull it out as u impact it

[jordisonjr]

If the bolt is slightly sticking out of the control arm, assuming its the bolt that runs parallel to thr ground, you could put a punch on the back of the head, and try to ahmmer it out if all it is stuck on is the bushing. That worked for me.

[stephen_lee]

ah i was thinking the one thats perpendicular to the ground.. the rear one. either way, you have possible solutions.

[jordisonjr]

I didn't have problems with that one.
You could screw the bolt in a couple of threads and try wiggling the control arm to break the bolt free from the control arm?
I dunno if that would work but its worth a try.

[kamax]

well i got it out with the help of my dad lol. end up that nut holding the bolt in place behind the control arm was loose, so we had to drill a hole into it, put a screw into it to hold it in place and get the bolt out.... now I am guessing that I would have to do the same to tighten the bolt back and or weld it in place again -_-;;

turn a quick job into a few days work when things breaks, sucks



This post has been edited by kamax: Aug 25, 2011 - 5:42 AM

[richee3]

well i got it out with the help of my dad lol. end up that nut holding the bolt in place behind the control arm was loose, so we had to drill a hole into it, put a screw into it to hold it in place and get the bolt out.... now I am guessing that I would have to do the same to tighten the bolt back and or weld it in place again -_-;;

turn a quick job into a few days work when things breaks, sucks

Glad I'm not the only one who had this problem! I couldn't figure out what was holding that bolt in. I thought there was a trick that I was missing.

[Batman722]

well i got it out with the help of my dad lol. end up that nut holding the bolt in place behind the control arm was loose, so we had to drill a hole into it, put a screw into it to hold it in place and get the bolt out.... now I am guessing that I would have to do the same to tighten the bolt back and or weld it in place again -_-;;

turn a quick job into a few days work when things breaks, sucks

Glad I'm not the only one who had this problem! I couldn't figure out what was holding that bolt in. I thought there was a trick that I was missing.

crazy.
Good luck getting it back together.
If you have any questions about getting the old bushing out, give me a call.

[richee3]

Brigette and I took the car to work and got the torch out. The driver side control arm is ready to come out. We've stopped work for the night but we're heading back out there in the morning. The nut definitely broke off inside the subframe.

As for getting the bushings out, it's pretty straightforward, isn't it? Light the torch up and watch them burn? Then press the new ones in and repeat.

[Batman722]

yes. I also removed the ring, you'll see once you get the rubber out.
The rubber bushing is connected to a "ring" pressed in.
I used a sawzall to cut the rubber out then carefully cut the ring with the sawzall and the entire bushing popped out.
Then greased up everything (a lot) and used my vise to push new bushing in.

[richee3]

Cool. I was planning on melting the rubber out. I'll get a look at it tomorrow and go from there. New Moog ball joints ordered, and I'll be ordering Twos R Us end links tonight. Didn't think this through...

[jordisonjr]

I also just melted the bushings out.
I tried to get the ring out myself, but it was freakin impossible, ended up just taking it to a buddy to press the bushings in for me, and I'm not usr eif he took the ring out or not.

[Robama94]

Does anyone know if the lower control arm on a 5th gen will fit a 6th gen gt?? Or are there any other substitutes for one? Thanks!