Tie Rods & Control Arms - Couple of Questions

[Sean J Blackburn]

Going to be doing upper and lower control arms and inner and outer tie rods this weekend. I have not done these before but just did the coilovers a couple months ago which is how I found these parts needed replacement.

A couple of questions:

1. Approximately how many hours should I expect to do upper and lower control arms and inner and outer tie rods? I will most likely do one side Saturday and one side Sunday especially if it turns out to be more work than I am expecting.

2. As far as final torque goes, is jacking the control arms up to ride height before tightening just as good as tightening while the truck is on the ground?

3. Any tips or tricks I should be aware of before starting?

Thanks all!

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

I would set aside about 3 hours per side. Removing the inner fender will speed up the process. I would take care with the abs sensor.

As to final torque specs, I would check Google or better yet a service manual.
Ive Tighten control arms both ways, jacking it up is easier.

Try to measure your distance between front wheels both before and behind the front tire to get an eyeball alignment. Or get the inner and outer tie rods measured in one piece before removing

 

[Sean J Blackburn]

Thanks bigskyroadglide! 3 hours per side isn't too bad.

I'm a little worried about disconnecting the ABS sensors. My truck is 15 years old and experience tells me that those little locking clips have a tendency to break with age as the plastic gets brittle. I actually have two new sensors ready to go if the old ones break.

As for torque specs I have those in my Hayes manual.

Is there any disadvantage to tightening things with the control arm jacked to ride height? That seems way easier than doing it on the ground.

I've got an appointment with a shop about 4 miles from my house for an alignment but good tips nonetheless on checking wheel alignment.

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

"Is there any disadvantage to tightening things with the control arm jacked to ride height? That seems way easier than doing it on the ground."

I've done it both ways and with a lowered truck.

I think your choice should be more about safety and longevity than convenience but that's me.

I don't see a real downside to doing it on a jack. If it squeaks, just loosen it and redo. Front end guy going to have the lower loose probably anyway, the top is your concern

My opinion

 

[Sean J Blackburn]

Got it, thanks. Might see if I can do it while on the ground and if not do it on the jack

 

[Wild one]

Got it, thanks. Might see if I can do it while on the ground and if not do it on the jack

Put the front tires on ramps for the final tightening if you need more working room under the truck

 

[Burla]

Drive for a couple weeks and retighten before the alignment would be my suggestion. Chaps me I caved in and did the control arm tsb on the rav 4 knowing there was nothing really wrong. Sure enough new control arm squeaked and was loose, and that is from a dealer. Even when torqued proper there is potential for loosening. My experience has been usually after retightening it tends to last.

 

[Sean J Blackburn]

Got the first side done. Took me about 4 hours. Doing the other side tomorrow and then taking her in for an alignment in the afternoon. So looks like it will be around 7-8 hours total. Once I'm finished my truck will have an entirely new front and rear suspension and hopefully will be good to go for a while.

 

[Sean J Blackburn]

Got the other side done. Took me 3 hours. I have lifetime alignments and I took it in today when I got done. Drives like a new truck! I don't think the ride or steering has even been this nice. Makes sense as over the past few months I've replaced the entire front and rear suspension.

 

[BenWade]

Got the other side done. Took me 3 hours. I have lifetime alignments and I took it in today when I got done. Drives like a new truck! I don't think the ride or steering has even been this nice. Makes sense as over the past few months I've replaced the entire front and rear suspension.

Glad to hear all went well. I'm in the planning stage of redoing my front/rear suspension. Which brands did you go with or recommend??

 

[KansasArt]

Great job! I bet it rides like new truck!

 

[Sean J Blackburn]

Glad to hear all went well. I'm in the planning stage of redoing my front/rear suspension. Which brands did you go with or recommend??

I ended up going with Moog's premium line. All of the parts were made in America except the inner tie rods which were made in Mexico. They are all greaseable too which is what I wanted. Got about 7k on them now and so far so good. Price was decent and they seem to be good quality.

 

[Sean J Blackburn]

Glad to hear all went well. I'm in the planning stage of redoing my front/rear suspension. Which brands did you go with or recommend??

For the rear shocks I did bilstein 5100 and for the front coil overs I did bilstein 6112 set at 2 inches.

 

[BenWade]

I ended up going with Moog's premium line. All of the parts were made in America except the inner tie rods which were made in Mexico. They are all greaseable too which is what I wanted. Got about 7k on them now and so far so good. Price was decent and they seem to be good quality.

Nice! Did you get all your parts from RockAuto or somewhere else?? Thanks

 

[Sean J Blackburn]

Nice! Did you get all your parts from RockAuto or somewhere else?? Thanks

I did the shocks and coilovers from some shock seller online (can't remember the name, maybe shock surplus?) and everything else I got at rock auto. Rock auto was out of the shocks and coilovers or I would have ordered everything from rock auto.

 

[BenWade]

I did the shocks and coilovers from some shock seller online (can't remember the name, maybe shock surplus?) and everything else I got at rock auto. Rock auto was out of the shocks and coilovers or I would have ordered everything from rock auto.

Thanks for sharing. I just looked at Moog on RockAuto and they're having a 10% off sale right now