bcorey

Hello all -

I have an 01 LS with 150K - a few months ago I noticed a small amount of dark fluid dripping from underneath the car - it turns out it was the fluid filled bushing on the upper control arms - I've read that I can either replace the whole control arm (pricey at ~550 a piece) or replace the bushings - I have a quote from a lexus mechanic who will do the work at the dealership (afterhours) for $625 - to do the bushings and lower ball joints -

Do I do this or the whole control arm? The only real issue I have with this is that I don't feel much difference in the ride of the car since the fluid came out of the bushing - is ride quality the only real concern here or are there other potential serious issues that might arise should I not do something?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Brian

Lynzoid

You talking about front lower control arms... Their rear bushings are only oil filled ones on the car. They are replaceable and not expensive.
Don't forget alignment afterwards.

ancdmd

I don't believe the UCA's have fluid-filled bushings. I think the lower control arm does have one but I may be mistaken. Also the motor mounts are fluid-filled, you sure it wasn't one of those that leaked?

bcorey

Thanks for the responses - clearly I'm a bit confused - Here is the part and you can see where the discoloration is - that's where it was leaking - this pic is up by the front wheel

Thanks

Lynzoid

Lower control arms, rear bushing, as i said... Read up.

MDSC

iTrader: (3)

that bushings comes out, you can take out the center nut and the 2 bolts that hold it to the frame and the bushings with the bracket will slide off the control arm. Then you have to press the old bushing out and press a new bushing in. They are roughly 100 each from the dealer. Labor i would say 1hour per side. Alignment is not a must after replacing this bushing but of course recomended. Youre not taking a loosening anything that is adjusting the alignment itself.

Lynzoid

Alignment IS a must as per lexus service manual states. And you MUST orient new bushings in a proper way! There are some marks on old ones (like rubber 'nibs'), make sure you put new ones in properly oriented!

tcr101

iTrader: (2)

If I recall correctly, the nut that holds that bushing in has ~110lb of torque on it.. Air tools will make your life a lot easier to swap that bushing.

Lynzoid

Definitely... they are huge

bcorey

Thanks to all -

Lynzoid - what are the downfalls of not replacing it? Sounds ignorant on my part but I don't feel a great deal of difference in the ride of my car - am I foolish to assume that additional damage isn't being done by not replacing them right away? Also, should I replace them, I've been told to do the lower ball joints as well - your thoughts?

Thanks

Lynzoid

Ball joints - i did mine. Old ones wasn't faulty, but bj's are not expensive and gave me additional peace of mind. At about 120k miles they can't behave 'as new'.

As to rear oil filled bushing we talking about - they are cheap as well, and it's not a hard or long job to replace.
They have some kind of valving system inside, so i guess japanese engineers deemed it necessary to have perfect ride.

Not replacing them can lead to their destruction and bending of control arm and/or God forbid an accident.

If i remember correctly i paid about 50 bucks for each bushing, about 60 bucks for each balljoint. Work cost me around 100usd (but that's in moscow and i know the mechanic).

Ride did improve!!!

Viper6

My dealership replaced both of mine and I was very happy with the improvement to my driving dynamics. I asked if it needed an alignment and was told there is no reason to do an alignment afterward so I didn't push for it and they didn't do it... I'm not sure what the manual calls for, but they did not jump at a chance to charge me for un-needed services... we could use more of that integrity in the industry. Car drives and tracks straight. I'll monitor tire wear as I do with rotations every 5K oil change, but am not expecting any issues at this point.

If the Lexus manual calls for it, maybe my kick-*** mechanics have an ingenious way to get the job done right off the "newbie playbook" (aka shop manual) avoiding the need for an alignment... manuals are for sissies anyway... I think I am the only one who follows manuals religiously including torque specs for all DIY procedures for my cars and bikes anyway...

sennett0r

I recently had my 04 LS430 inspected by Paul over at Lextech (recommended by CL and yelp) who is a master Lexus technician. He mentioned that I needed to replace my Lower control arm bushings as they were shot.

The quote for parts/labor came out to ~$500. I did ask, since I'm a bit strapped for cash right now, what negative effects it would have if I waited a little to replace the bushing and he said there's nothing to worry about but that the car will not hold an alignment. So, tire wear might be off if I don't replace the bushing for a prolonged period of time.

I plan on getting this done within a month or two though and I need new tires anyways so I wasn't too worried. Hope this helps.

Lynzoid

Not doing the alignment after major suspension job like this is just a shoddy work... Are you doubting that manual calls for it? Read it yourself... And if car tracks straight and doesn't eat rubber - that still doesn't mean your alignment is ok....

MDSC

iTrader: (3)

manual calls to torque everything on the car to a certain spec do you do it everytime you pull your coil pack off? do you torque the plastic engine cover or your window motor regulator? Think about this logically if the alignment was done prior to bushings going bad. The toe and Camber specs will change as the control arm shifts because of a bad worn out bushing. If you replace the bushing with a new one it "SHOULD" place the control arm back to its original position. The toe and camber specs do not get out of spec just because something else gets damaged somewhere else. I agree 100% you should do an alignment but dont be surprised that if you replace the bushings and take your car to the shop your specs will be within limits. Of course the shop is going to take your money and do the alignment anyways since you brought the car in to them.