thaeleelyr

Other than the struts, has anyone replaced some of their rear suspension components? Can the bushings on the arm assemblies be replaced or do they have to be done as a unit?

fastnoypi

i attempted this last month while troubleshooting a rear clunk. My rear lateral link bushings are shot where they meet the hub carrier. The rear most lateral links can be removed and replaced as whole arm units or have their bushing pressed out and replaced, however the gas tank is in the way to drop out the forward set of lateral links.

I may attempt again this summer when the weather is more consistent. Its a big job, but i think it would be easier to drop out the rear subframe with rear diff as one unit to get to all the bushings and replace each as needed.

thaeleelyr

Rear subframe?! Yikes! You're going to do a DIY, right? lol. I can see two big bushing that will need to be replaced at some time. Are those the subframe part you plan to drop? What about the other suspension rod (runs from the front of the rear wheel along the door side frame (length of the fuel tank).

Have you ever heard of anyone having uneven tire wear caused by failing suspension? The outer edge on about 1/3 of my tire is wearing lower than the rest. Alignment is good. I just replaced the caliper and rotor, just in case. Both desperately needed done, but I'm getting new tires and I'm not sure if I should bump up my rear suspension plans.

fastnoypi

as an educated guess, you might have a problem with camber adjustment on your side. You can check with a good flat edge and a level against your wheel.
There are also neat magnetic camber gauge tools on ebay that are around $30 with up to +/- 6* of measurement.

However, as bushings in the lateral links and trailing arms as you suggested may be worn enough to cause enough deflection under normal operation that can affect tire wear.

If i get around to it this summer, i'll definitely document. I'm definitely open to ideas to remove the forward rear lateral links if there is another way to clear the gas tank.

thaeleelyr

I just had it aligned and there was no mention of it being out of camber, which is why I'm suspecting something in the suspension. Thanks for the tips, I'll see if I can tell if it's out of camber while sitting.

thaeleelyr

Fastnoypi: I just took a look at the rear control arm that is closest to the fuel tank. It looks like there won't be a need to pull the tank after all. It seems to me that there is *just* enough room to pull that bolt back out of the way to release the arm. I'm not sure there is enough room to pull it out completely. I'm hoping I'm wrong as I think I'll need to replace that bolt *damn salt roads*. Considering my problems, I'm getting to this before you - I'll share what I find out.

fastnoypi

If you can pull that arm closest to the tank, you are the man! I was able to remove the nut facing the tank but the bolt was still too long and held the arm on. I didnt want to accidently damage the tank by forcing the arm out.

thaeleelyr

Ooooh. You tried already. lol, well, I think I'll have to cut the stupid thing out anyway, so I'll stick the bolt in through the opposite side, which I'm pretty sure is probably a bad idea. In any case, I'll let you know if I can figure out a way of getting it out/in without dropping the whole rear or the gas tank.

thaeleelyr

fastnoypi: We've been running into a world of issues with this repair. It's going to be a while before I can get the DIY finished because I have some other things to try, however I did run into some issues with the trailing arm that you might want to be aware of before you drop the rear carriage:

If you have to replace your trailing arm, you may need to drop the fuel tank anyway. I could get the trailing arm bolt off the passenger side, but the driver's side has less room between the tank and bolt. It had to get cut out anyway so thought I could put the bolt through from the outside in, but right now the frame is *just* getting in the way. I haven't been able to play with it enough to see if there is enough room to angle the TA far enough to start the bolt through as I'm not at reassembly yet, but I wanted to give you a head's up to check this before you drop the rear.

fastnoypi

you've encountered the same issue i ran into first hand and mentioned in my earlier posts. That's why i suggested to drop the whole rear end. I haven't had time to attempt but plan later this summer. I suggest to drop the whole rear end via the rear subframe. Disconnect the driveshaft and the parking cables and brake lines before lowering. That would be my game plan without dropping the gas tank.

If you think about it from the design and future servicing perspective, The factory would not want a tech to encounter any risks of fuel problems to fix a suspension or rear driveline issue. The whole rear end was most likely attached to the unibody as a whole at the assembly line for production efficiency.

JAB

I too am contemplating this project, but worry about the bolts that hold the subframe to the body because of rust. Is there a risk of stripping those bolts, or breaking loose any captive nuts? If so, we're in world of hurt. Thoughts anyone?

salimshah

Six sided socket, long breaker bar and place to plant yourself or having a impact driver. I recall working on trying to torque to 180lb-ft and sliding everywhere in my garage. No fun.

I do admire the thought Lexus has put in to hold hidden nuts.

Salim

JAB

Salim: Are you saying that my fears are unjustified?

salimshah

Just use the right tools ,,, no slop and no tilt and they should come off. Keep in mind my cars are from central Texas ... no salt/snow/corrosion.

Salim

thaeleelyr

That is my fear. They are large bolts, so just replacing them, IF you can find replacements, will be pricey. I did read on a Toyota forum about someone trying this on their Highlander and breaking off some kind of bolt/post related to dropping the rear carriage and was asking for advice on possibly welding it back on. It seems that the nuts are hidden inside frame members. Tearing out the back doesn't reveal any of them.

I haven't decided if I'm dropping the rear carriage or the tank yet. The advantage of the tank is that the bolts are small and can easily be replaced/drilled/tapped. The disadvantage is that getting to them is tight around all the components. I'm leaning towards the tank being less of a hassle at this point.