Replacing Upper Control Arms on LX470 / Toyota Land Cruiser (100 series)

[@NKPGarage]

you deserve way more subscribers. Absolutely fantastic video.Well done!

[@geriatricpearl]

I appreciate that!!

[@ibanezmakki]

Great video! What we the symptoms you had to identify that the upper control arms were no longer good?

[@geriatricpearl]

thanks! I didn't have any driveability symptoms, but on a long road trip, my AHC sensor temporarily failed and I was riding on nothing but the bumpstops for a few miles and that caused both UCA boots to burst and they lost all their grease. So this was a preventative maintenance item for me bc I didn't want catastrophic failure of the ball joints. Also, it never hurts to have new bushings!

[@ibanezmakki]

@@geriatricpearl Awesome man. Great to know.

[@mohara5040]

Glad I found your channel. Does it matter if you have an LX470 and get toyota parts to save a few more bucks?

[@geriatricpearl]

nope! I never buy the lexus parts, in fact I think the parts are identical

[@lmnop7098]

Great video. The best I've seen for Upper Control Arms. I'm going to try to do this next week. Had a few questions: - For the camber adjustment bolts, how does that work exactly. Do we just make a mark on each side and when we put them back in spin them freely until they match up to the marks again? And then once they match marks just tighten the nut. Is that right? You said we have to counter-hold the nuts when getting them to match so it only spins if we hold the inside of the bolt? Thanks for the help!

[@geriatricpearl]

thanks for the kind words! it will all make more sense when you're doing the job. the adjustment bolts can't really spin freely bc they have a big elliptical lobe on the bolt head and the bolt hole is surrounded by steel (friction points) for that lobe to catch on. it's kind of hard to explain. so yeah just draw a line or two on each adjustment nut (remember the adjustment nut is the part on the outside) and make sure you're drawing your lines onto the frame. in other words, there's also a big lobe on the adjustment nut, and you need to ensure you're dragging the marker from the lobe onto the frame so you have a reference point later. upon reassembly, it's easiest to line up the matchmarks from the outside using the adjustment nut. i think my use of "counterhold" was confusing there bc you really just need to use an adjustable wrench to get the marks aligned (by turning the adjustment nut), once aligned, keep holding it there with the wrench, and then tighten the outermost nut with a ratchet - you're doing all of this one the outside, without touching the bolt head. use the ratchet to make it tight enough to hold everything so you can use your torque wrench without messing up the matchmarks. this is probably making it sound complex, but it's not. don't worry about it too much, just get the job started and you'll see what i mean! it's easy.

[@markdaugherty6378]

New subscriber, great explanations for this repair, have you already replaced the lower ball joint? I think that the lower control arm ball joint takes the most abuse, a testament to its beefier size. Just to let people know you can just change the bushing and upper ball joint independently. Mostly not a difficult job, with the price you paid for the full control arm at Impex, do not consider this option in my opinion. I did mine over the pandemic shutdown without many options. Looking forward to your future uploads.

[@geriatricpearl]

LCA is definitely on the to-do list, but I opted to replace the uppers first bc the boots were both busted. after attempting to press in the front diff bushing, i've kind of sworn off anything that requires a press tool, so when i do get to the LCAs, i'm just going to get new ones.

[@markdaugherty6378]

@@geriatricpearl I have the press tool and it still makes me nervous as to the amount of effort I will be expending removing those bushings, not so much the lower ball joint itself, I can tell you that it made a large impact on the driving experience compared to my upper control ball joints replacement. I am still on AHC, still smiling at how it rides so smoothly. I have a power steering hose drip at the rack and still trying to figure out the best way to approach replacement hoping not to have to remove the compressor. Thanks again for that tip on Impex, I have in the past had good luck with Megazip, and domestically in Dallas TX with Park Place Lexus online. Keep us updated on your projects. Cheers

[@geriatricpearl]

@@markdaugherty6378 oh nice! in that case I might need to move them up the list. I've been trying everything to make the suspension as smooth as possible. And I love AHC!

[@markdaugherty6378]

@@geriatricpearl Jungle Cat made a series of videos about his take on suspension upgrades and their effects, worth visiting IMO. My take is that AHC likes a good bleeding about once a year to operate effectively and when doing the lower ball joints do the bushing in the lower shock arm, both sides were compromised, they are dirt cheap and easy to reach when doing the lower control arm/ball joint. I noticed after last summer's heat cycle my roof rack is begging for attention, I have never used it to haul anything. My two cents.

[@texas_tv7541]

Nice video! Did you measure the height before you work on to get 19.75" or all lx has to match 19.75"? Also your part # sharable with 05 lx470?

[@geriatricpearl]

thank you! that's a good question - the 19.75" is the consensus measurement for stock 100 series according to the ih8mud forum. so assuming you have no lift, that's the number to shoot for. if yours is currently 19.5" or somwhere around there, i would still jack up to 19.75 and then during reassembly you can just adjust the height control sensors up to get to the 19.75". or not, it's not a big deal if you're lower than 19.75". the part numbers shown are compatible with both land cruiser and lx470. in fact, my truck is an 05 lx470!