need advice on finishing up after a lift

[txgringo]

Most of my experience is on solid axle rigs (80 series for the past few years, heaps before that) so I am pretty ignorant when it comes to anything to do with IFS.

I just installed an Icon lift on my wife's GX470. During the lift we were very careful to keep all the alignment points marked so that we put it back to the same place it was before.

Issue #1:
After installing the lift, it seems like the steering got super sensitive. There's no slack or wobble, but it seems like when you turn the wheel a little, it goes that way a LOT.

Any thoughts on what to check for this?

I took it to the local Toyota dealer to check the alignment and have a general inspection done, which brought up a couple other concerns.

Issue #2:
During the Toyota inspection, they said that my control arm bushings were going out. They also proceeded to tell me that the bushings were not replaceable, so I would need new control arms. I declined the service and told them that I would source them elsewhere.

Are OEM bushings the best option, or does anyone run an aftermarket product that is as good/better?

Issue #3:
At some point the boot clamps fell off the CV joints which allowed grease to escape. I put on some hose clamps as I didn't have any spare boot clamps laying around. The Toyota dealer noticed these incorrect clamps and claimed that the incorrect clamps had "caused the boot to break and crack" which would now require me to get new boots and clamps. I think they quoted me something like 5.5 hours to replace them...

Do I need to buy the actual clamps for these boots, or are hose clamps fine?

Is there an easier way to grease the CVs besides pulling the axles (the Toyota shop claims this is the only way and wants to bill me the same 5.5 hours to grease the CVs as I would have paid to have them replace the boots)?

 

[Dharma Dude]

Most of my experience is on solid axle rigs (80 series for the past few years, heaps before that) so I am pretty ignorant when it comes to anything to do with IFS.

I just installed an Icon lift on my wife's GX470. During the lift we were very careful to keep all the alignment points marked so that we put it back to the same place it was before.

Issue #1:
After installing the lift, it seems like the steering got super sensitive. There's no slack or wobble, but it seems like when you turn the wheel a little, it goes that way a LOT.

Any thoughts on what to check for this?

I took it to the local Toyota dealer to check the alignment and have a general inspection done, which brought up a couple other concerns.

Issue #2:
During the Toyota inspection, they said that my control arm bushings were going out. They also proceeded to tell me that the bushings were not replaceable, so I would need new control arms. I declined the service and told them that I would source them elsewhere.

Are OEM bushings the best option, or does anyone run an aftermarket product that is as good/better?

Issue #3:
At some point the boot clamps fell off the CV joints which allowed grease to escape. I put on some hose clamps as I didn't have any spare boot clamps laying around. The Toyota dealer noticed these incorrect clamps and claimed that the incorrect clamps had "caused the boot to break and crack" which would now require me to get new boots and clamps. I think they quoted me something like 5.5 hours to replace them...

Do I need to buy the actual clamps for these boots, or are hose clamps fine?

Is there an easier way to grease the CVs besides pulling the axles (the Toyota shop claims this is the only way and wants to bill me the same 5.5 hours to grease the CVs as I would have paid to have them replace the boots)?

How much lift did you get? Darty steering usually means negative caster, so you either need an alignment or upper control arms. If you lift high enough, you'll need to get aftermarket upper control arms to get back to proper alignment. I installed SPC UCAs with my lift (2-3")

Can't answer the CV boot question. I usually have the CVs replaced as soon as I noticed that the boots are torn.

 

[Dharma Dude]

Here is a good explanation of why you need aftermarket UCAs after a high enough lift: Should you get aftermarket upper control arms?

 

[txgringo]

@Dharma Dude thanks for the link; great read. On the 80 we address caster with a $100 set of caster correction bushings. It would appear that just like everything else on an IFS rig, addressing caster is a lot more $$$.

This is the kit that I have: Icon Stage 1 0-3.5"

I already got one $250 hickey on the rear airbag delete kit, which isn't clearly marked as a required add-on to the Stage 1 kit. Looks like I need to spend another $600-$800 to get this thing where it needs to be.

 

[joabmc]

I’ve used aftermarket clamps on CVs with no issue. They tend to seep after changing the geometry with a lift. Go with an aftermarket UCA to correct your steering issue. Makes a world of difference. There are several good options available, I went with SPCs and the handling is just like stock.

 

[Bluetribal]

At what height did you set the front at? Did you just install it the way they came?

Marking the alignment tabs is of no help once you add a lift. You need to get an allignment but you will have to get another one once you install the UCA.

I would also double check your rear brake lines to make sure you don’t need the extended SS ones Metal Tech offers. Mine were too tight for my liking with the smaller RadFlo rear springs. I now have the 2” Icon springs like you have in your kit.

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

I use rolled edge stainless steel worm drive clamps on my CV boots.

McMaster Carr sells them. There are kits you can buy from some vendors but they are just packaging the clamps McMaster sells and tripling the price I paid $20 and got enough clamps to do three vehicles with some spares.

The stainless clamps won't rust and the rolled edges won't cut into CV boots. You can also loosen and tighten them as needed.

When i first installed my lift, I had grease seeping out of one boot in about 100 miles or so. I checked the boot for tears and cracks, finding none so I added grease with a needle attachment made for universal joints and added clamps to close it up. No issues since.