New suspension bushings???

[tlin]

Just got back from a little over two weeks of offroading during my elk hunt (sadly, nothing in the freezer but absolutely terrific time spent up north). My suspension is very "squeaky" and I'm fairly certain most of that's coming from the original bushings underneath (but tough to tell from the driver's seat).

Anyone replaced all of these(??) and if so, please share impressions. Wondering if it's worth the $$/effort, thanks in advance.

--t

 

[86aggie]

I just replaced the front end on my FJ62. It took some PB Blaster, a breaker bar and removing the wheels for easier access, but got it done in an afternoon. Also took jack stands, bottle jacks and a floor jack. Found one pin that was rubbing on the spring - it had worn all the way thru the bushing. It made a huge difference in the ride. Much smoother. Well worth it.

 

[tlin]

I just replaced the front end on my FJ62. It took some PB Blaster, a breaker bar and removing the wheels for easier access, but got it done in an afternoon. Also took jack stands, bottle jacks and a floor jack. Found one pin that was rubbing on the spring - it had worn all the way thru the bushing. It made a huge difference in the ride. Much smoother. Well worth it.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[HomersCanyonero]

What's the difference between ball joints and bushings? Lexus dealer did a 40-point inspection and wrote that I needed front ball joints replaced. Independent mechanic showed me that the bushing on the front lower control arms need to be replaced. How many bushings are there in the front of the gx470?

 

[langsen]

A diagram showing all the front and rear bushings would be great. I found some of them and replaced them. So far, I replaced the front lower control arm bushings, front sway bar links, front sway bar bushings, front shocks (you car replace just the lower shock bushing if you don't need to replace the shocks), front upper shock mounts, rear air springs, rear shocks, all with OEM Toyota/Lexus parts, and it still rides the same as before. My 60 rode better than this.

 

[KK1849]

Bushings are placed at the point where the suspension bolts to the frame. They allow the suspension to articulate up and down about one axis. The GX front suspension contains (2) bushings on the upper control arms (on each side of the vehicle), (2) on the lower control arms (on each side of the vehicle), and (2) sway bar bushings for a total of 10 (not including those on the shocks). The rear suspension will contain upper control arm bushings (2) and lower control arm bushings (2) on each side, sway bar bushings (1 per side) and two panhard bar bushings for a total of 12 (not including those on the shocks). The factory bushings are rubber which helps to isolate passengers from NVH generated from the road surface. Most aftermarket UCAs use poly bushings which give a more direct feeling to the road, but due to the increased stiffness, do not isolate NVH as well.

Ball joints are also located on the upper and lower control arms, though they are located where the UCA and spindle meet. They are a ball-like connection, hence their name and allow three axes of movement. This allows the suspension and steering to work simultaneously. The GX has 4 ball joints in the front suspension, (1) upper and (1) lower on each side. The outer tie rods and sway bar end links also use a ball-joint like connection, so if you want to include those there are a few more. There are no ball joints in the rear suspension (other than the sway bar end links) as the rear wheels do not need 3 axes of rotation.

The attached picture is of a Tacoma, but for visualization purposes the suspensions are nearly identical. Upper and lower ball joints are circled in green, lower bushings in blue, outer tie rod end in yellow, sway bar bushings in purple, and sway bar end links in orange. Ignore the red arrow. The upper control arm bushings are not visible, but are in a similar location on the UCA as the lower bushings are on the lower control arm.

Hope this helps.

**edited to include sway bar bushings**

 

[KK1849]

A diagram showing all the front and rear bushings would be great. I found some of them and replaced them. So far, I replaced the front lower control arm bushings, front sway bar links, front sway bar bushings, front shocks (you car replace just the lower shock bushing if you don't need to replace the shocks), front upper shock mounts, rear air springs, rear shocks, all with OEM Toyota/Lexus parts, and it still rides the same as before. My 60 rode better than this.

Here are a couple more diagrams. First photo is of the front suspension again, this time from a side view. Again, upper ball joint is circled in green, upper and lower control arm bushings in blue, sway bar bushings in purple, and sway bar end links in orange. Photo is of FJ, but for visualization suspension is essentially the same.

The next photo shows a GX rear suspension looking from the back of the vehicle to the front with spare tire removed. Upper and lower control arm bushings are circled in blue. Panhard bar (also called a track bar) bushings circled in red and one sway bar end link is visible circled in orange. Sway bar end links are easier to view from the side with the tire removed. Photo only shows the control arm bushings that are visible from this angle. Control arms will have an additional bushing at the other end of each bar.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

@KK1849 Awesome diagrams and description.

 

[tlin]

@KK1849 - welcome to the forum - you currently have more Likes than Messages - impressive!

Recognizing there are many possible sources of the really squeaky noise I hear when offroading (normal driving reveals zero noises), I'm still trying to learn if others have gone through some fairly significant replacements and seen an improvement.

My suspension upgrade (parts in my signature) are <10 months and 3,000 miles old so that's not the source (hopefully). Further diagnosis by me is obviously warranted.

@86aggie, @langsen - similar to you, my FJ80 is noticeably smoother/quieter when articulating. As I'll be selling that one soon, hoping to get my GX to a similar level of quietness relatively soon.

Thx for the feedback guys....