Before you sit behind the wheel, you should be sure that your Toyota is safe and ready for use. Most importantly not to compromise your health, but also not be left on the road. This costs more than regular maintenance, and that you should practice that.
The control arm bushings are responsible for the comfort of your drives because they are absorbing all the force from under the car. If your bushings are worn out and faulty, you can have problems with handling, and you will feel the holes more.
Replacing your control arm bushings has to be done when there are signs of their destruction. The first thing that you might notice are the sounds that come up when you are rotating the wheel or when you go over a hole. However, problems with controlling your car are also present. Vibration can occur as well, depending on how damaged the bushing is.
Proper tools are needed for this type of work, so you might consider leaving this for the professionals if you lack the equipment. To understand how this process is done, and how can you notice that your control arm bushings are faulty better, we have made this article.
Remove the wheel
You should begin with removing the appropriate wheel where you suspect the problem. You will have to raise your Toyota, and use the proper key to remove these bolts. When you are done, you have a clearer picture of the situation.
While you are here, you may think that there are no problems with the bushings, however, you can only be sure when you take the whole arm out.
Start with unbolting work
When you understand where the arm is, you will have to pull out all of the bolts that are connecting the arm with the surroundings. A manual or a diagram might be helpful to locate every bolt there. You will also need an exact-sized key to unscrew them with.
After learning where are all of the screws that you will have to get off, and obtaining properly sized tools, you can begin with the unbolting. Make sure that you have enough room to work because you will have to use force, and you might hit yourself from the edges.
Inspect the whole control arm
When you pull out the whole control arm, you can begin with the inspection. Firstly, you can visibly notice whether there is something wrong with it. If not, you can use different tools to assist the checking. The bushings can be completely worn out, or just with slight damage. However, it is recommended to replace them since there are signs of use and you’ve already done the work.
Remove the broken bushings
This is the trickiest thing to be done in this whole work. They are snugly fit inside their place, and they can be only taken out with a special press. If you are not possessing that type of tool, you should bring the whole arm to a professional, and pay them to get it out for you.
Since you are not able to do everything on your own, it is better to let the mechanic do everything because you are paying either way. The service will be pricier than removing just the bushing, but at least you will not have to worry about anything. You are bringing the Camry with problems, and you receive it well.
Consider replacing the whole arm
If you are on a strict budget, and you want only to get it running, replacing only the bushing is okay. However, since you are removing the whole arm, you can just insert a completely new one. That way, you will have an easier job because you don’t have to remove anything from the old arm, you are just replacing it.
This can be costly if you go with new OEM arm. It’s probably better to just go for used Toyota parts since it will be cheaper. Knowing that you have changed a part of the steering system will make you feel safer, and you will also not worry for a long time about that.
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Return everything back
If you have stayed on your mind and installed just new bushings, you will have to do everything until now, but in reverse. It is harder to return everything how it was because of proper placement. If you don’t do it properly, your Camry will not function and you will have to bring it to a professional.
To make things easier, find a video, or a sketch that shows how you should do it properly, with steps that you can take. Also, make sure that you return every screw that you have gotten off because you are playing with your safety otherwise.
Check for other issues
Before you place your wheel back, you should check the state of the other parts that are visible from there. This can save you time in the future, and you can also plan about the next repairs if there is something that might go bad later.
If you have time and resources, make sure that your brakes are well. Check the pads and disks if they have enough meat on them. If not, it is advisable to make that repair right now. Besides the brakes, you can check whether your shock absorbers are good as well.
Conclusion
Having everything checked on the side of the problem, will give you trust in your Toyota that is ready for the roads even though you have only checked one side. Make sure that you maintain your Camry well and on time. That way, you will have a vehicle that lasts long, and you will be able to enjoy the rides that it offers.
If you are lacking knowledge, even though you are willing to do things on your own, you should give it to a professional to do this job. They have the proper expertise, and you will stress less this way. Also, the same thing that you would’ve done, they would have finished two times faster.
