2002 Camry Lower Control Arm Bushing Woes

[gnesterenko]

Greetings.

Upon noticing some squaking noise when my car hits particularly rough pavement I asked my mechanic to take a look. He informed me that my front lower control arm bushings have shifted, the right one some, and the left just a hair. The car was involved in an accident some years back and about two years ago I ran it into a curb bad enough to shift my steering wheel about 10-15 degrees out of position. According to the mechanic, it its not a bad problem currently, drivability is not at all affected, but it could be a potential issue in the future. However, because I just identified the problem, I don't know if it is recent or has been there all along for the last 5 years (just inherited the car from my dad a few months ago). For the moment, its wait and see if it gets any worse.

So I say, OK, whats it take to correct it, just for future reference. This is when I find out that the 02 Camry, for some insane reason, has control arm bushings that are not replaceable without replacing the entire control arm. And if that wasn't bad enough, the control arms cannot be removed without lifting or removing the engine AND transmission!? His conservative estimate was $2000.

Needless to say, this is rough, especially for a 10 year old vehicle with almost 100,000 miles on it. I'm definitely going to get a second opinion on it, etc. My plan was to keep the car maximum until 150,000 miles, preferably less, at <10,000/year driven. But I guess my question is, how serious of an issue is it? Say a control arm fails, whats the worst case scenario? Are there specific driving styles/situations I want to avoid so as to not aggrevate the issue any further? I've read multiple reports that said the car was driven for years even though the bushing had some play to it, so I'm hoping/praying that is the current case as well.

Thank you all in advance.

Posting from work, so need this disclaimer:
"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

[JohnGD]

The lower control arm bushings are now available. $30.79 K200041 for the rear and $31.79 K200039 for the front. But it's cheaper to get an aftermarket LCA, like the Dorman $45.79 520402:

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1027631

Check out the 2004 LCA swap. However, this 04-05 may be of a newer mount design than your 02 (02-03).

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh....php?p=3432091

[gnesterenko]

Originally Posted by JohnGD

The lower control arm bushings are now available. $30.79 K200041 for the rear and $31.79 K200039 for the front. But it's cheaper to get an aftermarket LCA, like the Dorman $45.79 520402:

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1027631

Check out the 2004 LCA swap. However, this 04-05 may be of a newer mount design than your 02 (02-03).

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh....php?p=3432091

Well, K200039 does say it fits my car. My concern is that it fits my car with a newer design of the LCA, not the one I currently have, which may not allow replacement of just the bushing... I'll have to talk to the mechanic and will take the car to a Toyota dealer since they'll be better informed regarding these things. Hopefully you are right though, and I can just replace the bushings. A $2000+ fix becomes a $200 fix which I'm more then OK with....

[tkkidd]

Originally Posted by gnesterenko

Well, K200039 does say it fits my car. My concern is that it fits my car with a newer design of the LCA, not the one I currently have, which may not allow replacement of just the bushing... I'll have to talk to the mechanic and will take the car to a Toyota dealer since they'll be better informed regarding these things. Hopefully you are right though, and I can just replace the bushings. A $2000+ fix becomes a $200 fix which I'm more then OK with....

I have a same problem now how did you fix this?

[gnesterenko]

Originally Posted by tkkidd

I have a same problem now how did you fix this?

Didn't. Haven't done anything to fix it. Basically mechanic told me that the LAC bushing was only shifted a little bit, not enough to be a problem. Every time I get my oil change I have him check it out to make sure it hasn't shifted further, and so far so good. So if it ain't (completely) broke, don't fix it :P

[leakyseals]

My 02 needs control arm bushings on both sides. Most noticeable on cold days. A rattle under your feet. It aligns but tire wear is pretty heavy on the outsides. Jacking the car up you can see the control arms and loose bushings move. Not good. Clearly why the steering is strange. Makes me a little nervous cornering at high speed now after seeing that. I cant imagine they would make that un serviceable without pulling the tranny, thats a serious suspension part. Assume the transmission issue (not clear it really exists) would be on the drivers side only?

[JohnGD]

The stamped sheet metal control arm is weaker than the forged control arm used in earlier Camrys. But the advantage of this design is that it's lighter and can sacrifice itself in an impact to save the subframe.

I'd get a Dorman LCA and bolt it on. The front LCA bolt is under the engine mount, but you remove the motor mount bolts from below and *lift* (not remove) the engine/transmission slightly or just remove the motor mount while supporting the powertrain.