Suspension component torque specs?

I got my hands on the manual..that's all I'm going to say. Awesome info in there. I could sit and read the thing for hours.

Sigh..I should have been a 'real' engineer...software 'engineering' ( glorified programmer ) isn't doing it for me anymore...lol.

 

Update - parts should be here soon.

Dumb question but any idea if thread lock use is advisable on any of the suspension bolts?

• Obviously not needed on the castellated nut that holds on the ball joint because it is held in place via the cotter pin.
• Seems to not be needed on the sway bar end links as the nuts appear to be 'self locking'.
• Obviously the axle nut is locked into place via the 'dent' you add to the nut.

I'm wondering about :

• The large bolts that attach the struts to the steering knuckle ( these are very high torque ).
• The bolts that connect the control arm to the frame.

I'm thinking the answer is 'no'...and I didn't see any mention of it in the tech manual...but I thought I'd ask the gurus here.


Also adding this link for reference...it shows the 'trick' to get the passenger side control arm out.

Gen 3 lower control arm replacement info | PriusChat​

 

Yep..I am going to do a writeup when I'm done with pics and such and will post that then. However, it will probably go in my 'car maintenance' thread ( the one linked to in my signature )...and I will link to it from this thread.

 

Alright...next question. Related to torque but this time when you should torque...

The manual says that after installing the control arm :

This seems nearly impossible to do for a garage mechanic type situation...doesn't it? I'm not sure I can torque those bolts with the vehicle on the ground.

Just remembered that I can probably try to lower the car onto one of my ramps? However, I tried that before and there wasn't quite enough clearance. Maybe I need to get a 'low' ramp of some sort.

Ideas/opinions?

 

Good ideas...When I tried getting the ramp under a wheel previously it was under a rear wheel....I needed probably 1/2" more clearance...and I didn't try too hard to force it. Maybe it will work better on the front. Even though the suspension is heavy it seems like you should be able to squeeze a ramp under there.

Great idea about raising the jack height. That is the direction I''l go if I can't squeeze the ramp under.

At any rate I'll need to figure this out before I start.

 

Allright...I have completed my suspension overhaul. It has been a looooong weekend.

The goodies I installed :

• Control arms, Steering Knuckles, dust shields, hub/bearing assemblies, Sway bar end links.
• 

The old rusty stuff :

• Not much to say here except removing the stuff was an adventure...which I was expecting...and was also a time sink. Cotter pins were rusted on, etc...The tie rods ends were particularly difficult to remove from the knuckle. However, multiple shots of WD40 helped and they eventually came out with a light tap of a hammer.
• 

Tool to take out the 'notch' on the old axle nuts :

• This tool worked well. However, I would advise to NOT use an impact wrench when taking off the axle nut ( regardless of what you see on Youtube ). In my opinion a breaker bar gives you a much better 'feel'..and can avoid damaging the axle nut if you didn't knock out the 'notch' all the way.
• 

Disassembled :

• After getting the tie rods ends off, everything went smoothly. Note that because I replaced the steering knuckle I did NOT have to deal with separating the hub assembly ( i.e. - the source of many horror stories ) !
• 

Lifting the engine to extract the passenger's side control arm bolt :

• Yup...one of the control arm bolts cannot be removed all the way without removing the three passenger side engine mount bolts ( near the passenger side coolant tank ) and lifting the engine about 1/2 of an inch. I found you DO have to remove the engine mount bolts entirely for this to work properly.
• Thanks goes to this thread : Gen 3 lower control arm replacement info | PriusChat
• 

Installing the new stuff :

• Installing was easy compared to taking the old rusty crap out ( other than the engine lift )! However, I did end up checking and rechecking the torque specs.
• 

New axle nut...I used a nail punch to create the 'notch'.

• Nothing much to say here...except make sure you do it! Some of the videos on Youtube are not all that clear about how important this step is..safety wise.
• 

Well that's about it. This took the entire weekend but I did get both sides done. It went faster the second time because the first side was a learning experience.

 

Yep the new Timken wheel hub assemblies/bearings are great!

I'm not sure the knuckles *had* to be replaced. However, the reason I decided replace all the suspension components because of my steering problem ( a bit of pulling and off center steering wheel even after wheel alignments ). This has happened since i purchased the vehicle and there is even some record of 'pulling' in the service records. I theorized that the previous owner may have ran into something and 'slightly bent' something in one of the components.

Lo and behold...after test driving a bit my steering wheel is pretty much dead on center now. However, it does still *slightly* pull. I'm going to take it in for another alignment...which you should do anyways after replacing suspension components.

Ray you missed it! I included the Timken manual in the photo just for you.