more lux questions by different newbie

[daveo]

sorry for being a hassle but i just want to clear something up
put the lux (98 3.0d, ifs) in for a wheel balance and alingment yesterday but they couldnt do it cause the idler arm is buggered. the bloke reckoned that i will probably need a whole new arm. he said that theres about 10 - 15mm of play in the link. is it likely to be just the bushes/bearings or will i most likely need the whole new arm. also would this cause a real bad squeaking noise at full lock when going really slow? i thought it was the swaybar link pin which was stuffed but i fixed that and the noise is still there. should this have been picked up by the mech who serviced it a month ago? i would have thought so. have had repeated issues with the servicing. been going to a toyota dealership that specialises in 4wd's on bris southside. some will know which one im talking about. wont be going back.

thanks a lot, sorry for sounding stoopid but just trying to get some more opinions/info

cheers, dave

[ausyota]

The idler arm is the weakest part of the IFS steering.
Bushs wear out lots and really fast if you run bigger than standard tyres.
But they are easy to replace yourself and only cost around $20.
But sometimes the arm itself gets a bit of a bend in it and is buggered.
I just had to replace mine. It cost around $120 for the complete assembly.

If you want info on how to pull the idler arm apart to replace bushs look here. http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/idler/index.html
Paul.

[ausyota]

I almost forgot.
The loud noise while at full lock is just the steering stops rubbing.
Nothing to worry about they all do it.
You can smear a bit of grease on the stops and the noise gos away but you have to keep on greasing them all the time. I have given up and just put up with the noise.
Paul.

[daveo]

cheers mate, thanks for the help.

[daveo]

just heard from my mate who's work is fixing it for me and its not the the idler arm but the ptiman arm which has too much play. should this have been noticed by the mechanic who serviced it bout a month ago? i would have thought so but maybe im wrong??