Replacing lower control arm Sienna - MFG opinions

[NJC]

I need to replace the lower control arm driver side on my 2004 Sienna. With 164k km's on odometer, it seems worthwhile to buy the integrated control arm/ball joint assy. Rockauto has these 2:

MEVOTECH MS86170 @ $102

or

RAYBESTOS Part # 5071853 @ $116.

Any opinions? The Mevotech is listed as a popular seller.

 

[Trav]

Raybestos pro are spicer and good quality. Mevotech is cheap Chinese junk.

 

[Donald]

The ball joint is $30 and you can get an AC/Delco. All AC/Delco sells is the ball joint, that says to me a lot of people are only replacing the ball joint.

 

[NJC]

The rear control arm bushing is defininitely hosed .. as I could hear a clunk when going over speed bumps and turning to the right. It flexed quite a bit when pryed with crowbar .. but the ball joint was still rock solid.

Dorman 521813 is also an option @ $91 (sans ball joint).

 

[Trav]

More Chinese junk. Really the only decent part on that page is the Raybestos Pro.

i had a bad experience with Mevotech a few years ago and posted about it here.
The car was so far out of alignment it was scuffing the right front tire and could not be adjusted out.

The hunk of junk was twisted. I replaced both with Moog which were still good at that time and the alignment was spot on.
Over the past couple of years Moog parts have been in decline, i have had issues with them then you don't expect from quality parts.
Raybestos pro is the same quality as Moog once were (they are both owned by the same company now).
Their service grade is also cheap Chinese rubbish.

 

[zzyzzx]

I would also avoid the Dorman replacement.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: NJC


Dorman 521813 is also an option @ $91 (sans ball joint).


If it's got the Dorman name on it, chances are it's from Taiwan or China, in this case most likely China.

 

[NJC]

Guys - thanks very much. This is exactly the helpful info I was looking for. I'll go with the Raybestos part ... to bad Rockauto is not carrying a wider selection of good quality vendors. Maybe it's just this part? Otherwise they are a great supplier.

 

[mechtech2]

It is a good call to get both sides done, and get complete units.
Just pop them in.
A bit more $, but normally worth it, esp for a civilian.

 

[stephen9666]

To the OP - Did you check Amazon? They're frequently cheaper than Rock Auto after considering shipping.

Also, you may want to consider just replacing the bushing. I replaced the bushings in the lower control arms on my girlfriend's Beetle. I used the ball joint press they rent at Advance Auto.

It's a very similar design to your control arm, with the large hockey-puck style bushing at one end.

EDIT - In this case Amazon appears to only carry the Dorman part, so scratch that.

You may also want to check Advance with discount codes.

 

[stephen9666]

EDIT - I just noticed you wanted control arms with the ball joints already installed.


I did a little more poking around and found another option.

Amazon's catalog is somewhat ghetto. Sometimes you have to find part numbers on the manufacturers site and then search for the part number on Amazon.

I looked at Beck Arnley and they do offer control arms. These are without the ball joint and Amazon has them for $73 each shipped.
http://www.beckcatalog.com/#

I have limited experience with BA, but they seem pretty well regarded here on BITOG and other places. Many people report that the parts are often OEM supplied.

Here are the part numbers:
101-7011
101-7012

 

[NJC]

Thanks Stephen - I am actually in the process of placing an Amazon order so the info is timely. But never knowing where the parts are MFG (or of the quality of the MFG in that country) is problematic ... Beck Arnley is a good name but I have zero history with their suspension parts. And Google doesn't provide much help.

I might end up going with the Raybestos Pro line just to be sure I don't have to do this in 5yrs time.

 

[artificialist]

Beck Arnley is usually the OEM part with their name written on it. I recommend it if the OEM part was good.

Did your OEM control arm serve you well?

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
Beck Arnley is usually the OEM part with their name written on it. I recommend it if the OEM part was good.

Did your OEM control arm serve you well?

Beck Arnley is supposed to be OE-source, but the last clutch master cyl and slave cyl I received from them was packaged in the Beck/Arnley box with only a "made in Taiwan" labeling; there was no mention of any OEM name on there.

I know their 089 series brake pads are supposed to be OEM, but I am not 100% sure that all of the stuff is always OEM.

 

[NJC]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
Beck Arnley is usually the OEM part with their name written on it. I recommend it if the OEM part was good.

Did your OEM control arm serve you well?

The van was in service from 04/03, so it's the original bushing @ 9yrs and 165k km's. That's a reasonable service, but I would expect better life.

But it's probably more a function of poor design. Why Toyota would engineer a bushing that is subject to so much lateral tension is odd? I think the design on my Volvo (for instance) is much better: standard lower control arm with a radius rod into a bushing that is compressed axially, instead of the Sienna radial tension.

 

[NJC]

Raybestos control arm 507-1853 Made in Taiwan arrived today ... ball joint was not pre-greased? No zerk fitting, but I thought it would have something.

Rear large bushing is PN 48655-06050, for those that are inclined to source individually. As of today (Aug 2012), there's scant Google info on purchasing the bushing only. If it was readily accesible I might have been tempted, considered I have a hydraulic press at work that would easily press it out/in.

I'll report back after installation.

 

[NJC]

Well replacing the control arm assy was a Giant GIANT PITA. Mostly because the ball joint castle nut was welded in place. Beating, PBlaster and finally drilling got it out. Next time I will bring home MAPP gas and have a pickle fork ready.

If attempting, you will need a jack to raise the engine - best to loosen the bottom bolts of the front motor mount too. And I found it easiest to detach the ball joint from the new control arm assy and install separately.

A torque wrench capable of 150ft/lb will be necessary, as well as 6 and 12pt sockets. I also coated the ball joint taper with never seize, as well as the threads and even the cotter pin - as mine was rusted (?) in place.

And for those diagnosing a damaged control arm, it will manifest with clunking over speed bumps, or turning over a curb, or braking. It will appear as grabbing brakes, but it's actually the control arm assy flexing backwards.

 

[Trav]

Quote:
Raybestos control arm 507-1853 Made in Taiwan arrived today ... ball joint was not pre-greased? No zerk fitting

It should have been pre greased if it doesn't use a zerk, the pre greased doesn't have grease oozing out of the boot.
I'm a little surprised about the arm being made in Taiwan but its a lot better than China.

 

[NJC]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Quote:
Raybestos control arm 507-1853 Made in Taiwan arrived today ... ball joint was not pre-greased? No zerk fitting

It should have been pre greased if it doesn't use a zerk, the pre greased doesn't have grease oozing out of the boot.
I'm a little surprised about the arm being made in Taiwan but its a lot better than China.

The ball joint boot didn't have a firm feeling, so I was almost ready to return thinking it either wasn't greased. But that would have meant driving across the border again, shipping back etc ... since I'm doing another roadtrip of > 1,000km, I wanted to install and be done with it.

 

[stephen9666]

I don't think a pre-greased joint will be exploding with grease, necessarily.

I also recently got some Taiwanese B/A parts. Front suspension bushings for my Nissan. They fit perfectly and looked basically identical to the OE bushings. Even the high-end aftermarket Moog bushings looked different than the OE bushings.

As another member said, Taiwan is usually far better than China. I wonder where the OE parts would have been made? Who knows if the OE supplier has a factory in Taiwan? Car parts come from all over the world, now.