Warning - Broken control arm bolt!

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by jack black

Thanks for this useful thread. What no one mentioned in this thread, the bolts are very easy to remove for inspection if one has semi-decent tools. I did it in my driveway without lifting the car and I used a cheap breaker bar like this, without any struggle:


My kid's Yaris was made in 2006, but spent all its life in deep south and mostly in south Florida. I didn't expect the bolts to be in bad condition, but there was some rust in the neck of the head, just next to the washer. Either water pooling there and/or galvanic corrosion due to different metal in the washer? Even though it rained a lot a week ago and before, the bolts were dry.

I packed the bolt area under the washer in grease and screwed it back. The 118 lbs/ft torque made me sweat a bit.

IMHO, since this is a simple job, everyone should at least remove the bolts for inspection/lubrication and/or replace if needed.

Yaris experts, anything else that needs to be torqued down there?

It is a very easy job provided they aren't rusted enough to snap. At that point in goes from a simple job with a breaker bar to an absolute nightmare. The problem is that you can't necessarily tell which way it is going to go until you give it a shot, so it is a bit of Russian roulette if you live North of the Mason-Dixon line.

[jack black]

Originally Posted by CTScott

It is a very easy job provided they aren't rusted enough to snap. At that point in goes from a simple job with a breaker bar to an absolute nightmare. The problem is that you can't necessarily tell which way it is going to go until you give it a shot, so it is a bit of Russian roulette if you live North of the Mason-Dixon line.

Yes, I didn't mean to minimize the issue when the bolts break. This is why I'm trying to say one should not wait, but check the bolts as soon as possible before they break.