Hello.

I am planning to replace the new polyurethane bushings I had installed in the front upper and lower control arms on my 1987 4runner. The ride quality with poly bushings are absolutely terrible on the street for stock suspension. Lesson learned.

My question is if the '86-'95 IFS suspension is the same, why does Toyota have different part numbers for earlier and later bushings? The part number for 1987 is $20 more than the part number for 1993.
Any help is appreciated.

1987 bushings https://parts.toyota.com/p/63042909/4806135011.html

1993 bushings https://parts.toyota.com/p/Toyota_19...806135030.html

 

This may be another lesson learned -

 

??

I am not sure what the lesson is....

Plus, those bushings seem awfully cheap.

 

A difference in the 1987 to 1993 doesn't really surprise me. I just checked RockAuto as a comparison and the part numbers\options for control arm bushings for 1987 4Runners are different than the 1993 so looks like Toyota made a change somewhere between 1987 and 1993, possibly when they changed from First Gen to Second Gen body styles.

RockAuto is honestly pretty awesome, here are the specs on the lower control arm bushing for the 1987: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...=2161&jsn=2161

And the specs for the lower control arm bushing for the 1993: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...72428&jsn=2165

I just picked AC delco for both to compare, the outer diameters are a bit different, 1.65 vs 1.70 inches, length 2.72 vs 2.74, and the inner diameter is also different .69 vs .64....but boy they seem pretty darn close.

You need 2 bushings per arm, right, so at $70 (or $100 if that's what you are finding) per bushing, that's $140 to $200 per arm. You can buy new (non OEM of course) arms with bushing for less than that.

 

i used the Nishino brand control arm bushings. The quality seemed pretty comparable to the OEM ones I removed.

 

For something that we only need to buy/replace once every 30 years, I'd go OEM

 

Thank you everyone for the replies!
@1stgen88t4r that made me laugh ha. But I do not want to put cheap Chinese parts on my vehicles, especially as something as important as a control arm bushing.

@coryc85 thanks for looking into the differences, that answers my question. Funny how things you read online always have to be taken with a grain of salt! " '86-'95 suspension is the same"

@Jimkola I'll have to check those out. Haven't heard of that company.

@RAD4Runner totally agree! I'm kicking myself now because the original bushings were in great shape. I replaced all the front suspension parts as preventative maintenance but nothing was really falling apart. This was my first vehicle I've done serious work on and have learned a lot ($$$).

 

@Jimkola where did you find the nishino control arm bushings? I found their catalog but it doesn't have 1987 year 4runner bushings.

Here's the catalog: they are made in Japan, which makes me happy
http://nso-nishino.jp/pdf/nso_2012.pdf

 

I got mine on Amazon, but the same seller now wants $40. PartsGeek has them at $21 I think. Carid has them dirt cheap, but the picture looks wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time a seller had the incorrect picture, but the price is so cheap it’s scary. Might check their return policy.
I’ve found a few OEM parts on Amazon at very low prices, But it’s pretty hit and miss. I try to stick with OEM, or buying from a supplier like Aisin or Denso, but I gave Nashino a try since Amazon has a great return system. Nashino quality was impressive. I avoid Chinese parts whenever I can, and never, ever electrical.
The whole reason I replaced my bushings was the vehicle I bought leaked oil everywhere, and the lower control arms were caked. I was worried that the oil had destroyed the rubber. When I pressed out the old bushings they looked great. Damn.

 

Ok, awesome! Thank you.

Isn't it amazing how Toyota has such reliable parts, even their rubber compounds are engineered so well.

Also did you go to the classic Toyota truck meet in So Cal last year? I saw some pictures on instagram and think I recognized your 4runner in your thumbnail picture. Do you have gold painted wheels now?

 

Last question Jimkola, did you touch the upper control arm bushings?

 

Nope, not me. I painted mine myself, so not show quality.Someday I might have a pro do it, but serviceable for now.

After seeing how good the lower control arm bushings were I didn't bother with the uppers. I did replace my upper ball joints, though. They were still fair, but I found a seller selling OEM for $30.00 each on Amazon and grabbed them. The torsion bars are hardest on the ball joints they pass through, and the previous owner had cranked up the torsion bars to raise it 1.5". So installed the new upper joints and reset torsion bars pretty close to spec. The lower ball joints were great, but I did replace the boots on them.
I got new bushings for the idler arm and popped those in( what a cheap and easy maintenance thing to do) and put new oem inner tie rod ends in. The alignment came out good, with all the numbers pretty well centered between the min/max parameters.

 

Badass.

You definitely went about restoring the front suspension in a smart way. Appreciate the replies.