BENT LOWER CONTROL ARM!! // How did this happen to my 2003 Suburban?
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- In this video I replace the drivers side rear lower control arm on my 2003 Chevrolet Suburban. This should be similar on all 2000-2007 Chevrolet and GMC full-size trucks and suv's like the Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon, Silverado and Sierra.
MOOG RK641916 Control Arm: amzn.to/2D64r9e
I'm curious as to how this could've happened. Either someone tried to jack-up the car and used the control arm instead of the frame or the truck came down onto a large rock and just hit the right spot to bend it out of shape. Please comment below and let me know your 2 cents!!
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Usually my car projects have a hitch/problem and I’m always pleased if my repairs go as planned.
Your jack theory is probably spot on. While changing a flat on the side of the road on uneven ground my jack slipped out from under my axle. I due to my desperation tried to sit multiple jacks by putting one under my control arm which resulted in mine looking identical
You can't go wrong with MOOG. I use their parts for anything I can. As for replacing the other side, I don't see a need.
P.S. I also find a strange comfort just laying under my rigs when I'm working on them. It's a great stress reliever.
Dear Jimmy,
My name is Seno from Cambodia and I personally stupid to Jack my Chevy Avalanche Z71 2002 to change my rear right flat tire and it was exactly look the same.
Thank you so much that you are here to teach me many things about this lovely truck. Be healthy, Jimmy.
I wanted to say your assumption was correct.
Please buy a wrench set and stop using the cresent wrench 🔧
Amen. They work fine for snugging up, but when it comes time to apply real torque... smashed knuckles and rounded bolts await - it's only a matter of time. When torque needs reach 50 ft/lbs or higher, put that thing away. As for the control arm, there weren't any apparent marks so the damage is probably a severe stress like a pothole or a railroad crossing that was horribly maintained.
But they look so cool...
Who doesn't like fuller and thicker....bushings?
When it comes to suspension, i always replace the corresponding part/s on both sides.
+1. For $30 bucks more.. may as well replace the pair. New bushings for both sides. Keep things even.
When i get cars from auctions, the fork lift driver who moves the car bends the control arms. Toe truck drivers bend stuff up when they tie the cars down to the bed. People bend control arms when they pick the wrong place to jack the cars up.
crazy i go and check mine an its the exact same way .dam tire shop switch out my tire and i kinda notice scrapping coming out quick turns .eazy fix but i made them buy the part ,haha as far as laying under i took a 2 hour nap untill my wife pulls up asking if i fill asleep again i starting my m legs like i was simply checking suspension hahaha .is weird but the job got done and i feel refreshed. theirs alot of us who go down that same "1 road"
I would have had the alignment checked after replacing that part. It is a good practice on any time you change anything or adjust anything on your suspension to your vehicle, to go ahead and have the alignment checked to be on the safe side.
I think one thing about these control arms is that once you hit a very bad pot hole fast or deep enough, you stand the chance to bend your control arm.
It's funny i came across this video. Literally, today I replaced the rear shocks on my 05 tahoe Z71. Bilsteins as well! I placed the jack on that control arm and it bent the absolute pass out of it. Need new ones now lol.
It is good that you are aware of them because they are important for balance to the car
I just found mine the exact same way tonight! Driver side is tweaked but passenger side is fine. I'm just gunna replace both arms, bolts, bushings and probably try for aftermarket since I'm doing my suspension and everything soon anyway. Awesome vid!
You need to preload the suspension before tightening those bolts
And how is that done?
@@trutri1234 either use a jack and lift the lower control arm to the height that the vehicle normally ride or when you drop the vehicle off the jack after installing the tires and then tighten those control arm bolts to spec
If the car is on the ground it’s already preloaded. No need.
I think you had it the first time with your first guess. Its very clear its only that piece, so I'm agreeing that someone used it to jack the car up at one point and didmt notice to damage they did.
I know this is a few year old video, but "YES" 1ROAD, this can be done from using the lower control arm as a jacking point, and I know from experience :-( . I have a 2002 Chevy Avalanche 1500 Z71, and while renting a place in between homes, I was in a rush to do a brake job on my truck, and managed to skew my LCA and make it look just like yours :-) I've been driving on it for a year now and no problems, but just ordered a new set of MOOGS, so both sides match, and will probably replace them this coming week when I receive them. Nice video !
You are absolutely correct. I had a flat in the dark and had no light. Thought I was jacking my 01 suburban on the frame. It definitely was the lower control arm. Bent it just like you showed. Felt like a HUGE idiot.
For anyone wondering the torque specs is 89 ft-lb. And only torque when the vehicle is at ride height.
Maybe you did it when you jacked it up to do the fuel pump
Do the other side for the hell of it, just $31.00
When the D goes in the first try,
"Wow, thank you Lord that when good"
It looks like someone put a jack on that pieces and jack it up to do a break job if anything check the breaks on to see if they were replaced before u got it
Just had mine replaced. The mechanic told me it's usually caused by a tow truck, hooking up wrong.
just the way I was brought up, I always replace things if they come in pairs (bulbs, brake assemblies etc.) if I'm financially able to as a peace of mind. Plus this seems like an easy repair/maintenance process like an oil change. as for how it happened, not a clue honestly. it's really strange if the damage is isolated to that particular piece and nothing happened to the surrounding area
I would replace in pairs with suspension components. That's just me personally because in the long run one less thing to worry about. I'd say they hit something because its bent sideways or ran over debris.
Did you support the rear axle also or just the frame in front of the control arm ? I am doing this work on the driveway as well so just want to make sure. Thank you .
I side swiped driver side/front ended an f150 hit the trucks steel step bars in my 18 Elantra gt pushed wheel back 4 inches and bent practically snapped control arm. It made loud humming noise when driving and scrubbed the wheel wall covers stopping it from making hard left turns. Drove it 6 ms like that. Mechanic said it was the control arm assembly
Also wore my tires down to the threads every month
I as well had a rear driver's side bent control arm/trailing arm on my 99' Chrysler 300 M upon my 3rd alignment (I've been doing complete suspension replacement ), I was told about this problem so...hmmm I was pist!! But my conclusion being no one ever said this before ,that my ex husband which is known for hot headed and reckless driving and a lot of pond fishing that he had to have ran over a huge rock or pipe sticking up in tall grass as he was pond fishing . obviously he wasn't supposed to be .and he as well always hits curbs in my car. Granted it's a pain to have good vision in this car unless your used to it..maybe ran off a big curb and bent it...
It's from placing the jack on the control arm and not the frame, I just had this happen to my truck this weekend.
That’s what I figured. 🤦♂️
I'm surprised you did just replace all of the rear suspension parts. There's a 7 piece kit for $200
Great video just had this problem with my Denali from my dad trying to jack it up from there
Same thing happened to my 2013 suburban ...somebody must have used a floor jack underneath the rear trailing arm and twisted it
My local junkyard sets this generation of truck down on these rear lower links, so I refuse to believe they bend that easy. I'd say it was likely some impact damage from road debris or off-road, or possibly even strapped/chained down onto a flatbed around the link which bent it when the truck shifted. If it was from being jacked up, it would have had to be a very direct pressure point, not a pad like you'd find on lifts.
do both, like you said the bushings wear, and it looks like jacked up by the control arm, as the truck lifted, it pulled the control are sideways
Do you "have to" replace the other side? No. Is it recomended, yes. With the milage on the vehicle and the benefit of of having even waring parts, you are going to be better off and safer if you do both now.
Due to the TYPE of vehicle it is I would suspect previous owner cut a corner too sharp over a concrete abutment, or ran over a short tree stump, one time I was slowly rolling over my yard thinking I was missing a stump with my 1965 F100 pickup, it suddenly stopped, looking under it I found the lower shock mount under the axle got wedged INTO the stump. I could see where same type senario with your vehicle if hitting same at a certain angle / speed would do that damage.
I drive a Yukon xl and went through a pot hole at night and completely broke the control arm i had been driving it all week asking myself what is that rattling sure enough when i changed my oil yesterday i noticed the damage😮
I would go ahead and do both and get some gloss black paint and touch up the bottom, To prevent rust.
I need to do this but do you jack the truck up to take the weight off axle or do you just jack up the whole truck and axle or does it not matter because there is no tension either way or what did you do because you didn’t seem to not have much tension? Thanks
You dont have to change the other side if thre is nothing wrong , dont waste money .
I’m thinking road hazards or maybe a Rock. This is a very weird scenario. I also have a 04 Suburban
Is that MOOG part made in the U.S or made in Ginaah?.
Wow i have the exact same problem on my 01' Chevy suburban and was trying to find a video on replacing it and found this video. I have a feeling it is from a 2 post lift. And yes I would replace both.
Just an FYI… A few months after replacing, I noticed a strange clunky sound when I would hit bumps or takeoff from a stop or even come to a stop. It stumped me because it happened when I would use my brakes and takeoff… I thought it was brake related. Turned out to be a slightly loose Bolt on the new control arm I put on. it appears that the hole on the new control arm is slightly larger than the stock one coming off. I got under there and crank that sucker tight and haven’t had a problem since.
Nice video. I will be changing mine soon. Mine is way worse than yours and yes I have read that this messes with the geometry. Clunks and weird spring noises too. This twists the whole rear end and causes alignment issues.
By the way it looks like this damage was done when someone improperly lifted the vehicle. In my case I think it was the tire shop
Would you happen to know now what the torque specs are for this?
Please lmk
Chances are the truck was towed by an inept tow guy, that's a common bad spot to hook to. And that's the type of expected damage.
We've discussed this and thin you should not only replace the other one but you should replace the heads as well. Shoot the parts cannon at it like the fuel pump issue,,,
I did the brakes on my 2000 suburban like 6 months ago checked all around only i found the rear brakes backing plates super corroded i did replaced them and today i was replacing the rear shocks and found the same problem on the driver side lower control arm bended the same and im the same with out a explanation how did it happen im the only one that drives it and do maintenance and repairs
Yup .. did that to my yukon .. trying to jack it up..dammm
How so?
Anyone know if this will make rearend sway when hitting dips in the road?
@ 1 Road, come to think of it, do you think this affected the leveling of the front end? I remember you telling us that the rear driver side was sitting a bit lower than the opposite side.. maybe that bend was tugging it down a bit.. just a thought..
My trailer arm got bent like that too. I assumed it came from dropping down off of my feet curve at the end of my driveway
Great video. Have any of you replaced the rear " upper" control arms? I have an 07 Tahoe that rides rough and I was told to replace the arms and bushings on all four sides. Send me a link if you have seen a how to video on it. Thanks.
Bro this whole time I though this was part of the frame but it's a control arm smh 😂 did you replace just that one or both bro mines got dent from a rear end on the right side smh.
Did have to raise back Wheels off the ground or no?
Hey so I’ve been having rear end differential problems but I don’t know if that has anything to do with it. My lower control arm is bent exacly like yours and it’s my passenger side arm. The only thing is that my truck is a 2010 Chevy tahoe. The arm or any areas around it have any scratches/dents or hits to say that I hit something.
I always replace both sides equally. And I usually give em about 3 ugga-duggas with the impact.
It's definitely from jacking it up, mine looks the exact same and I lifted it right there on dirt and it sunk and flipped the jack over and bent the control arm just like that.
Ugh I just did the same thing because I'm a dumbass.
Weird thing is I was under my 2004 Suburban 1500 and I saw my passenger side was just as bent as yours, WTF is going on with these things. I went ahead and ordered both sides, I will keep an eye on mine and if for any reason it does it again I am going to look to see if they have any aftermarket round bar ones to solve that issue.
Thanks for the videos Jimmy, their always helpful. I just did my shocks Bilstein also.
You do 4600's or 5100's??
@@1RoadGarage 4600.. I found my 95 GMC Yukon from the original owner with 100k.. not quite as good as yours!! But definitely something you want to hold on too.. when I first got my truck I UA-cam on how to fix it and a lot of your videos came up ever since then I've been taken care of my truck through the help of your videos I can't thank you enough Jimmy you save me tons of money and you made sure to make these videos nice and simple with Easy instructions..
I realize this is dated, but yeah, that is 100% what the control arm looks like if you should mistake it for the frame and try to use the control arm to jack up the car to replace a rear tire. You'll just have to trust me on this and please dont ask how I'm so certain. 😑
That weird I just bought my cadillac escalade esv last month and while I was underneath my and had the exact same issues and mine looks exactly the same as yours and noticed pads were changed beforehand so I was thinking the same some idiot jacked it up wrong in the wrong spot to bent it that badly, but wow I just bought the same exact part as you did from Amazon also for $30 and bouts to install it this next weekend..
I guess either something hit it or most likely it was jacked from there. The good thing is the damage limited to that part
Might as well change the other side as well.
You or someone lifted that truck with a floor jack from that part because I made that same mistake
I say yes to replace the other side
Yes, change the other side, thaaaaaank you. I will ne doing the same to mine.
Very helpful
Someone probably drove over a high curb and as they came off, CLUNK! Right onto the control arm. Jacking up the truck on the control arm doesn't seem to make as much sense.. Isn't the weight of the truck resting on the control arm in the first place? Jacking it up on the control arm wouldn't make that much damage imo.
I think the jack idea is the most probable cause. The extent of the damage would extend beyond just that part. Or at least that's what i think. Can't imagine someone being that stupid but it happens! Love the videos! Huge fan!
Was there a difference after u change it? driving
I've worked on vehicles for years and have seen that from some guy in the backyard that has most the neighborhood bringing their cars to em. I call these guys mechanics...they throw parts at a vehicle usually and don't know how to properly diagnose things .Often times they have little to no knowledge and talk a great game. Whoever did that ,knew they did it ...and that's sad to compromise another person and their families safety not to mention the other drivers and passengers on the road. It could have been much worse.
I bent mine with a jack
I'm guessing somebody attempted to Jack the truck up on the control arm.
I thought the suburban was leaf spring suspension!
Danielle Manuel the older ones were but the newer ones are coil springs, as are the avalanches that are based on the suburban.
change the other side
You did the one side I would just do the other side while your at it only because of the age of the suburban
Same on my, also on the driver side :) maybe factory fault :D
I watch a BBC program
Whatever Edd China does to one side of the car, he duplicates it on the other side
That is a good general rule... But it's best applied to low or medium priced parts. Expensive parts should only be replaced as needed, IMO.
I only replace both sides if a failure is due to wear and tear. A failure due to damage I only replace both sides if the vehicle is very old or there is signs of age on the other part.
In the case of this video I would only replace the other side if there were signs of drying/cracking in the other side bushings. Sure it is "only $31" but a penny saved is a penny earned. Also when it comes to customers, they are pretty cheap lol
I miss Edd China !!
I had the same issue except mine was on the passengers side.
I was just working on my brakes and noticed my 2005 Suburban has the exact damage
offroad driveing and hitting a rock or in the winter hitting a iceblock. hundreds of things that could have happend.
I have the same exact problem on mine looks identical
I’d guess someone was backing out of a driveway and fell in a ditch.
Mine was the same way. It was caused by jacking up the lower arm
Looks kind of like some one tried pulling it from the control arm.
It was the control arm that caused the MAF fault...
Definitely drove over a rock or something. I would've just ordered both to begin with if they're that inexpensive.
i hydroplaned sideways into a curb and mine is bent so maybe that’s what happened?
I hydroplaned in a storm and I believe this bent mine too
I think a tire shop or it went off road
They jacked the truck up by the control arm. That's exactly how mine looks thanks to a good samaritan
Looks like someone put a jack on it .stamp steal is not made for lifting
Is this a suburban thing? My 2001 Silverado doesn't have this
The trucks (Silverado/Sierra) are leaf springs. The SUVs (Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon) use coil springs.
0:20 Looks like they put the jack on the control arm That is how it happened
Might have been a hit from the curb i.e surestop
I agree some one jacked it up from the wrong spot which make me believe the old owner did that not a tire shop becuz the tire shops know what they doing , its look the old owner had flat tire at some piont and he didnt know where to put the jack , previous Army intelligence here ☺
it was towed
is It possible that someone put a chain around it?
No it would have ripped it out
hello, I damaged mine with the jack😂