Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the Toyota Tacoma front end. In this guide we will cover the
essential repairs for the front end of this vehicle. Included within these repairs
is the inner and outer tie rod removal and change, the front wheel hubs installation, ball joint removal and
installation, the upper and lower control arms, and the front shock installation. Along
with the repair procedures we also include the corresponding bolt torque specs for each fastener involved. These
guides are intended to assist in each procedure to help diyers with the job.
Toyota Tacoma Tie Rod Change/Removal
To install a new tie rod on a Toyota Tacoma you must first remove the old one from the vehicle. This can be
done by raising the vehicle up by either the use of a floor jack or a vehicle hoist.
Once the vehicle is in the air you can remove the corresponding tire for the side that you want to change the
tie rod on. Once the tire is off you can now access the old tie rod and remove it for replacement.
The inner part of the tie rod uses an nut that will need to be removed, this nut may spin depending on how
rusty it is. I suggest using a pair of vice grips to hold the portion of the bolt to prevent it from
spinning. You may also use a wire brush to clean off the threads prior to removal and or use penatrating oil to
aid in the removal. Once removed you can now tap out the tie rod from the spindle and
start to remove it completely. If you want to replace just the outer portion of the tie rod you can use a wrench
to hold the inner tie rod and spin off the outer tie rod. I usually count how many turns
it takes to come off so that I can then use the same number when installing the new part. This helps to avoid
alignment costs and hassles, although you may still want to get your vehicle realigned.
Once the outer tie rod is off you can now screw on the new part and reinstall it the same way it had been
removed. Once you get the nut back in place you can torque it to 67 ft-lbs. Be sure to tighten
back up the nut on the middle of the tie rod to ensure it does not move your alignment. If you happen to be
installing the inner tie rod as well you will need a special tool to loosen and tighten
the inner part. The torque specs for the inner tie rod are 50 ft-lbs.
Toyota Tacoma Outer Tie Rod Torque Spec : 67 ft-lbs
Toyota Tacoma Inner Tie Rod Torque Spec : 50 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub Installation
To install the new wheel hub you must first remove the old hub from the vehicle. The old bearing can be removed by taking out the
4 bolts that hold it in place. Before you can access these bolts you will need to jack the vehicle up and remove the
brake system from the steering knuckle. The easiest way to do this is to loosen up the 2 bolts which hold the brake caliper bracket
to the assembly. With these bolts removed the entire brake system can be placed to the side, be weary of the brake hose that connects to the
caliper as you do not want to break it and it may be difficult to move aside. With the brake system out of the way we can now begin to remove
the hub assembly. To start remove the center axle nut from the center of the hub. This nut will be really tight so I recommend using an impact
wrench during removal. With the nut removed we can move to the 4 bolts which hold the hub onto the knuckle. Since there is not a lot of room
between the bolt heads and the hub you should use a wrench to remove the bolts. Once the bolts have been removed you can take off the hub. Usually
there is a bit of corrosion holding the hub in place. You may have to use some penetration fluid and a hammer to get teh hub loose. Once the hub has
been removed you can place the new one in and begin to tighten down the 4 bolts. Since there is no good way to torque these fasteners you can tighten them
down until snug and then a couple more full turns. Once it feels like they have been tightened to about 100 ft-lbs they will be good to go. After the 4 bolts
have been tightened down you can then reinstall the center axle nut and tighten it down to 203 ft-lbs. From here you can begin to reinstall the braking system
and reinstall the wheel.
Toyota Tacoma Front Axle Nut Torque Spec : 203 ft-lbs
Toyota Tacoma Wheel Hub Torque Spec : 100 ft-lbs
Front Ball Joints Installation
The Toyota Tacoma has two sets of front ball joints being the upper and lower ball joints. The most common one
for replacement is the lower ball joint which on this vehicle is a separate part from both the lower control arm
and the steering knuckle. To remove the old lower ball joint you must loosen up the ball joint nut which holds the lower
control arm to the steering knuckle. Next you need to remove the 4 bolts which hold the ball joint to the knuckle itself.
With all of the fasteners loosened you can use a pickle fork to remove the joint part from the lower arm. From here you can begin to install
the new ball joint doing the reverse of the removal. Starting with the 4 bolts install them and tighten them down to 59 ft-lbs. I recommend using
some red or blue loctite when installing these bolts to ensure they do not loosen up and cause an accident. Next we will move to the ball joint
nut that holds the lower arm to the knuckle. This nut can be tightened down to 112 ft-lbs and then a cotter pin can be installed. The second of the
front ball joints is the upper ball joint. This ball joint is attached to the upper portion of the steering knuckle and will need to be pressed out
in order to be replaced. This is best done with a ball joint pressing tool that utilizes a large C clamp type press that pushes the joint apart.
The upper ball joint only has one fastener that holds the ball joint onto the upper control arm. This nut gets tightened down to 80 ft-lbs.
Toyota Tacoma Front Lower Joint to Knuckle Torque Spec : 59 ft-lbs
Toyota Tacoma Front Lower Ball Joint Torque Spec : 112 ft-lbs
Toyota Tacoma Front Upper Ball Joint Torque Spec : 80 ft-lbs
Front Control arms Installation
Lower Control Arm
On the Toyota Tacoma there are two control arms being the upper and lower control arms. Both of which have 3 fasteners that
hold the part onto the vehicle. There are 2 bolts with nuts that hold the control arms to the vehicle frame. There is also a ball joint which
fastens the control arms to the steering knuckle. On the upper control arm the frame bolts need to be tightened up to 87 ft-lbs. The ball joint nut
gets tightened down to 80 ft-lbs. On the lower control arm the frame bolts get tightened down to 96 ft-lbs. The lower ball joint nut gets tightened down
to 112 ft-lbs. When tightening up the lower control arm fasteners be sure to set the wheel height to a level that it would be at during riding or when on the
ground. This is best done with a bottle jack under the suspension.
Toyota Tacoma Lower Arm Ball Joint Torque Spec : 112 ft-lbs
Toyota Tacoma Lower Arm Frame Bolts Torque Spec : 96 ft-lbs
Toyota Tacoma Upper Arm Ball Joint Torque Spec : 80 ft-lbs
Toyota Tacoma Upper Arm Frame Bolts Torque Spec : 87 ft-lbs
Front Shock Installation
To replace the front shocks on the Toyota Tacoma you will need to lift the vehicle up into the air and start by removing the tire on the side you want to replace.
With that removed we can now remove the bolts and nuts
that hold the shock to the vehicle frame and lower control arm. Starting with the lower bolt we simply remove the nut from one side and then
lightly guide the bolt through the hole on the control arm. Be sure not to ruin any of the bolts threads if you end up using a hammer to
tap it out. With the bottom bolt removed we can move to the upper nuts which hold the shock to the frame. These nuts can be accessed with either a
wrench or socket depending on how much room you have. There should be 3 nut in total. As these are removed the shock will separate from the vehicle and
can be moved out of the way. To install the new shock simply line up the upper studs with the holes in the front and start hand tightening the nuts. Once
hand tightened you can line up the bottom bolt hole and install the bolt and hand tighten its nut. From here you can torque the upper nuts down to 47 ft-lbs.
The bottom bolt can then be tightened down to 101 ft-lbs. Once both sides of the shock has been torqued down you can reassemble the vehicle.
Toyota Tacoma Front Shock Upper Nuts Torque Spec : 47 ft-lbs
Toyota Tacoma Front Shock Lower Bolt Torque Spec : 101 ft-lbs
Front Swaybar Installation
The front swaybar on the Toyota Tacoma consists of a series of brackets that hold it to the frame of the
vehicle and a couple of endlink nuts that fasten it the the outer side of the car. To remove
the swaybar you will need to jack up the front of the vehicle and remove both the endlink nuts as well as the
brackets. To install the new swaybar you will need to move it back into the place as the old one
and torque the endlink nuts to 22 ft-lbs and then torque the bracket bolts to 19 ft-lbs as well.
Toyota Tacoma Front Swaybar Bracket Torque Spec : 19 ft-lbs
Toyota Tacoma Front Swaybar Endlinks Torque Spec : 22 ft-lbs
