question on accessing the ball joint and upper control arm bushing grease points

[oldvanguy]

the ball joint is right behind the front wheel on each side. the access caps on the passenger side control arm bushings are a bit more problematic. one is at the very front of each arm and can be felt with a finger. i've yet to figure out how to access it with a 10mm combo wrench or, that being accomplished, get a grease nozzle on it. i await advice from the forum gurus. the other access point can be nearly seen in the middle and on top of the arm just inboard and aft of the shock (see attachment). i was able to get a wrench on that and think i can get the grease nozzle to a zerk after one is installed. i have yet to even look at the driver’s side and seek advice at this point.

[timsrv]

Here's a quote from another thread.

When the front suspension makes noise, it's usually due to dry upper control arm bushings. On the 4wd there are plugs you can pull out & install grease zerks. It's not a bad idea to get up in there from time to time with a grease gun. Tim

These can be tough to access especially after years of road grime build-up. You'll want to put the front end on jack stands and take the wheels off. After that clean the caked road grime from these areas. It's been a while since I did this so can't remember any specific issues...........but don't think it gave me too much trouble. If a wrench doesn't work, try a socket. I wish I had more specific information to give, but I'm not currently driving any of my 4wd vans and it's been years since I messed with this. Good luck. Tim

[oldvanguy]

just to let everyone know of how it turned out for me: front left upper control arm bushing grease point: accessing it from the wheel well with the wheel off. first, tie off or disconnect and tuck away the front of the rubber splash guard to visualize the grease cap/plug. use a 10mm combo wrench to remove cap/plug. be careful not to lose cap or drop wrench into dark recesses. if you have small and/or very roflroflroflroflroflroflous hands/fingers, screw in 90 degree zerk and grease away. (if it were only that easy!)

if you don’t have the aforementioned hands - as is my case, you might have to bend the metal down beneath the rubber splash guard with a small vise grips to get your left hand in there to manipulate/screw the zerk into the grease access point. i found it very helpful to tie the zerk to my wrist with six or eight inches of sewing thread so that when i fumbled the zerk (as i did multiple times), it was easy to retrieve. with patience, it took me five or ten minutes to get it in there.

depending on the zerk you use, there’s a substantial chance that when tight, it will be facing the wrong direction to get the grease nozzle on it. if it’s facing down you can possibly access it from underneath the rig - but in that case you might want a 45 degree zerk and a rigid barrel for the grease gun. if you’re going in from the top and it’s facing the wrong way, loosen the zerk enough to get the grease nozzle on it and grease away. unfortunately, the grease just escapes without penetrating the bushing. that was as far as i got. the owner’s, as well as the shop manual, says to remove the zerk and replace the cap/plug. out of patience, with only one side half finished, i just tightened the zerk snugly and made an appointment with a toyota dealership. it took them five hours to do the job - but they only charged me for 2 1/2 hours.