The Toyota Hilux was a light truck made from 1976 to 1995. It was designed for off-road driving and reliability. The off-road ability of the Hilux is made possible in part by its control-arm suspension setup. The control arms help focus the kinetic energy of bumps into the shock absorbers. This puts the control arms under large amounts of stress; bushings are used to protect the connecting bolts. These bolts can become too soft over time, and require replacement.
Shift the car into "park." Set the emergency brake. Jack up the corner of the car. Slide in a jackstand. Remove the wheel with your tire iron; place it to the side.
Place the jack under the steering knuckle; support the knuckle with the jack stand. The control arm is U-shaped; the two arms connect to the Hilux's frame. The bottom part of the U is connected to the steering knuckle. Unbolt the two back-arms from the truck's frame. Lower the jack so that the arms are no longer blocked by the supporting flanges on the frame.
Push the old bushings out of the arm's bolt-holes with a flathead screwdriver. If the bushings are stuck, hit the screwdriver with a rubber mallet. Do not hit the control arm itself. Cracks on a suspension-part might grow due to mechanical stresses.
Push the new bushings into place on the control-arm bolt holes. Slide the bolts back into place on the control-arm bolt holes. Wrench them down flush. Remove the jack and bolt the wheel back on. Lower the truck off the jack stand.
