[Cotterpin]

I am ready to replace both left and right control arms on the front suspension of my 2013 Sienna. This is necessary as the rubber bushings are deteriorating and allow the control arm to move and make loud popping noises. This morning I looked over the situation for removing the old arms and all bolts are easily accessible except for two. And they are in a tight spot at the front of the transmission mount on the left side and on the front of the engine mount on the right side. Short of removing the mount bolts and jacking up the engine and transmission, is there any way to get those bolts out?

 

[Cotterpin]

I could not wait for a reply, so I went ahead and found that the transmission mount has to be unbolted to raise it up enough to get the front control arm bolt out. The transmission had to be jacked up enough to give additional clearance. The strut and spring have to be compressed as well. It is not a job for the faint of heart. Also, the ball joint at the wheel hub was harder than usual to remove as it required an extra thick pickle fork to get it loose. Now that one side is done, the other may be easier as I know what to expect. I would recommend getting a professional shop to do this kind of job unless you are experienced and have some special tools.

 

[Nor_Cal_Guy]

I was quoted 13 hours of labor to replace one control arm, anybody have any experience with this?

 

[TurboTalon]

13 HOURS!? That's a little ridiculous. I would say the most you should be quoted would be about 8 hours for both. Even that is on the high side. The instructions that Cotterpin posted are fairly accurate, the engine and trans, need to be jacked up in order to remove their mounts, when doing each side. No need to mess with the lower ball joint, as you simply unbolt it from the lower control arm, and it stays attached to the steering knuckle.

 

[jmicket]

I assume your quote of 13 hours comes from the dealer. The reason for the ridiculous time is the official factory manual tells the mechanic to remove the engine before replacing the control arms. This is because the front mounting bolts for the control arms sit directly beneath the motor mounts. I had my control arms replaced several years ago on my 2004 Sienna and my independent mechanic just loosened the motor mounts, jacked the engine up just enough to get the control arm bolts out. The total cost of the job was about $920.00. This included the cost of two genuine toyota arms, (around $210.00 each), labor and a 4 wheel alignment, (around $89.00). So the labor to change the arms was around $400.00. My mechanic charges around $90.00 per hour for labor. So it took him around 4 - 5 hours to do the job.