You can grab anything u want your not going to move the lca. You have to remove the strut and the outer cv joint to check for looseness. And silicone is really not a lubricant. It has very few uses in a car. you need grease. I like and use PB BLASTER CSP SPRAY. It's a spray grease works really good. I use it all over the front end door locks door hinges hood lock mechanism anything that moves. Lca bushings too.spray some in the drivers side door lock. Somedsy you'll go to use it and it will be rusted shut. CSP can be found only at Home Depot. At this point I would get the front end up real high and get under there and tighten every bolt u can see. Especially the stab link ends.Bring a lot of light. But if the front end has aftermarket crap installed it's not going to work very well.
No not bars just the end connectors the stab links. Use Toyota for those. They make alot of noise when they come loose and the chinese crap will not stay tight. Go online I like Olathe Toyota bought alot from them there pretty nice and the guy who does the Internet sales there is really cool. No alignment neccesary on stab links. Its only when you change the relationship between the strut and the knuckle. And possibly replacing the lca's but they are alot of work. There bolted to a sub chassis assy that has to be removed or the bolt that holds the lca will not clear the engine. But lca's when worn out make one noise only thats a clunk when you go over potholes if really worn they clunk on even the smallest depression in the road. Very distinct clunk. I've heard that sound many times over the years.
Fixed it! I took my Prius in to be diagnosed. They attach sensors at likely points, drive it, then analyze the recorded results. They narrowed it down to the steering assembly, and found a Toyota service bulletin which pointed to a problem with loose lower steering spline (and also recommended replacing the tie rod ends). Total cost for repairs would be about $1700. Total cost for diagnosis was $110, which ended up fixing the rattle! For now, at least.
Thanks. Still haven't fixed my car yet. Been out of town for a couple of weeks. Any more details on the TSB?
