SPC Upper Control Arms grease type? - Toyota 4Runner Forum

Soulprogression108 · 04-21-2024, 07:44 PM

Anyone running the SPC upper control arm for 5th gen that has the grease zirk? can you confirm what type of grease? is it 3% Moly? having trouble finding the specs. The one's on my truck appear to be possibly leaking at the boot. Maybe it's not a big deal or maybe a common thing? Either way I'd like to grease them and try to fix the seal.

Thanks!

AMLOR · 04-22-2024, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soulprogression108

Anyone running the SPC upper control arm for 5th gen that has the grease zirk? can you confirm what type of grease? is it 3% Moly? having trouble finding the specs. The one's on my truck appear to be possibly leaking at the boot. Maybe it's not a big deal or maybe a common thing? Either way I'd like to grease them and try to fix the seal.

Thanks!

I use the molly stuff, but any good quality heavy grease will work. But DO GREASE THEM, regularly and often!

I just put my 3rd set of the upper ball joints on about a month ago.
I have been getting about 33K ish miles on those, but i have a heavy front end on the truck.
The ones I used to do the replacement is a new, "sealed" and pre greased set. Time will tell if these last any longer than the greasable ones...

AMLOR

fkheath · 04-22-2024, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soulprogression108

Anyone running the SPC upper control arm for 5th gen that has the grease zirk? can you confirm what type of grease? is it 3% Moly? having trouble finding the specs. The one's on my truck appear to be possibly leaking at the boot. Maybe it's not a big deal or maybe a common thing? Either way I'd like to grease them and try to fix the seal.

Thanks!

Anything with a zerk is meant to expel grease; that's the way you tell you have them filled. Sometimes there is a "port" where you can see a bead of grease coming out, but sometimes the excess grease just comes out the edge of the boot. When you fill them with grease, you may be able to see where the excess grease is coming from and determine if there is a tear in the boot.

Offroad Alliance · 04-23-2024, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soulprogression108

Anyone running the SPC upper control arm for 5th gen that has the grease zirk? can you confirm what type of grease? is it 3% Moly? having trouble finding the specs. The one's on my truck appear to be possibly leaking at the boot. Maybe it's not a big deal or maybe a common thing? Either way I'd like to grease them and try to fix the seal.

Thanks!

from SPC On their approved greases:
Chevron® Delo ESI HD 3% Moly, 259122652 tube
Chevron® Delo ESI HD 5% Moly, 259120652 tube
Citgo® Lithoplex CM2, 665357001080 tube
Citgo® Lithoplex HM2, 655357001080 tube
Lubriguard® Hi Temp Moly, 701654 tube
Lubriplate® No. 3000 Moly-Lithium, L0108-098 tube
Lubriplate® No. 3002 Synthetic Moly fortified HD grease, L0316-098 tube
Mystik® JT-6 w/Moly EP #2, 665056002 tube
Valvoline® Palladium 3% Moly, VV70112 tube
Valvoline® Palladium 5% Moly, 876339 tube
*Mobil 1® synthetic grease has acceptable test values but no Moly content, so it is NOT approved.

lewdog998 · 04-23-2024, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMLOR

I use the molly stuff, but any good quality heavy grease will work. But DO GREASE THEM, regularly and often!

I just put my 3rd set of the upper ball joints on about a month ago.
I have been getting about 33K ish miles on those, but i have a heavy front end on the truck.
The ones I used to do the replacement is a new, "sealed" and pre greased set. Time will tell if these last any longer than the greasable ones...

AMLOR

help me understand...how does front end weight affect the life of UCA ball joint? the joint moves up and down but i dont think increased weight is applied to the joint if you add vehicle weight. Or am i wrong??

Soulprogression108 · 04-23-2024, 05:41 PM

Thanks everyone! I got an email from SPC attached it below. They just sent this but didn't respond to the part about the boot leaking, but it sounds like that's pretty normal. I picked up some 3% Moly Lithium NLGI-2 and a second grease gun since I can use it for the slip yokes on the truck as well. I just greased the drive train and slip yokes with the non Moly stuff since the Manual said can do that too, but next time I'll pump in the Moly.

Soulprogression108 · 04-23-2024, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fkheath

Anything with a zerk is meant to expel grease; that's the way you tell you have them filled. Sometimes there is a "port" where you can see a bead of grease coming out, but sometimes the excess grease just comes out the edge of the boot. When you fill them with grease, you may be able to see where the excess grease is coming from and determine if there is a tear in the boot.

thanks I'll wipe them and look more closely. the guy I bought truck from had them installed pretty recently so I'm guessing they were just juiced up and after driving some miles it pressed out the excess.

jdm-v35 · 04-24-2024, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewdog998

help me understand...how does front end weight affect the life of UCA ball joint? the joint moves up and down but i dont think increased weight is applied to the joint if you add vehicle weight. Or am i wrong??

The movement is up and down, but the ball joint also holds the spindle in place from cambering in/out so increased weight, side load force, and abuse would technically affect the life of it.

lewdog998 · 04-24-2024, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdm-v35

The movement is up and down, but the ball joint also holds the spindle in place from cambering in/out so increased weight, side load force, and abuse would technically affect the life of it.

ok, makes sense...did not think about that side loading.

fkheath · 04-24-2024, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soulprogression108

thanks I'll wipe them and look more closely. the guy I bought truck from had them installed pretty recently so I'm guessing they were just juiced up and after driving some miles it pressed out the excess.

Eons ago, I had a high school job as a grease monkey at a gas station. In those days, everything had Zerk fittings -- ball joints, tie rod ends, A arm pivots, drive axles, etc. The rule was to pump in grease until some grease got expelled, signaling the joint was full. A good grease monkey would wipe off the extra grease with a rag, but the lazy ones would just leave it to drip on anything below. Some cars became really messy that way; grease all over the place.

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