2006 upper ball joint number? Can only buy with complete arm?

[sajer]

So I called a couple of online guys and they indicated the upper ball joint comes only with the arm? Is this correct?

I have a right upper going out and wanted OEM based on what I have read , but cant seem to find just the upper ball joint?

I was also going to to both lowers to avoid the crash surprise!

thanks


2006 4runner limited v6

 

[Morphyne]

I don't know about oem. But there are lots of aftermarket options. I just did my lbjs with Moogs and they work just fine. I get all my parts from amazon and rockauto

 

[S p a r k y]

So I called a couple of online guys and they indicated the upper ball joint comes only with the arm? Is this correct?

I have a right upper going out and wanted OEM based on what I have read , but cant seem to find just the upper ball joint?

I was also going to to both lowers to avoid the crash surprise!

thanks


2006 4runner limited v6

Correct, upper you can't just buy the ball joint. Only whole arm for oem. There are many on here or fj/Tacoma forums that have stock upper control arms for sale cheap. Good place to try!

The "crash surprise" your probably talking about is a 3rd gen problem!

 

[shahsmerdis]

4th gen ball joints are pretty good. If the boot is ripped you can replace the boot.

if there is no play don't bother spending 600 dollars on OEM.

you are getting into automotive repair, first thing I suggest is you get a record of what has been done with your car. start looking for a mechanic you trust and ask him to check your suspension for play. Once you have done that, check for sticking calipers. Usually you can tell if your rim is very hot after a just a short drive. or your rotor is burnt up.

after you really just need to make sure you have done your tbelt and water pump, then keep up with fluids.

4runners are very very dependable, and don't require much other than normal schedule maintenance.

 

[V8PoWer]

Rockauto is your and my friend. Some aftermarket company source their product through the same suppliers as oem company.
However, I just finished replacing both lower ball joint without the whole control arm. Had to press it out and it was a pita on the 1st side. But it was worth the saving doing it this way. Had bad knocking noise every time I hit a sharp bump.Everything is quiet now.

I tried checking for play but it was hard to tell because the whole wheel suspension assembly was heavy and its hard to see any little movement. I just crossed my fingers and replaced it. Even with the ball joint out of the vehicle, I couldn't tell it was bad. There were no play in it but it was obviously the culprit.

 

[alia176]

4th gen ball joints are pretty good. If the boot is ripped you can replace the boot.

if there is no play don't bother spending 600 dollars on OEM.

This is interesting, didn't know that you can replace just the boot. Can the boot be purchased from Toyota?

I just did the lower BJ and it was technically fine, no rips or tears. I *thought* I saw grease oozing out but that was a very small amount and probably normal for the age. When I removed the lower BJ and inspected it, just couldn't believe how good of a shape it really is given it has 321xxx miles on it. It had no play or anything, super tight. I'm very impressed with OEM BJ.

So, take a very close look and make sure it's worth your time to replace the oem BJ.

 

[sajer]

thanks guys I have been getting a little "clunking" noise and some vibration on steering the last month or so. I had noticed the damaged upper on the RH side and its leaked grease out pretty bad.

The lowers appear pretty good and I have 140k on them.

On the complete upper is there any place you guys would recommend to buy from?