BrianSD_42
New member
Another 4Runner with MOOG LBJs bites the dust.
Sucks.
Sucks.
Ball Joint Failure - My Turn
- Thread starter smallfry
- Start date
pdx650
Member
Went to the dealer to pick up some full concentrate coolant/antifreeze. While there I had a new set of LBJs price checked for comparison reasons.
Left (driver's side) lbj is $108, part # is 43340-39456.
Right side lbj is $119.12, part # is 43330-39558.
The only good thing about this is a 10% military discount on parts. I'll be using that to my minuscule advantage. $10.8 + $11.91= 22.71. Right at $204 for both. Not too bad given they're OEM parts. I'm not going cheap on this buy.
I'm quickly approaching 200k on the ticker and I don't believe or know if they have ever been changed.
Left (driver's side) lbj is $108, part # is 43340-39456.
Right side lbj is $119.12, part # is 43330-39558.
The only good thing about this is a 10% military discount on parts. I'll be using that to my minuscule advantage. $10.8 + $11.91= 22.71. Right at $204 for both. Not too bad given they're OEM parts. I'm not going cheap on this buy.
I'm quickly approaching 200k on the ticker and I don't believe or know if they have ever been changed.
Ball Joint Failure yesterday
On the hwy when the driver's side ball joint failed.
225k miles on the 1999 4runner highlander.
Everyone was ok. It was raining hard so were going about 50mph. The steering started to get a little harder than normal and a few days before. Didn't think anything of it. No notice, just dropped. Luckily, the tire got caught under the truck. Could have been a lot worst. Repaired both sides just in case.
Stopped in seconds on the left side of the hwy.
I did not know this was a issue prior to it happening.
Thank you to everyone's concerns.
I have now purchased new 2016 trail to drive the family in, but it is nothing like a 1999 Highlander with a TRD supercharger.
On the hwy when the driver's side ball joint failed.
225k miles on the 1999 4runner highlander.
Everyone was ok. It was raining hard so were going about 50mph. The steering started to get a little harder than normal and a few days before. Didn't think anything of it. No notice, just dropped. Luckily, the tire got caught under the truck. Could have been a lot worst. Repaired both sides just in case.
Stopped in seconds on the left side of the hwy.
I did not know this was a issue prior to it happening.
Thank you to everyone's concerns.
I have now purchased new 2016 trail to drive the family in, but it is nothing like a 1999 Highlander with a TRD supercharger.
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99problems
New member
On the highway.... Jesus. That's everyone's worst fear come to life. Everyone okay, I hope?
mtbtim
Elite Member
Sorry you had a balljoint failure. Sort of curious though. Had you heard of the lower balljoint failure problem with our rigs prior to this incident? Was there any symptoms you noticed prior to the failure?
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
Seriously glad you're OK. Can't imagine...When the time comes, there are many on here ready to walk you through the repair. It seems paradoxical to say this after an OEM LBJ failure, but you must use OEM LBJ's when you're ready to replace them.
1976k5blazer
New member
This happened back before Christmas.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320AZ using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320AZ using Tapatalk
thegipper
New member
That's an excellent question. Literally one of the first things I did when I got my rig was change the LBJ's with OEM ones. Thankfully I did enough research to realize why you can only use OEM.
Hopefully he replies with how many miles on these LBJ's and if they were OEM or not.
As long as I've been on this site, it seems like the oem ones only fail after quite awhile, like 100k+ miles.
JayRolla
New member
My buddy had his fail. We replaced it. TQ to spec and 3 months later he was coming off a curb (urban offroading) and the new OEM ball joint failed. Only thing is it broke at the nut instead of pulling out the socket. Not sure if we over TQ'ed or what.
What did you torque it to? There's actually two torque values floating around and I believe the earlier FSM might even reference a lower incorrect spec. I wonder if that's the reason for some of these failures.
when you do the oil change you check all the steering components and those grease seals. as well as any leaks every where and the drive train fluids.
to check ball joints you lift the lower control arm so the tire is off the ground then put a steel bar under the tire lift up bar one hand then the other hand place on top of tire if you feel a pop when lifting tire then the ball joints are worn...
you do this often , then you will know that these are bad when they are failing..
I use a short bottle jack to lift the lower control arm or if I need to I will get out the floor jack like when rotating all the tires ..
ball joints do last a very long time if you drive on smooth roads and avoid whacking curbs..
with lifts and off road well that can be very short life and IF I did that type of operation I would check much more often the ball joints..
JayRolla
New member
I don't remember but most failures happen on oem worm out ball joints
Lower Ball Joint failure article... anyone want to share their story?
Hi all, I too experienced the sad sad LBJ failure on my '97 4runner at 291,000 miles on New Years Eve. I'm writing an article about the experience and would like to talk to anyone who has had the same problem... if you're interested in sharing your story, reply to this and we'll get in touch offline. I can keep it anonymous if you prefer. Deadline to get it in to my editor is Jan 16, 2019, next week, so hopefully some of you respond! I want to get the word out for safety's sake.
Hi all, I too experienced the sad sad LBJ failure on my '97 4runner at 291,000 miles on New Years Eve. I'm writing an article about the experience and would like to talk to anyone who has had the same problem... if you're interested in sharing your story, reply to this and we'll get in touch offline. I can keep it anonymous if you prefer. Deadline to get it in to my editor is Jan 16, 2019, next week, so hopefully some of you respond! I want to get the word out for safety's sake.
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johnbyebye
New member
Ouch man. I'm curious...with that mileage when were they last replaced?
Are you a writer of sorts? Don't have any personal failure stories but would be able to support you on any technical related topics if you need. Can't believe this serious design flaw has been out for 20 years now with little formal action having been taken. Especially on such a popular vehicle of which the safety risk exists out there on countless vehicles still in service.
