So I saw the thread about a guy having a ball joint disaster... my 4 runner has 180,000 miles on it and my mom was the original owner so i know they haven't been replaced....should i be concerned with replacing them... i just finished peicing together my 4 inch lift kit with lc coils and 5500 coilovers in the front and will be installing them soon... should i go ahead and replace the lbj's and tres... and if so what all parts will i need
Ball Joint Questions... PLEASE HELP
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LittleCaesar
New member
If the TREs look OK, and move fairly easy, leave them alone. They are easy to install later on their own.
I believe that the NAPA LBJs come with the 4 bolts needed to attach the LBJ to the steering knuckle, but I am not 100% sure. Have some Blue Loctite on hand for those bolts.
I believe that the NAPA LBJs come with the 4 bolts needed to attach the LBJ to the steering knuckle, but I am not 100% sure. Have some Blue Loctite on hand for those bolts.
WHORERUNNER
New member
Yup the napa lbj do come with the bolts, I'm still looking for torque specs on those
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
YES! Definately change the lbj's. To me thats a huge safety issue, and not worth waiting and risking. And keep in mind that a lift puts more stress on the them. 4 inches is a pretty tall lift for these front ends, and that angle will put alot more stress on the lbjs. So with that lift, and if your doing a lot off road, you should plan on replacing them more often. Theres actually a thread on lower ball joint failure (not the same one you saw that Opi started), and the majority of failures were with lifts. cheers
Stick Figure
New member
technically you shouldn't have to, but if your truck was aligned with worn joints, then you may be slightly off in spec after the new ones.
Personally I just paid the extra money for the Firestone lifetime alignment, and torture them with constant visits after I replace parts or make changes. So far its more than paid for itself, and they have yet to say a word about shinny new aftermarket parts and my request to "check the alignment"
Not usually my first choice in alignment shops, but they are nation wide, and usually readily available to get me in.
Personally I just paid the extra money for the Firestone lifetime alignment, and torture them with constant visits after I replace parts or make changes. So far its more than paid for itself, and they have yet to say a word about shinny new aftermarket parts and my request to "check the alignment"
Not usually my first choice in alignment shops, but they are nation wide, and usually readily available to get me in.
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
Like stick figure said. But if you are driving it alot, especially on the highway, you should get it aligned. They say to always get an alignment after doing front end work, as may throw it off. But since your doing the lbjs, you should consider the uppers also, along with inner/outter tie rods, and steering rack bushings. That way you could do it all at once and just have it aligned once. Otherwise youll be replacing that stuff in the near future individually and paying for multiple alignments.
NOT ME OR SOMEBODY
New member
Make sure you get 8 new bolts for the lbj, and use blue removable loctite on them.
I had trouble separating the tre from the ball joint when I did job this last month.
I ruined the castle nut beating on it, and then tried a 2 jaw puller and still could not separate them. I did not want to ruin the tres to the point I could not use the 4Runner that week.
So
I found a 14mm lug nut that had the same threads as the tre castle nut and it tightened down very well. and put it back together. I drove it to work and back that way for a week. (10 miles a day low speeds no traffic
Ordered new tres and this time it was an easy job with all new parts.
My .02
I had trouble separating the tre from the ball joint when I did job this last month.
I ruined the castle nut beating on it, and then tried a 2 jaw puller and still could not separate them. I did not want to ruin the tres to the point I could not use the 4Runner that week.
So
I found a 14mm lug nut that had the same threads as the tre castle nut and it tightened down very well. and put it back together. I drove it to work and back that way for a week. (10 miles a day low speeds no traffic
Ordered new tres and this time it was an easy job with all new parts.
My .02
LittleCaesar
New member
I have done 5 pairs (mine+friends) and these two pitman pullers work well.
Yeah me too. Those pullers made the job under an hour easy. Torque spec is 53 ft. lbs if I can remember right. New bolts from Toyota is 10 dollars and the joint comes with a new castle nut.
you can "borrow" those pullers from advanced auto (they charge your card and then refund when you return). pretty convenient!
Also,fyi, check with loctite's website bc you need to back the torque spec off a little bit as the loctite will act as a lube when wet and you'll be over-torquing those bolts. it's not much, maybe 5% or so. they have a conversion chart i believe.
Also,fyi, check with loctite's website bc you need to back the torque spec off a little bit as the loctite will act as a lube when wet and you'll be over-torquing those bolts. it's not much, maybe 5% or so. they have a conversion chart i believe.
