TrexRunnerGirl
New member
yes Octanjunkie and mtbtim I will be watching those videos over and over until I master it.
Ball joint replacement
- Thread starter TrexRunnerGirl
- Start date
Hepar
New member
A good floor jack is going to be your best/easiest bet. And you adjust the ft/lbs on the torque wrench. Tighten the bolt with a standard wrench to something close to the torque specs and then finish it off with the torque wrench. Start with small pressure and gradually increase it. When you hit the proper specs, the wrench will click. Click it a couple times for sure and you're good to go!
An acetylene or propane torch will be your best friend when you come across a stubborn bolt.
Hi guys, new member and new owner of a 96 SR5 project.
I understand the LBJ being an important item given the history of failures, I'm just curious why the Toyota part is so much more expensive than an "OEM Spec" from Rock Auto?
Is the Toyota one that much different/better? Is everyone just paying the premium to err on the side of caution?
I understand the LBJ being an important item given the history of failures, I'm just curious why the Toyota part is so much more expensive than an "OEM Spec" from Rock Auto?
Is the Toyota one that much different/better? Is everyone just paying the premium to err on the side of caution?
Hepar
New member
Yes, there is a difference in quality.
I second a good floor jack. Hit up harbor freight when they are having their monthly sales. I think I got a 130 dollar floor jack for 70 bucks. Plus its a low profile one. 3 ton floor jacks are 20 bucks for a pair. You dont need to buy wheel chocks. Find a chunk of 4x4 or a decent chunk of branch/log. Lots of stuff you can repurpose/reuse.
I've got a mix of craftsman/husky/northern tool/harbor freight......for most DIY mechanics, the rule of thumb is if you are going to use it infrequently, and dont care about it, go cheap (harbor freight). Spend your money on some decent quality (craftsman) for things you'll use all the time (hand tools, sockets, etc...)
Battery operated tools are your preference. I've got Milwaulkee and Ridgid, lots of folks love their DeWalts.
mtbtim
Elite Member
Get yourself a 3 ton hydraulic jack and some taller 6 ton jack stands that you'll see us use in the videos. The shorter 3 ton jack stands don't work so well for our rigs in most applications and the added safety factor is good too.
Get a 1/2" drive ratchet, sockets, breaker bar and throw in different length extensions, short, medium and long.
For the cotter pin removal on the outer tie rod and balljoint, get some needle nose pliers and some dikes cutters.
Get yourself a torque wrench that will go as high as 105 foot pounds because that's the torque value for the LBJ castle nut. If you really think you'll be getting into auto mechanics, a 3/8" drive torque wrench that goes up to around 100 foot pounds and then another 1/2" drive torque wrench that goes up into the 200's is a smart way to go. And then, you could also invest in an inch-pound torque wrench too but that could come later. Torque values are in inch pounds, foot pounds or newton meters. If you watch the video, you'll see what the torque wrenches look like.
You don't necessarily need chocks if your parking brake works well. You're only lifting the front end off the ground so the rear wheels will keep your rig from moving on you.
You don't need an impact gun. You just need body weight, mechanical advantage and leverage.
To start, break the lug nuts free with the front wheels on the ground. The long breaker bar you just bought will assist you. Let your body weight help so instead of pulling up on the breaker bar, set it up so you can put your weight into going downward to loosen the lug nuts.
With all the lug nuts loose (not off), jack up the vehicle. You can do one side at a time jacking up in the area the owners manual says to put the stock jack or remove the skid plates and get under the front cross member and jack up the front end all at once. Get the vehicle high enough so when you settle the truck onto the jack stands, the wheels will still be off the ground a little. You want the jack stands on the frame rails. The jack stands should be located in the same spot on both sides and extended the same amount. Slowly lower the hydraulic jack letting the weight of the truck come onto the jack stands. With the hydraulic jack still supporting the truck, double check that the jack stands look good.
From here, follow the steps we show in the video. The one thing I fear you'll be dealing with is rust. I just learned from people on this forum that a half and half mix of acetone and ATF is an excellent penetrant solution. It's supposedly much better than PB Blaster. I'd mix it in a squirt bottle and spray all the related nuts and bolts a day in advance.
If you have any more questions, just ask.
TrexRunnerGirl
New member
Thanks so much for all this info. broken up in concise parts and bit by bit exactly what I needed. I think I'm ready to tool shop now.
oddly, my cousin in Indiana is a tool and die guy has literally almost $1 Million of tools on his farm but can I touch them...NOPE! He's ill right now or I'd take it down there and get it all done with his help.
so the tinkering with vehicles comes naturally.
oddly, my cousin in Indiana is a tool and die guy has literally almost $1 Million of tools on his farm but can I touch them...NOPE! He's ill right now or I'd take it down there and get it all done with his help.
so the tinkering with vehicles comes naturally.
Just watched the video, thanks Tim! Very informative and seems like a very simple job. I was just wondering, did they give you two 11s?
TrexRunnerGirl
New member
Ladywolf - I grew up with him. Taught me to drive, drive manual, a motorcycle, a tractor, how to pull engines and many other mechanical things. There was always something to be fixed on the farm - tractors to cows. LOL
He was THE GUY at Borg Warner in Indiana they'd call to fix all their machines and he was just a high school grad self-taught, computers and everything.
The 'tool shed' though is something to behold. outside is just a little white shack, inside are massive tools, lathes, AC and a level concrete floor. The tolerances on the machines are mm.
I may see if he can sit by and advise while I destruct and reconstruct the truck.
He was THE GUY at Borg Warner in Indiana they'd call to fix all their machines and he was just a high school grad self-taught, computers and everything.
The 'tool shed' though is something to behold. outside is just a little white shack, inside are massive tools, lathes, AC and a level concrete floor. The tolerances on the machines are mm.
I may see if he can sit by and advise while I destruct and reconstruct the truck.
Whtrnr
New member
Thanks to Tim and infamousRNR I did this repair with basic hand tools in 2.5 hours. I have a 3/8 and 1/2 torque wrenches for the proper torque, but I had to use a 2 foot piece pipe to make a breaker bar, worked great. I also have the tie rod end puller and I rented pitman arm puller to pull the ball joint.
Kennysmoke
Member
Great video... I'll be using this when I do the ball joints on the '98 SR5 I just bought a few weeks ago. Thanks for posting!
Teri did you every get this done? I'll be ordering mine next day or two and plan to do them asap before a July trip to Colorado.
Everyone else... Anything else I should/could tackle while doing the LBJ? I was thinking of getting tierods too as I'm not sure what is the age on mine (truck has 260k) but anything else let me know.
Thanks in advance.
Everyone else... Anything else I should/could tackle while doing the LBJ? I was thinking of getting tierods too as I'm not sure what is the age on mine (truck has 260k) but anything else let me know.
Thanks in advance.
We have three 3rd Gens in the family and recently did LBJ'S in all of them. Two needed outer tie rods since the boots were torn and the studs were spinning in place. I would be prepared to at least do the outer or just go ahead and do inner and outer while everything is apart. Take note of the wrench size. I think you need a 27mm and 32mm. I used a pipe type wrench on the 32mm and an open end for the 27mm. You may not have wrenches that big on hand. A cordless impact wrench makes the job easy. A breaker bar for the Pittman arm puller is a good thing. Torque wrench is a must. Prep with PB blaster or something. If you do tie rods bring it in for an allignment.
Dune4Runner
New member
Getting ready to do this too thanks for the Timmah video
Would you all say that this is an easy one person job?
Would you all say that this is an easy one person job?
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firemanj92
New member
Easily, one person job, but a friend's help is always better.
Dune4Runner
New member
Thanks. Just need to rent the puller to get it done right. Is tCamelback still the preferred/cheapest option?
Whtrnr
New member
I had no trouble doing this by myself in 2.5 hours. If I had an impact wrench it would have been less than an hour. I made sure I had everything I needed (parts, tools, torque specs and phone just in case I needed to refer to the video) close by and ready.
I used a floor jack to lift the truck and I used the truck jack to push the lower arm up when it came time to install the new part.
I used a floor jack to lift the truck and I used the truck jack to push the lower arm up when it came time to install the new part.
Arnezie
New member
Genuine OEM 4Runner Front Lower Ball Joint (Lh+Rh) 43330-39585 43340-39465 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079854FF5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.43WAb3KTVH7M
I just ordered mine from amazon. Under $200 shipped
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TrexRunnerGirl
New member
Yes, I got mine done. Also got a bunch of other work done at the same time - UBJ, struts, control arms, brake lines, cv boots. and I forget what else. I don't have the tools or setup to do it so farmed it out to my mechanic. everything so far is running just fine. 
