Check your ball joints!!!

[mustangaustin34]

After basically 327,000 trouble free miles, I had my first mishap today: Driving to work and the 4Runner was shaking a little bit oddly. Concerned, I turned off on a side street, slowing down to about 5 mph and BAM…the right end crashed down to a complete stop. Looking at my front wheel which was now leaning at about a 45 degree angle, I knew that I had at least a busted a lower ball joint. Had a flatbed tow truck ($100) take my rig to my buddy’s shop and we assessed the damage. Besides a busted lower ball joint on the right side, the drive axle was broken as well. The driver’s side ball joint looked pretty worn so we replaced that too. New drive axle was $96 and the lower ball joints were $115 apiece for a grand parts total of $326. Luckily labor was free but it would have been at least $200. I can’t imagine cruising down the highway at 70 miles an hour and one of these breaking. So my advice, CHECK YOUR BALL JOINTS!!!

 

[shootmymime]

CHECK YOUR BALLs

Giggity Giggity lol

I was thinking about my 96 today because its got around 280K. never been changed but i checked last year and had hardly any play.

 

[Kraze]

No pictures of the carnage? I replaced both LBJs on mine as soon as I bought it after seeing one too many threads like this lol.

 

[Brian757]

No pictures of the carnage? I replaced both LBJs on mine as soon as I bought it after seeing one too many threads like this lol.

I did the exact same. I replaced my UBJs and LBJs about 2 weeks ago. I have seen the terrible things that these mechanical failures do to our 4Runners, and vehicles all together. Count me out!

 

[IanB]

Title should read "Change your ball joints", there's really not much you can see when checking them that guarantees they won't fail a few weeks later. If they are due, change them.

Glad to hear the damage wasn't much worse, and that you weren't driving much faster when it failed.

 

[Full_Throttle]

wow. That many miles on original joints? I think I would have been on my 3rd set at that mileage

Did you replace them with OEM parts? Lots of folks having issues with "parts stores" parts

 

[LittleCaesar]

I am amazed you got that far on the original LBJs, as well as on the original front shocks. Mine (shocks) were going at 80,000.

Tell whomever put the new ones on to tighten up the cotter pins correctly.

 

[raven1911]

Is there a way to know they are worn or wearing out? I have 147k miles and they are still original set.

 

[smkd13]

Yep had the same fear as my boots were in horrible condition and the drivers side was loose. Now it is just OTRE and UBJ and I will be good

 

[cj80cruiser]

Tell whomever put the new ones on to tighten up the cotter pins correctly.

What do you mean by this?

 

[smkd13]

What do you mean by this?

Meaning that the both sides of the pin should be bent but as long as it is through the hole and can't be pulled out then should be good. Proper way I was taught was to not cut any off and wrap the end around the nut.

(Yes I just drew that at work lol)

 

[Drcoffee]

Im looking at this on my phone so it might just be me, but are the boots ruptured already? These joints wont last as long as the first set.

 

[smkd13]

Im looking at this on my phone so it might just be me, but are the boots ruptured already? These joints wont last as long as the first set.

I have the same question as grease is squeezed out from what looks like a hole but then again that could just be so the grease doesn't "blow out" the sidewalls

 

[cj80cruiser]

Meaning that the both sides of the pin should be bent but as long as it is through the hole and can't be pulled out then should be good. Proper way I was taught was to not cut any off and wrap the end around the nut.
(Yes I just drew that at work lol)

The tighten part had me confused.

 

[Greg_Canada]

Im looking at this on my phone so it might just be me, but are the boots ruptured already? These joints wont last as long as the first set.

Mine for my 1st gen were like that, when i pumped them with grease it slowly started oozing out of there. I think only the non-grease-able ones are sealed.

 

[Scotty_h]

Just an FYI... I had a Moog pop out after 8 months of use. Ball out of socket kind of deal. I had ignored some tightening in the steering and chalked it up to a tie rod on the list of things to replace... had it pop out on a drill rig location but had no other damage.

Moral to the story, replace with only quality parts