Light Racing UCA ball joints

[Intruder]

I know a lot of people are running these because of the low price so I thought I'd post this.

Make sure to check your ball joints if you've had them a couple years. Last night my passenger side UCA ball joint failed catastrophically while I was climbing a rock ledge with no prior indication that anything was wrong with it. I've had them in a little over 2 years and somewhere around 60k km with a lot of trail miles. There was no lubrication left in there and the ball had worn out.

You can get replacement ball joints for as low as around $60 each if you search around. Failure can result in a broken CV axle (around $500 just for the part) like it did on mine. Luckily I was rock crawling at the time and going very slowly, but a similar failure at highway speeds could be disastrous.

 

[DannyLlama]

I know a lot of people are running these because of the low price so I thought I'd post this.

Make sure to check your ball joints if you've had them a couple years. Last night my passenger side UCA ball joint failed catastrophically while I was climbing a rock ledge with no prior indication that anything was wrong with it. I've had them in a little over 2 years and somewhere around 60k km with a lot of trail miles. There was no lubrication left in there and the ball had worn out.

You can get replacement ball joints for as low as around $60 each if you search around. Failure can result in a broken CV axle (around $500 just for the part) like it did on mine. Luckily I was rock crawling at the time and going very slowly, but a similar failure at highway speeds could be disastrous.

What would be a more reliable product?

 

[Intruder]

No idea. You're always going to have wear on the ball joints, but I think the way the LR ones are made with the sealed sleeve you can't really inspect them. Icon, Total Chaos, and others make good UCAs as far as I know, but you're looking at more than double the price. I'd recommend just replacing the LR ball joints after a couple years or maybe even earlier if you put them through a lot of abuse. Maybe someone with more experience with the LR UCAs or others can chime in.

 

[Alex T4R]

SPC had problems with old style UCA and if you contact them they will change it for free if i'm not mistaken. They have the new sleeves to prevent failure. 4Shore had them broke twice I think and they replace them. Mine was to short between the arms and they had to send me a new ones.

 

[Jeremy556]

Was the boot intact?
I just noticed a few days ago, on my passenger side, the boot has been making contact with the spring and worn a hole in the boot.

 

[Intruder]

SPC had problems with old style UCA and if you contact them they will change it for free if i'm not mistaken. They have the new sleeves to prevent failure. 4Shore had them broke twice I think and they replace them. Mine was to short between the arms and they had to send me a new ones.

Hmm, I'll have to give them a call and see. I've already ordered a pair but it wouldn't hurt to have backups.

Was the boot intact?
I just noticed a few days ago, on my passenger side, the boot has been making contact with the spring and worn a hole in the boot.

I suspect it was not since there was some mud inside the sleeve.

 

[swimmerdude1127]

Hmm, I'll have to give them a call and see. I've already ordered a pair but it wouldn't hurt to have backups.


I suspect it was not since there was some mud inside the sleeve.

Sorry to hear about this. Hope you get everything all fixed up soon.

 

[Intruder]

Sorry to hear about this. Hope you get everything all fixed up soon.

Yeah, unfortunately I'm looking at 5-7 business days to get the ball joints, possibly longer if Canada customs is slow. Luckily I can get the replacement CV axle in a day. It helps having a friend who works in the part dept. at a Toyota dealership.

 

[mfregeau20]

From everything I keep reading on here about LR UCA's to me it comes down to more money equals peace of mind for the UCA's on my rig.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[eddiebx]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune [MENTION=66300]Intruder[/MENTION], but like you said you are very lucky it did not happen at cruising speeds...I've seen pictures of the aftermath on various cars with either an upper/lower ball joint failure on the highway, very ugly

May I ask, how many miles/years have you had these UCAs in service and when was the last time you checked your ball joints for play? I know you said they gave out without warning, but usually a telltale signs of a ball joint ready to pop out is too much play.

I do not mean this as a kick to the gut while you're down, I am just curious to see if we can try to determine if this was a catastrophic failure due to some sort of manufacturing defect; or if it could've been just an unfortunate oversight.

I am curious because I have a set of brand new LR UCAs waiting to go in and all these horror stories are making me want to ditch em and go with another brand, lol.

Anyway, I wish your rig a speedy recovery :cheers:

 

[cbielat]

I just replaced mine a couple of weeks ago. They've been on over a year now with about 60k miles on them. So far I've replaced the bushings in them and now the ball joints.

 

[4ShoreRunner]

Hmm, I'll have to give them a call and see. I've already ordered a pair but it wouldn't hurt to have backups.

My ball joints have never failed (knock on wood), my entire arms have failed twice due to the bushings. They've replaced the entire arms twice now.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/147049-uca-comparison-2.html#post1494115

 

[Intruder]

May I ask, how many miles/years have you had these UCAs in service and when was the last time you checked your ball joints for play? I know you said they gave out without warning, but usually a telltale signs of a ball joint ready to pop out is too much play.

About 2 years, 4 months and 60k kms. I have not noticed any play in them and actually had a front end inspection done just this past August. I always wash my truck after every wheeling trip and as I'm cleaning the wheel wells I always check for any damage or wear.

I do not mean this as a kick to the gut while you're down, I am just curious to see if we can try to determine if this was a catastrophic failure due to some sort of manufacturing defect; or if it could've been just an unfortunate oversight.

No offence taken. In fact I don't even know that this would be a defect. Any ball joint is going to wear out eventually, I just want to make sure people are aware of that since the LR UCA ball joint is in a sealed boot. Just because it's sealed, doesn't mean it isn't going to wear out or that the boot isn't going to get compromised somehow - whether through wear or a pokey stick on the trail. In the future I'll replace the ball joints before I hit 60k kms or 2 years.

I am curious because I have a set of brand new LR UCAs waiting to go in and all these horror stories are making me want to ditch em and go with another brand, lol.

I'd go for it. Despite the ball joint failure I haven't had any other problems with them considering the amount of abuse I put them through.

 

[Intruder]

Well here's a cell phone pic of the ball joints. The driver's side boot was torn and there was dirt in it when we took it off.

 

[Jeremy556]

Those both look pretty nasty. Any idea on the source of the tear on the driver's side boot?

On the failed joint, can you tell if the retaining ring missing, broken, or worn out?

Any chance of getting some of those hi-res DSL photos of the failed parts?

I have about 30K on mine. I think I am going to order a replacement pair ASAP.

 

[eddiebx]

Wow they sure look beat! Out of curiosity, can the ball joint spin real easily in the drivers one? And the passenger one, can you pop it right back in?

It almost seems like the smart thing to do is carry a spare fresh ball joint when going out on the trail huh?

 

[Intruder]

Those both look pretty nasty. Any idea on the source of the tear on the driver's side boot?

The top of the boot was torn. The clip thing that goes around the boot was still there, just the rest of the boot was not attached to the part of the boot it was holding.

On the failed joint, can you tell if the retaining ring missing, broken, or worn out?

Still there but presumably it was torn the same as the driver's side boot. Tough to say for sure since I don't know if it was torn before the joint came apart, but I would assume they both suffered the same failure.

Any chance of getting some of those hi-res DSL photos of the failed parts?

Yup.

I have about 30K on mine. I think I am going to order a replacement pair ASAP.

I'd just keep an eye on the boots. Go in there and see if you can pull the boot down from the top. It looks intact until you pull down on it.

Out of curiosity, can the ball joint spin real easily in the drivers one?

It can turn if I twist it with my hands, but not spin very freely.

And the passenger one, can you pop it right back in?

Not just using your hands, no. I assume if I used a press it would but with minimal pressure compared to a new ball joint. Keep in mind I was flexed out climbing a rock shelf when it popped, so there was a good amount of pressure on the joint. I have climbed that shelf before (I'll see if I can find a pic of it) without breaking anything.

It almost seems like the smart thing to do is carry a spare fresh ball joint when going out on the trail huh?

It wouldn't be a terrible idea, but like I said above just keep an eye on the boots and see if you can pull them down. If so, then replace them.

 

[Intruder]

Ok, higher res pics.

Here is the UCA chain mod that got me home. I don't recommend that anyone try this mod out.

DSC_2107.jpg by BurningChr0me, on Flickr

Blurry pic of the broken CV joint. That's about a $500 part.

DSC_2110.jpg by BurningChr0me, on Flickr

Higher res pic of the two joints.

DSC_2116.jpg by BurningChr0me, on Flickr

Dirt that came out of the driver's side boot when we popped it off.

DSC_2122.jpg by BurningChr0me, on Flickr

 

[eddiebx]

Nice chain mod, lol. Glad it was able to get you home at least!

BTW, thanks for taking the time to describe the condition of each joint in detail and taking all the pictures...helps me visualize it all better.

 

[Intruder]

And here's the spot where it happened. I was a bit further forward than the LC when it happened - my front tires were up and my back tires were climbing the rocks.


IMGP0189.jpg by BurningChr0me, on Flickr