infamousRNR
Senior Member
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Official Lower Ball Joint Write Up Thread
- Thread starter shootmymime
- Start date
animator
New member
Mine had over 204k on them and were nearly as tight as the OEM replacements. Mine is all highway miles though, so that's not nearly as tough on them.
Lord Taco
New member
Uneven tire wear for a long time has lead me here
Hi from Camano Island, WA.
I have a 1999 4Runner Highlander. My front PS has had uneven wear for years. I have several alignments and was told that was the problem. I have recently heard grinding on the PS front. I jacked it up and no extra wheel movement. But I did look at the LBJ on both sides of the truck and noticed a difference in my LBJs. See the photos below.
I think the LBJ is bad. But the grinding? I don't know.
Thanks!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4MUr42U6y-9RHNNbl9NTXJYSHM
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4MUr42U6y-9SEZPdS14VW16dEE
Hi from Camano Island, WA.
I have a 1999 4Runner Highlander. My front PS has had uneven wear for years. I have several alignments and was told that was the problem. I have recently heard grinding on the PS front. I jacked it up and no extra wheel movement. But I did look at the LBJ on both sides of the truck and noticed a difference in my LBJs. See the photos below.
I think the LBJ is bad. But the grinding? I don't know.
Thanks!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4MUr42U6y-9RHNNbl9NTXJYSHM
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4MUr42U6y-9SEZPdS14VW16dEE
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jgue467
Senior Member
New LBJs = Tighter Steering
I replaced mine today with oem and while the old ones would pass anyone's test for adequacy at about 150K, I was surprised the new ones took a small amount (1/2") of play out of the steering, nice and tight now! So another reason to replace. Luck and enjoy. :cowboy:
I replaced mine today with oem and while the old ones would pass anyone's test for adequacy at about 150K, I was surprised the new ones took a small amount (1/2") of play out of the steering, nice and tight now! So another reason to replace. Luck and enjoy. :cowboy:
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Merninater
New member
Just finished doing LBJ replacement on my 02' with 210k. Problems I ran into were obviously fused metal from rust and age. Just remember heat is your friend. Also, save yourself a headache and buy a couple different size pickle forks. Have a giant breaker bar on hand as well. I used a 4ft extension to break the castle nut on the LBJ. And I used a pickle fork and a mini sledge to separate the LBJ from the LCA. This is the most efficient method for rusty vehicles imo. It took me half a day as this is the first time I've done this but 3/4 of that was figuring out a system for the first side. This job was much more doable than I expected probably because I got lucky and didn't need to drill out any bolts. Been following this thread for a long time and glad I finally did it.
I have a nice brass mallet I use when whacking away at ball joints or tie rod ends, but a small 2x4 block works well also when coupled with a 3-5 lb sledge. It usually has enough give and is soft enough to not screw up the nut or threads, but will still compress enough to jar the joint loose.
RBs4R
New member
One bolt missing from LBJ
I have searched all over to see if I could find an answer to my problem with no luck. So hopefully someone can help on this thread.
I just had my UBJs and LBJs replaced at the same time as replacing my ITR and OTRE. Pretty certain they were original with 182k miles. On the driver side LBJ, one of the four bolts connecting it to the spindle broke off inside the spindle. The shop tried to remove the broken bolt by torching, etc. but was unable to get it out. Now, I am left with only 3 bolts holding the LBJ to the spindle. I have seen some opinions about the safety of having all 4 bolts, and I would obviously like to get this fixed. Any suggestions for removing the broken bolt? Do I need to replace the whole spindle?
Hope this thread is still being watched! It has been up for a long time with a ton of good input, so I appreciate all the time that has been contributed thus far.:help:
I have searched all over to see if I could find an answer to my problem with no luck. So hopefully someone can help on this thread.
I just had my UBJs and LBJs replaced at the same time as replacing my ITR and OTRE. Pretty certain they were original with 182k miles. On the driver side LBJ, one of the four bolts connecting it to the spindle broke off inside the spindle. The shop tried to remove the broken bolt by torching, etc. but was unable to get it out. Now, I am left with only 3 bolts holding the LBJ to the spindle. I have seen some opinions about the safety of having all 4 bolts, and I would obviously like to get this fixed. Any suggestions for removing the broken bolt? Do I need to replace the whole spindle?
Hope this thread is still being watched! It has been up for a long time with a ton of good input, so I appreciate all the time that has been contributed thus far.:help:
Bud4me0007
New member
Great writeup time to check mine.
Really great DIY, I appreciate listing out the correction on the torque for the spindle bolts. One other correction to list, you need a 24 mm socket for the LBJ nut not a 22 mm.
This sounds super lazy of a shop as this is not a new problem for any mechanic that deals with rusty stuff.
If I were dealing with it at home I would start with loading it up with a ton of PB blaster, let it soak/dry for a few hours, then pb blaster again, then try a reverse drill bit or if it fits, an extractor.
If neither of those worked I would drill out the bolt using a bit just smaller than the spindle threads and then use a tap to clean the remaining metal out of the threads. Definitely a time consuming job.
Good luck!
This sounds super lazy of a shop as this is not a new problem for any mechanic that deals with rusty stuff.
If I were dealing with it at home I would start with loading it up with a ton of PB blaster, let it soak/dry for a few hours, then pb blaster again, then try a reverse drill bit or if it fits, an extractor.
If neither of those worked I would drill out the bolt using a bit just smaller than the spindle threads and then use a tap to clean the remaining metal out of the threads. Definitely a time consuming job.
Good luck!
Finally did the LBJs; just feel better knowing I did it!
With this said, I've had my truck for about 3 years, (33K miles I've owned the truck) and a grand total of 185K odometer to date.
When I took my old LBJs off, they were stamped with '555', covered in surface rust, and from everything I could find, very sure they've NEVER been replaced by the previous owner. This said, I know there is talk of trusting or NOT trusting the '555'; just throwing it out there, they should last at least 33K miles. Obviously OEM is the way to go, I got mine @ bochtoyotasouth.com . $207 for both R & L plus shipping - cheap insurance as others have said, & I agree ABSOLUTELY!
Overall, very easy to do, can be done in your garage, took less than 2 hours with hand tools.
With this said, I've had my truck for about 3 years, (33K miles I've owned the truck) and a grand total of 185K odometer to date.
When I took my old LBJs off, they were stamped with '555', covered in surface rust, and from everything I could find, very sure they've NEVER been replaced by the previous owner. This said, I know there is talk of trusting or NOT trusting the '555'; just throwing it out there, they should last at least 33K miles. Obviously OEM is the way to go, I got mine @ bochtoyotasouth.com . $207 for both R & L plus shipping - cheap insurance as others have said, & I agree ABSOLUTELY!
Overall, very easy to do, can be done in your garage, took less than 2 hours with hand tools.
Difflock
New member
Same exact thing happened to mine last week, please keep us posted
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
socalkid
New member
thanks to the OP, [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] and [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] for the vid, and [MENTION=109205]mwray8909[/MENTION] for chatting with me about the job, all helped me know what i needed before i got under the Runner. hardest part was the OEM Tools Pitman Tie Rod puller i rented from Autzone that didnt fit around the LBJ arm - had to shave it down with a dremel to get it to fit, so guess i bought myself a puller. the larger OEM Pitman Arm Puller for popping off the LBJ from the lower control arm fit fine. also perfect timing i guess since Firestone had a $30 off promotion for the holiday weekend for the lifetime alignments.
thanks again all!
now time to have some baby backs and brews and enjoy the holiday weekend, hope everyone has a fun and safe Labor Day weekend.
thanks again all!
now time to have some baby backs and brews and enjoy the holiday weekend, hope everyone has a fun and safe Labor Day weekend.
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Maybe I missed it, but are the current OEM lower ball joints marked "NRA" / "WR" and "ALN" / "LF" on the forgings?
I bought a pair from an Amazon seller for $95 each, and was concerned when the bags were clear and didn't have the repeating Toyota logo printed across the bags like other OEM parts I've purchased. The Toyota part number sticker looks fine, and the passenger-side joint I received is also marked "WR". The assemblies themselves are painted black (including the backing cover of the joint, which has a few numbers stamped into it) with machined contact areas and have blue grease residue, so they appear to be genuine compared to photos I've seen.
Just want to make sure I didn't pay OEM prices for aftermarket parts with a copied Toyota sticker.
I bought a pair from an Amazon seller for $95 each, and was concerned when the bags were clear and didn't have the repeating Toyota logo printed across the bags like other OEM parts I've purchased. The Toyota part number sticker looks fine, and the passenger-side joint I received is also marked "WR". The assemblies themselves are painted black (including the backing cover of the joint, which has a few numbers stamped into it) with machined contact areas and have blue grease residue, so they appear to be genuine compared to photos I've seen.
Just want to make sure I didn't pay OEM prices for aftermarket parts with a copied Toyota sticker.
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jgue467
Senior Member
You must have bought the last set, a quick search for your MY showed nothing. Put the listing up. What else was included? Mine (directly from a local toyota dealer had no blue grease on them) and the bags were sealed. I wonder how amazon can sell OEM for less than dealers? :cowboy:
johnbyebye
New member
This happened to me earlier in the year. I drove on 3 bolts for a few months as I couldn't get the dang thing out. I finally got it out, but destroyed the threads in the process. Tried to tap them but memories of breaking the bolt extractor off inside the broken bolt came back. All I would need is a snapped tap after I just got the bolt out. I said screw it and bought the entire spindle from another user on here. Problem solved. If you have better luck than I, it's not terrible to get out but I would highly suggest taking the spindle off to remove the bolt, you'll have better access. That was my mistake. I still have the original spindle and I might have a shop tap the threads for me.
Best of luck.
Bags were sealed, fortunately. $95 is right in there with the competitive online dealers, pretty easy to find them from dealers for around $97 plus a little for shipping.
They still have some left, $95 each with free Prime shipping.
RH: http://amzn.to/2wTKYod
LH: http://amzn.to/2xsC4OT
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linkedtamiya
New member
RAD4Runner
Senior Member
Please Post Mileage When LBJ Failure Occurred
Hi guys,
May we ask those who have had ball-joint failures to post mileage when it happened here?
Before the next serious accident caused by poor suspension design happens, I hope we can help 3rd-gen owners prevent one. It is very difficult to predict how soon to replace the LBJ because some cases show no signs of impending failure. However, if we can poll what are the various mileage when LBJ failures occurred, it would help owners make the decision.
Depending on how they use their trucks, their tolerance for risk and resources, some may decide to replace LBJ's at lowest recorded mileage, some may replace theirs at average recorded mileage. At least there are some ball-park figures to go by. Better safe than sorry.
Hi guys,
May we ask those who have had ball-joint failures to post mileage when it happened here?
Before the next serious accident caused by poor suspension design happens, I hope we can help 3rd-gen owners prevent one. It is very difficult to predict how soon to replace the LBJ because some cases show no signs of impending failure. However, if we can poll what are the various mileage when LBJ failures occurred, it would help owners make the decision.
Depending on how they use their trucks, their tolerance for risk and resources, some may decide to replace LBJ's at lowest recorded mileage, some may replace theirs at average recorded mileage. At least there are some ball-park figures to go by. Better safe than sorry.
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Looks like the boot is gone from the first one, I would replace both.
RAD4Runner
Senior Member
Yes bad boot, but did you LOOK at your LBJ's or did you check for play per manual?
