EveningCommuter
New member
Good to know.
I went and had my shocks/struts/bushings done a few days ago. I had the mechanic inspect the ball joints and there is no play, they should be good for now.
Official Lower Ball Joint Write Up Thread
- Thread starter shootmymime
- Start date
Good to know.
I went and had my shocks/struts/bushings done a few days ago. I had the mechanic inspect the ball joints and there is no play, they should be good for now.
96RedRunner
Senior Member
Jason if you've never changed them do it if milage over 150k at least check them.
last week picked up a 98 4x4 SR5 264k mi never offroad original BJ's according to PO.
Drove 1/2 mile home into garage jacked it up, no need for a dial indicator both had over 1/16" play using pry bar to check.
The boots were good had grease inside. Yours is too nice to risk it.
Jason B
Official Vendor
Thanks for the reply. Ok, so if I get it on the lift and check them with pry bar and no play, would you still replace them anyway? It is a 97... I probably will, but just wondering if there is no play, could they still be an issue?
96RedRunner
Senior Member
FSM spec for play is .5 mm (.020") max I didn't need to use magnetic base dial indicator to see play I had.
Are your eyes good enough to see judge .020" movement jk mine aren't. Good insurance dropping couple Benjamin's on LBJ's.
Are your eyes good enough to see judge .020" movement jk mine aren't. Good insurance dropping couple Benjamin's on LBJ's.
Thanks for the awesome write-up with pictures. Ill be doing this to my 2000 sr5 this weekend. I ordered Toyota LBJ's. I was thinking of also changing the tie rod ends. I don't notice any play in them but the truck has 270k on it and I don't know if they've ever been done. Do I need to get toyota Tie rods or can I just get them at like NAPA?
Hello
I just wanted to share my experience. recently I did full front end replacement just about everything up there The only thing I had trouble with were the lower ball joints.
I originally purchased mavotech parts. Both l and r were parts to match the OEM LBJ part number. They unfortunately did not fit. The problem was the circular receptacle was taller and ran into the part of the front drive train. My conclusion is these are the lower ball joints for the two-wheel drive version. I called my parts manager and he mentioned these were for both the two-wheel drive and the four-wheel drive version but they definitely did not fit.
I went to O'Reilly's Auto parts and purchased a left and right four-wheel drive version. they said they didn't have different part numbers for four-wheel drive and two wheel drive but only a single part number for all models which I assume to being that they would fit under the four-wheel drive version since they would be shorter.
low and behold these ORiley parts -- the left one fit and the right one didn't. both the same part number. But what the heck why would the left one be tall and the right one be short?
I ended up going to all of the different O'Reilly's in the area and looked at six different units before finding a matching pair. all were the same part numbers. I asked some of the managers there and they were pretty confused just like I was.
I also went to AutoZone The parts they have fit but they were really poor quality they didn't even have a fillable zerk fitting for grease. I wouldn't put these on my truck and I don't recommend them to y'all here.
moral of the story when you order your lower ball joints please take a quick measurement and if you have the four-wheel drive version you are going to want a very short circular receptacle on the top surface. the 8th of an inch difference between them might mean you won't be able to fit it.
I just wanted to share my experience. recently I did full front end replacement just about everything up there The only thing I had trouble with were the lower ball joints.
I originally purchased mavotech parts. Both l and r were parts to match the OEM LBJ part number. They unfortunately did not fit. The problem was the circular receptacle was taller and ran into the part of the front drive train. My conclusion is these are the lower ball joints for the two-wheel drive version. I called my parts manager and he mentioned these were for both the two-wheel drive and the four-wheel drive version but they definitely did not fit.
I went to O'Reilly's Auto parts and purchased a left and right four-wheel drive version. they said they didn't have different part numbers for four-wheel drive and two wheel drive but only a single part number for all models which I assume to being that they would fit under the four-wheel drive version since they would be shorter.
low and behold these ORiley parts -- the left one fit and the right one didn't. both the same part number. But what the heck why would the left one be tall and the right one be short?
I ended up going to all of the different O'Reilly's in the area and looked at six different units before finding a matching pair. all were the same part numbers. I asked some of the managers there and they were pretty confused just like I was.
I also went to AutoZone The parts they have fit but they were really poor quality they didn't even have a fillable zerk fitting for grease. I wouldn't put these on my truck and I don't recommend them to y'all here.
moral of the story when you order your lower ball joints please take a quick measurement and if you have the four-wheel drive version you are going to want a very short circular receptacle on the top surface. the 8th of an inch difference between them might mean you won't be able to fit it.
mesooohoppy
New member
i am fairly certain there is another thread on here where the user includes them.
if tim has a video i guarantee you that he has included the part numbers as well.
The OEM part numbers are listed in this thread as I ordered these at the time of replacement.
Lower Ball Joint Preventative Maintenance
Toyota OEM P/N:
Left LBJ: 43340-39465
Right LBJ: 43330-39585
Mounting Bolts (x8): 90080-10066
mesooohoppy
New member
i have heard via threads on here OEMs can last up to 200-250k, but i am seeing a lot of people saying to change them every 100k. my truck just hit 240k and i replaced mine at 238-239. the ones i changed out looked stock. of course if youre lifted or do a lot of off roading, you will have to keep an eye on them.
of course, only buy OEM. along with the 8 bolts (also OEM), do not reuse the bolts! as long as you replaced with OEM LBJs 13k ago, you should have 87k left on them.
Map0692
New member
I wanted to add my experience here.
I have followed 4runners and browsed the for-sale ads for years now.
I finally bought one in October 2019 to be my daily driver.
1998 SR5 with 192,000
For being totally stock - it is the cleanest I have seen and was very well taken care of.
I hadn't even had time to get it on the lift for its first oil change / inspection .... 2.5 weeks after buying it, the Lower Ball Joint Failed.
Symptoms were only noticeable for maybe 15 miles before it gave out. I remember feeling the truck pull hard to one side and I jerked on the steering wheel to correct it. It was nothing dramatic. But it did this 3 or 4 times along a 15ish mile drive.
I parked the truck for a second and then put it into reverse to back out of the parking spot. That's when I felt it give out.
All this to say ... DON'T WAIT on inspecting your LBJ
I replaced both sides with OEM and replaced the bolts too.
I called my local Toyota and they had the parts in next day and even gave me a discount code.
Also, the tow guy attempted to pull it onto his truck with the wheel still on ... I stopped him. It was going to tear something up for sure.
Make sure they remove the wheel and use a sled under the ball joint / caliper
I have followed 4runners and browsed the for-sale ads for years now.
I finally bought one in October 2019 to be my daily driver.
1998 SR5 with 192,000
For being totally stock - it is the cleanest I have seen and was very well taken care of.
I hadn't even had time to get it on the lift for its first oil change / inspection .... 2.5 weeks after buying it, the Lower Ball Joint Failed.
Symptoms were only noticeable for maybe 15 miles before it gave out. I remember feeling the truck pull hard to one side and I jerked on the steering wheel to correct it. It was nothing dramatic. But it did this 3 or 4 times along a 15ish mile drive.
I parked the truck for a second and then put it into reverse to back out of the parking spot. That's when I felt it give out.
All this to say ... DON'T WAIT on inspecting your LBJ
I replaced both sides with OEM and replaced the bolts too.
I called my local Toyota and they had the parts in next day and even gave me a discount code.
Also, the tow guy attempted to pull it onto his truck with the wheel still on ... I stopped him. It was going to tear something up for sure.
Make sure they remove the wheel and use a sled under the ball joint / caliper
Attachments
Last edited:
shadow247
New member
Man that is beyond lucky. Most people are moving and have body and additional suspension damage when theirs let go. I replaced mine at 341k with 555 branded ones. I replaced them again at 380k with New OEM because the NON-OEM 555 branded joints were shot.
Attachments
What was the failure symptoms on what was going wrong with the 555 joints? Was there any play? Have they been regularly greased?
shadow247
New member
They were non-greasble type. I took the truck on the sand, but never in the water on purpose about 25 times from 2012 to 2014. Was a street queen until now. I took it in to Firestone for a Lifetime Alignment check, and they said the Inner Tie Rod was bad. I took a look at the ball joints, and realized the one you see here was leaking grease badly. So I ordered OEM LBJ"s for both sides and put them on when I swapped on new ITR/OTR at the same time.
Next I need Upper Ball Joints. That's another project thread entirely though.
That's weird, there's absolutely no grease nipple on them? I had taken a look at some Moog units which were physically branded 555 and they had grease nipples on them. I would almost think that if you are submerging the vehicle often, then greaseable joints would be better because you could flush out the water.
JohnOfTheJungle
Member
Got an alignment done today and they noted a bit of play in my LBJs. These are Toyota OEM bought from a dealership that I put on 25k miles ago when I got the truck.
I had the alignment shop show me and there was a little bit of play with the pry bar. It did not seem significant, but it also wasn’t nothing.
I’m a little surprised that there is already some play in them, although I have wheeled the truck 6-7 times and I drive around horrible Brooklyn streets with a steel bumper and winch. Looks like I should be looking to replace them again soon just for peace of mind.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I had the alignment shop show me and there was a little bit of play with the pry bar. It did not seem significant, but it also wasn’t nothing.
I’m a little surprised that there is already some play in them, although I have wheeled the truck 6-7 times and I drive around horrible Brooklyn streets with a steel bumper and winch. Looks like I should be looking to replace them again soon just for peace of mind.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
