OTRE trouble , Castle Nut and Bolt just spin...Can't tighten?

[4RUNNERTMAN]

Ok so I changed out my ITRE and OTRE and LBJ this weekend and got everything in ok however I went to tighten on the last castle nut on the drivers side OTRE and put in the cotter pin and this is what I know have happening.

The castle nut goes way down the OTRE bolt and much farther then the other OTRE bolt on passenger side and will not tighten up due to the OTRE bolt spinning along with the castle nut. Here is a pic:

Here is a pic of the new OTRE that is OEM Toyota but there is grease seeping out of the boot as you can see in picture. Bad part? The other OTRE did not have any grease seeping like this one.

Let me know what you guys think and if anyone has a way to get that OTRE to tighten let me know. I tried C clamp and jack under it but no success with either method. Thanks

 

[Chuckles89]

The only way I have gotten anything like that to tighten (ball joint, OTRE, sway bar end link) is with an impact wrench.

I don't know why the castle nut would go down that far...

 

[4RUNNERTMAN]

The only way I have gotten anything like that to tighten (ball joint, OTRE, sway bar end link) is with an impact wrench.

I don't know why the castle nut would go down that far...

Tried a impact but just spins it....IDK???

HELP!

 

[cashmoney]

You sure it's the right part? I've found putting pressure on the joint can help hold the stud in place.

 

[4RUNNERTMAN]

You sure it's the right part? I've found putting pressure on the joint can help hold the stud in place.

Its identical to te other one I took off and both are OEM parts. In looking at it It appears the castle nut is as far down as it can go so it just spins as there are no more threads to grab so if that is the case then maybe its the arm on the LBJ that is not thick enough but it appears to be just like the LBJ I took off.
Man I don't know....perplexed by this!

 

[cashmoney]

Bust out a tape measure and check the dimensions. Maybe one of them was machined wrong.

 

[JBurt]

What brand are your ball joints?

I had cheap aftermarket lbj's and otres and had the same problem without the spinning. Sounds like either the taper in the lbj is too big or the taper in the otre is too small.

A 4runner otre would do that on a Tacoma ball joint.

I added washers between the ball joint and the castle nut so the nut was high enough to be locked by the cotter pin, and that worked until my cheap ball joints had play(12k miles).

 

[HiLife]

You still got the receipt? I would just return it, you may have the wrong or defective part despite of being the same part number on the box. Part manufactures make mistakes too.

 

[4RUNNERTMAN]

You still got the receipt? I would just return it, you may have the wrong or defective part despite of being the same part number on the box. Part manufactures make mistakes too.

I bought from Camelback Toyota and their return policy says that it is only for parts that are not installed and must be new still in packaging. I have to call them and see what they say.

I spoke to my local Toyota dealership and they want nothing to do with it although its my understanding that Toyota parts have a 12 month warranty on them no matter who installs the part. My local dealer said they do not warranty parts that they don't install. I think that is incorrect as I believe you can take any part that is defective back that is inside 12 months of purchase to any Toyota dealer for warranty replacement.

Anyone know for sure on Toyota's warranty period on parts bought from dealership and installed yourself?

It looks as though I have 2 parts that are bad. The Left LBJ and the Left OTRE is leaking grease around the boot.

This is really a bummer as I went with OEM parts to avoid issues like this and now I am stuck with no Truck to be able to drive for 3 weeks and no help so far from either Toyota dealership. We shall see how it goes.....

 

[cashmoney]

Did you ever measure the old and new parts?

 

[4RUNNERTMAN]

What brand are your ball joints?

I had cheap aftermarket lbj's and otres and had the same problem without the spinning. Sounds like either the taper in the lbj is too big or the taper in the otre is too small.

A 4runner otre would do that on a Tacoma ball joint.

I added washers between the ball joint and the castle nut so the nut was high enough to be locked by the cotter pin, and that worked until my cheap ball joints had play(12k miles).

I bought the good stuff Toyota OEM only parts from Camelback Toyota out of Phoenix.
I am so disappointed with this situation as it was first attempt at doing something on this scale to my truck and it just blew up in my face. Read my previous post as I am getting no help so far from my local dealer other then saying they think its the LBJ that has the problem and Camelback says on their return policy that they only take back parts that have not been installed so not sure what going to happen. I was also wondering if possibly they sent me a Taco LBJ but the passenger side looks the same and did not have this problem. Man I don't know....really weird.

 

[4RUNNERTMAN]

Did you ever measure the old and new parts?

To be honest since the LBJ is on the truck now its dang near impossible to measure exactly but doing the best I can it sure looks like the same part and went in really easily, nice snug fit. The only difference I can see is the steering stop ( the part that hits when you turn the wheel as far as it can go) is a bit longer or taller then the one I took off. I was trying to figure out if the arm where the OTRE bolt goes through is taller on the new part and it kinda looks like it but again being on the truck now its hard to tell for sure. IDK?

 

[4RUNNERTMAN]

Here is a pic of the new LBJ installed.

 

[JBurt]

Can you put the old tie rod into the new ball joint?

You could always call camelback. Get an email, send some pictures to them. Something is not right.

 

[4RUNNERTMAN]

Ok so I figured out what happened here. They sent me the wrong part , part number is for a Sequoia LBJ not a 4Runner LBJ. Sure looks like the same part and went on so easy and the number is only one digit off but its a Sequoia LBJ. So calling them tomorrow and I hope they take it back and the leaking OTRE as there is grease coming out of the boot which shouldn't happen. Now I guess I have to wait another 2 weeks to get my parts back to them and new parts shipped....This is terrific! :boom:

 

[Unner]

Ok so I figured out what happened here. They sent me the wrong part , part number is for a Sequoia LBJ not a 4Runner LBJ. Sure looks like the same part and went on so easy and the number is only one digit off but its a Sequoia LBJ. So calling them tomorrow and I hope they take it back and the leaking OTRE as there is grease coming out of the boot which shouldn't happen. Now I guess I have to wait another 2 weeks to get my parts back to them and new parts shipped....This is terrific! :boom:

Make them send the parts overnight to you. That's their issue that they messed it up, not your's.

 

[4RUNNERTMAN]

Make them send the parts overnight to you. That's their issue that they messed it up, not your's.

I hope they will?

 

[4RUNNERTMAN]

So here is a update to this LBJ and OTRE and ITRE changeout saga. I spoke to dealer I ordered from and they are overnighting me the correct parts. Super nice people at Camelback Toyota and am very impressed with the way they are handling this situation. If all goes well I will have the truck back on the road this weekend! It's been so long I hope it remembers how to drive! I'll post a update when I get all the replacement parts installed....Thanks everyone for your input and help......This place is the best!

 

[JBurt]

That's great!

However this makes me wonder if we could use Tundra/Sequoia lbj/otre's to avoid the failures that plauge ours.

 

[JayRolla]

That's great!

However this makes me wonder if we could use Tundra/Sequoia lbj/otre's to avoid the failures that plauge ours.

The Tacomas have a known stronger components and can be swapped over but bottom out quicker making you have a smaller turning radius.