Short lived lower ball joint

T

TucsonMike

Member
About 60k miles ago when I upgraded my suspension I replaced my LBJ as they had 212k on them. Today when doing routine maintenance I checked the LBJs and passenger side has play ( up and down movement). When I replaced them I did use genuine toyota parts and my lift is only about 1.5" from stock. I was surprised the LBJ didnt last very long. I do 4 wheel but nothing extreme. Perhaps the lift caused the issue. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced a similar situation.

Thanks

MikeM
 
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TucsonMike said:
About 60k miles ago when I upgraded my suspension I replaced my LBJ as they had 212k on them. Today when doing routine maintenance I checked the LBJs and passenger side has play ( up and down movement). When I replaced them I did use genuine toyota parts and my lift is only about 1.5" from stock. I was surprised the LBJ didnt last very long. I do 4 wheel but nothing extreme. Perhaps the lift caused the issue. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced a similar situation.

Thanks

MikeM
Click to expand...

Would this happen to be the Mike that built my badass storage system???? :wave:

I noticed the same on my LBJ's that the previous owner replaced roughly 55k miles prior. They definitely weren't shot, but they were pretty floppy when I checked during the LCA bushing change. I put new ones in to be safe, but I'm a little concerned that I'll be doing this in another 50k miles.
 
Mcgeorge Toyota had them the cheapest at $230 for both ball joints and 8 bolts. It's more expensive now.

Anyone have the # number for both lower ball joints as a kit? I forgot to write the part # down and were $20 cheaper for the pair.
 
I've gotten about 140K miles out of the set on mine right now but it's definitely time for a new pair. Went to my local stealer this morning to place the order for OEMs and found that they're back-ordered two to three weeks. One of them, the right side I think, doesn't have stock anywhere in the entire United States. According to the parts guy's computer there are 393 of them "in transit." I guess that means on a ship somewhere between the U.S. and Japan but who knows.

I pre-paid and placed the order because these seem pretty hard to get. My installer at Japanese Auto City says $176 for the install each side. So $352 in labor for both. Total cost works out to be $716.98: $364.98 for the OEM joints and bolts, plus the labor.

Considering the catastrophe that could occur by letting them go, it's well worth it IMO.
 
FD7683 said:
Mcgeorge Toyota had them the cheapest at $230 for both ball joints and 8 bolts. It's more expensive now.

Anyone have the # number for both lower ball joints as a kit? I forgot to write the part # down and were $20 cheaper for the pair.
Click to expand...

04005-02235

I ordered this and got a pair of balljoints and some cotter pins.
 
I change my out every 25k like clock work regardless of the condition. I've had both OEM and Napa wear extremely quick, and my solution was just to change them out more often.

Mike
 
Unfortunately this seems to be the new norm. The last 3 sets of lbjs I have gotten came direct from the toyota dealership and they barely made it 10k before they had slop. The OEM quality doesn't seem to be what it used to be. I know I am hard on parts but the first set of oems lasted about 50k before they had slop so the lifespan has definitely gone done. At this point I am just checking and replacing as needed every 5k. I do know there is a permanent cure in the works from a new company, saw this the other day and it looks pretty enticing. Lower Ball Joint Cure —
 
Thanks for the responses. That sucks if the quality has indeed gone down hill and the life expectancy off the joints have been reduced. Luckily it's not too bad of a job but replacing them under 50k is unacceptable to me as they should last longer.
 
MStudt said:
I change my out every 25k like clock work regardless of the condition. I've had both OEM and Napa wear extremely quick, and my solution was just to change them out more often.

Mike
Click to expand...

This is what I do. But I also wheel mine.
 
cl4Rk said:
Pretty sure if they figure this out, almost everyone here would eventually buy them...
Click to expand...

You would think until you see the price. I get that they are putting a lot of R&D money into it, but at $2500, they are going to be significantly limiting their target market.
 
Skulking said:
You would think until you see the price. I get that they are putting a lot of R&D money into it, but at $2500, they are going to be significantly limiting their target market.
Click to expand...

Ahh... yeah, I didn't see the price. That's too much. For $2500, you could replace your LBJs every single year for the next 9 years.
 
Ideally a long travel kit could be the answer. Solo, chaos and others around 4k. Adding the tundra axles, LT shocks, bump stops, brake lines, shackles, fenders etc all adds up to a hefty investment. Not to mention updating the rear end. In the mean time keep replacing lbjs it is' what it is.
 
cl4Rk said:
Pretty sure if they figure this out, almost everyone here would eventually buy them...
Click to expand...

That's an instant buy if it is indeed better.

But, back to OP:

Honestly my personal schedule is to swap them ever 50k miles. It's just not worth the risk especially with the low cost.
 
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