Truck was hard to center + Brake steer, then the Lower Ball Joint Failed

[AntleredRuin]

I torqued the 4 bolts on the ground because it was hard to hold the wheel steady. But the castle I did in the air...

Castle in the air. Sounds nice.

Either way, the Haynes manual was useless for the torque procedure.


-M

I've found that the manuals usually are pretty useless. Google is a much faster way to find what you need, with actual pictures, not just some half-assed drawing.
Sorry for the thread jack; I just created another thread for this.

 

[Road Bull]

They are cheap so pick up new hardware. Order castlenuts, retaining cotter pins, and the bolts.

 

[IsaiahC]

I've had napa lbjs on for over a year now and with close to 20k miles on them including a dozen or so trips off-road. I'm definitely not going to claim they're better than oem or as good as oem but they're lifetime warranty and I bought them knowing I'd probably replace them every few years or so. I've heard of plenty of moog and oem failures but no Napa failures. So, I guess what I'm saying is that just because you didn't buy oem, doesn't mean you're going to spontaneously combust and die instantly. Just know your risk. Also, I think mine were $120-$130 for the pair. I can't remember

Now that I've made this comment, when my LBJ blows up, I'll be hit with a wave of "I told you so"s

 

[AntleredRuin]

I've had napa lbjs on for over a year now and with close to 20k miles on them including a dozen or so trips off-road. I'm definitely not going to claim they're better than oem or as good as oem but they're lifetime warranty and I bought them knowing I'd probably replace them every few years or so. I've heard of plenty of moog and oem failures but no Napa failures. So, I guess what I'm saying is that just because you didn't buy oem, doesn't mean you're going to spontaneously combust and die instantly. Just know your risk. Also, I think mine were $120-$130 for the pair. I can't remember

Now that I've made this comment, when my LBJ blows up, I'll be hit with a wave of "I told you so"s

I think the 'lifetime warranty' is the problem. Sure, they'll warranty the LBJ itself, but what about the rest of the front end of your 4Runner?
There's your 'I told you so'. :boxer:

 

[nobb]

I'm definitely not going to claim they're better than oem or as good as oem but they're lifetime warranty and I bought them knowing I'd probably replace them every few years or so. I've heard of plenty of moog and oem failures but no Napa failures.

I created that thread on the LBJ findings as I had the chance to examine a few. I'm almost certain that Napa/Moog/Raybestos/Beck Arnley and other store brands are just rebranded Sankei 555.

Sankei 555 is a good brand, but just not in this application.

I don't think anyone else makes these other than Sankei 555 and maybe one or two even lower tier, discount parts manufacturers. Such as these $35 LBJs from Prime Choice Auto :lol:

TOYOTA 4RUNNER 1998 - Ball Joints - Lower Ball Joint, Upper Ball Joint | CK642

 

[RoofRack]

I've had napa lbjs on for over a year now and with close to 20k miles on them including a dozen or so trips off-road. I'm definitely not going to claim they're better than oem or as good as oem but they're lifetime warranty and I bought them knowing I'd probably replace them every few years or so. I've heard of plenty of moog and oem failures but no Napa failures. So, I guess what I'm saying is that just because you didn't buy oem, doesn't mean you're going to spontaneously combust and die instantly. Just know your risk. Also, I think mine were $120-$130 for the pair. I can't remember

Now that I've made this comment, when my LBJ blows up, I'll be hit with a wave of "I told you so"s

They were $130 each. Not cheap.

-M

 

[shadow247]

FWIW I've got 35k on my AC Delco ball joints that I paid 35 dollars each for. Looks like they are actually stamped with 555. I replaced both axles last year when they had 28k miles on them and the ball joints were still tight as ever.

 

[W4R123]

Sorry to thread jack guys but, why do all LBJ failures happen at home drive ways..?

 

[RoofRack]

Sorry to thread jack guys but, why do all LBJ failures happen at home drive ways..?

Biggest bump I hit all day was the cutter curb.

I was turning fairly sharp at the time.

I was going slowly so the wheel had little gyroscopic stability.

Braking at the time.

No idea.

 

[StreetCreeper]

I see these LBJ failure posts quite often and I personally drive a 4Runner that had a passenger LBJ fail before I got the truck. I've also seen the immediate aftermath of two other 4runners with failed LBJ ( see pic of the last one this summer in Santa Cruz ).

I've pondered if it's more common for these LBJs to fail at slow speed or high speed. Seems as if they fail more often at slow speed if you go by the reports here on the forum. According to the previous owner of my truck, the passenger LBJ failed after pulling out of a gas station at slow speed.

However, I'm really starting to wonder if it really just seems like it happens most often at slow speeds, because the drivers that have LBJs fail at high speed — are dead now, and can't come write a post about it for others to learn from.

High speed failures are probably pretty catastrophic and I would also expect it to be much less obvious that the LBJ failed — when the truck has been rolled 5 times and then wrapped around a tree.

​

 

[RoofRack]

I bet the gyroscope effect of a fast spinning wheel makes the suspension a lot more stable. Plus, you're not turning at highway speeds and sideloading the ball joints.

And while we're at it. I'm wondering if there are not millions of people getting full live out of the Napa joints and we never hear about it because, there's nothing to hear about.

That said, I did order the toyota ones because...http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/party/party0006.gif

-M

I see these LBJ failure posts quite often and I personally drive a 4Runner that had a passenger LBJ fail before I got the truck. I've also seen the immediate aftermath of two other 4runners with failed LBJ ( see pic of the last one this summer in Santa Cruz ).

I've pondered if it's more common for these LBJs to fail at slow speed or high speed. Seems as if they fail more often at slow speed if you go by the reports here on the forum. According to the previous owner of my truck, the passenger LBJ failed after pulling out of a gas station at slow speed.

However, I'm really starting to wonder if it really just seems like it happens most often at slow speeds, because the drivers that have LBJs fail at high speed — are dead now, and can't come write a post about it for others to learn from.

High speed failures are probably pretty catastrophic and I would also expect it to be much less obvious that the LBJ failed — when the truck has been rolled 5 times and then wrapped around a tree.

​

 

[Yoder68]

Dirty Pool has a good explanation of the quality difference of the different lbjs available over on Tacoma World.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/check-your-ball-joints.374853/page-2

 

[WRWhit93]

I think a lot of the causes for the the failures are overly tight turns (driveways, gas stations, intersections, parking lots...) and bumps, (driveway transitions, potholes on turns, off-road...). Almost all the failures I've seen online, and in person, have been while turning or off-road. Plus at highway speeds, there is less weight on them. The air going under the truck holds it up and takes some of the stress off the joints. However, if you hit a pothole at speed, much more catastrophic. A lot of dynamic weight.

That being said, I got new ones on today. 186k on them with a 3" lift and just got back from a 1,000 mile road trip. I feel a lot better now.

 

[Scramble]

You should have bought the cheapest ones possible if you needed it back that fast. Then ordered the OEM's online and replaced them immediately. They are about $75 each. You completely wasted money on those 555's. The difference between OEM and aftermarket is more than brand name. Denso at the parts store is trash compared to denso from Toyota. You can compare the two and they will always be different. Same with Senkai. The good stuff goes OEM, the cheap stuff goes to parts store.

Some have had aftermarkets fail in less than 30k miles. Some have pulled the Senkai 555's off and they where super loose, about to fail at very low mileage.

If I was you, I would avoid having your family in the car with those ball joints. That way if it fails, its just you that takes the hit. Please read following.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...tos-poor-quality-design-flaw-my-findings.html

This!

 

[Scramble]

Sorry to thread jack guys but, why do all LBJ failures happen at home drive ways..?

Because the Gods have blessed us for being so smart in purchasing the best looking & most reliable SUV ever to grace this beautiful planet. :biggrin1: