What to do “while i’m in there” doing Lower Ball Joints?

[wtfemery]

i had some time today, so i went and got my tires balanced and rotated. they are still basically brand new, and had the little balancing weights in them, it turns out the last shop just did a really bad job. smooth as butter now. I made sure to go to a shop with the road-force balancing machine. (discount tire near me)

LBJs are still on their way and i’ll do them during the next dry weekend when i don’t have an exam to study for. (hopefully this weekend) lol

 

[wtfemery]

If you're near Denver, I can do this for you. @ OP

I’ll keep you in mind when i tackle the 4000mi round trip out to colorado springs and back that i’m planning this december. in case something breaks while i’m out there lol

That’s why i’m trying to get the basics done now before i go. LBJs, Radiator, fluids, etc

 

[wtfemery]

Got my LBJs from amazon today, one was in a box and one of them was just put in a paper bag with no other protection... TF??

The bag is all torn up and has holes in it and i can’t really tell if the parts are damaged or not. they’re all sticky and it looks like some grease leaked out on both of them, is that normal? also, it takes a good bit of force to get them to move around.

pics: Imgur: The magic of the Internet

 

[photoleif]

the finish on them is a bit sticky on the ones i *just* ordered from amazon, but the boots don't look happy with yours. the rubber should be all clean. it's possible it squished out a little in the ones sent to you, but the boots themselves are undamaged. if you're in a hurry, carefully inspect to see if the boots are at all damaged. if not, you may be able to obtain some grease and inject it in there. but for peace of mind so your repair doesn't actually hurt your rig when those BJs go kaputt, i'd send those right the heck back and get new ones.

 

[wtfemery]

the finish on them is a bit sticky on the ones i *just* ordered from amazon, but the boots don't look happy with yours. the rubber should be all clean. it's possible it squished out a little in the ones sent to you, but the boots themselves are undamaged. if you're in a hurry, carefully inspect to see if the boots are at all damaged. if not, you may be able to obtain some grease and inject it in there. but for peace of mind so your repair doesn't actually hurt your rig when those BJs go kaputt, i'd send those right the heck back and get new ones.

well, one was in a box and the other was in a bag and they both look pretty much the same. both boots are fine. just oozing grease. don't know if new ones would be any different. Is it possible to add too much grease in em? lol

 

[photoleif]

i don't think it's at all likely that they could be (could have been) overfilled. if you watch timmy's (mtbtim's) vid on replacing the uppers, you'll see how those get stuffed with two types of grease and then locked in place. i imagine the lowers are similar but it's done at the factory. grease leaks from any boot are likely to result in premature failure, which is why i'm suggesting you reorder and return these. do ask around though and post up what you find. fwiw, the amazon sellers that supplied mine are JP-CARPARTS and Amazing Parts Warehouse (split order).

edit: had a closer look at mine, and they look very similar to yours in terms of the little bit of grease on top.

 

[Bad Luck]

Got my LBJs from amazon today, one was in a box and one of them was just put in a paper bag with no other protection... TF??

The bag is all torn up and has holes in it and i can’t really tell if the parts are damaged or not. they’re all sticky and it looks like some grease leaked out on both of them, is that normal? also, it takes a good bit of force to get them to move around.

pics: Imgur: The magic of the Internet

They look fine to me. Doesn't look like much grease came out. When you install them the boot gets smushed down and seals tight. I'd use them as long as you don't find any holes or tears in the boots. Stiff joints are a good thing.

 

[photoleif]

They look fine to me. Doesn't look like much grease came out. When you install them the boot gets smushed down and seals tight. I'd use them as long as you don't find any holes or tears in the boots. Stiff joints are a good thing.

good advice. i had a second look at mine and they both have that same small ring of grease at the top. the main part of the boots are intact, and i don't see any cracks or slits.

 

[wtfemery]

i don't think it's at all likely that they could be (could have been) overfilled. if you watch timmy's (mtbtim's) vid on replacing the uppers, you'll see how those get stuffed with two types of grease and then locked in place. i imagine the lowers are similar but it's done at the factory. grease leaks from any boot are likely to result in premature failure, which is why i'm suggesting you reorder and return these. do ask around though and post up what you find. fwiw, the amazon sellers that supplied mine are JP-CARPARTS and Amazing Parts Warehouse (split order).

edit: had a closer look at mine, and they look very similar to yours in terms of the little bit of grease on top.

LOL Amazing Parts Warehouse was the one that shipped mine horribly! Did yours arrive in a crappy bag too?

(The other one was direct through the "TOYOTA" Amazon store)

 

[photoleif]

LOL Amazing Parts Warehouse was the one that shipped mine horribly! Did yours arrive in a crappy bag too?

(The other one was direct through the "TOYOTA" Amazon store)

it was in that crappy bag, but because i had several things in the order, that was also in a larger box. the other LBJ was in the plastic bag in its own nice padded box. today my UBJs arrived and they were in plastic baggies, in a box with lots of bubblewrap. the 'TOYOTA' seller i saw when i ordered, turned out to be that other JP parts place.