SOLVED! Post 2853 Leaking Injectors, Dealer Techs Rock! Extended Cranking after Engine Swap 3.4L 5vz

A dealer in our area just said they can get us aftermarket uppers, "Meyley" brand. Anyone heard of this brand?

A local parts store said they can get "Molly" brand aftermarket uppers. Anyone heard of that brand?

But no dealers in our area can get the OEMs. They are on backorder, so we'd have to get the ones in Washington or go with aftermarket to do them now.

 

Washington dealer is shipping 2 uppers to us, should be here in next 2-3 days, so should be able to button up before Eric's back to work. Price was not bad on those.

Still trying to figure out whether we need to be concerned with lowers - he's looking at them now and I'm guessing will post pics and ask for advice. Price is $135 each on those, which sucks, but they are in stock in our area and we'd want to go ahead while things are opened up if they are questionable I think.

Also still trying to figure out whether we need to provide the new uppers to the machine shop when we give them the wheel bearing. Do you guys know?

 

To check for bad lower ball joints:

Raise truck so tire is an inch or so off ground. Stick a pry bar under tire and lift tire while watching ball joint. There should be no slop in the boot if joint is good. This may take a second person to pry/lift tire.

 

do we need a special tool to press out the old upper ball joint, and press in the new upper ball joint (at home)?

 

Toyota OEM lower ball joints, $64.42 each, linkee...will fit 1998

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOYOTA-OEM-95-04-Tacoma-Front-Lower-Ball-Joint-4334039445-/281511424277?fits=Year:2000|Make:Toyota|Model:Tacoma&hash=item418b637115&vxp=mtr

Toyota OEM upper ball joints, $38.40 each, linkee...will fit 1998

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOYOTA-OEM-95-04-Tacoma-Front-Upper-Ball-Joints-4331039016-/191682699501?fits=Year:2000|Make:Toyota|Model:Tacoma&hash=item2ca12de0ed&vxp=mtr

so about $203 shipped for all four if you are willing to wait an extra day or two....

 

Machine shop guy said the upper ball joint looks OK, he said we don't need to replace it. Sounds great to me - what do you guys think?

They aren't terribly expensive, and the dealers made it kinda sound like they are discontinuing making the upper ball joints. Eric just thought they might need to be replaced because he said there was some grease leaking out. He said the shop guy said that's normal. Thoughts?

 

$135 each for the lowers is expensive, the link I provided you would get both for a little less than the cost of one locally....they are OEM from a Toyota dealer located in Georgia, just have to wait a couple of days, you could pay a little extra and have them sent priority mail, still mucho less...

 

BTW, it is the lowers that take the beating, the strut compresses on the lower a arm and the major pounding on the suspension is all on the lower ball joint, the upper just glides as it is free moving, no strut attached....much less stress....I would get a grease gun and shoot some more grease down the inside of the boot on the uppers and call it a day....

 

These bushings most definitely fail in 1st gens. If you don't have a vibration in the front that goes away immediately when put into 4wd don't worry about it.
More info here including a diagnosis/R+R vid. http://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-14472912-toyota-7-5-clamshell-bushing.html

Taco upper ball joints typically last at least twice as long as lowers.
The FSM shows the technique for checking the lower BJ. They forget to mention that the bushings in the upper control arm put tension on the lower joint when the suspension is fully extended. This can mask play in the joint. It's best to use a pry bar between the LBJ and the very end of the lower control arm to check for play. The weight of a wheel/tire may or may not "squeeze" the joint together enough (against the resistance of the UCA bushings) with the suspension hanging down. I support the frame on stands, remove the wheel, jack up the lower arm to near ride height and then check for play. It's a fine line between good and bad, .020" max play or about the thickness of a match book cover. If you can eyeball any play it's time to replace.
The 1st gen joints will pull completely apart if pushed too far and they frequently do because folks check them with the old "shake the tire" method and think they are still good.

You don't want to screw up with LBJ's both service life and installation. look here https://www.google.com/search?q=tac...X&ved=0CB0QsARqFQoTCLzcsLOy6scCFZctiAodrPQG2g

When replacing the LBJ or putting yours back on, the 4 bolts should be clean and have thread locking compound (Loctite) along with proper torque.
Since you already have things apart, give the LBJ's a little flip flop and twist while they are still on the lower control arm. They should be relatively stiff (highly technical web jargon).

 

That lower is a left side 2wd non prerunner, 4wd OEM joints are just under $100 online.

 

Take their word on this. OEM uppers come with a separate pouch of grease to smear on the top of the boot.

 

If you already have new joints it should only be a few $ for the shop to do the R+R.

If you go the DIY route there are a number of methods. With your spindle off the truck it will be more forgiving.
The simplest way is with a "C-frame" ball joint press. These can be rented or loaned from some parts houses. They typically don't come with exactly the right adapters to fit the Taco uppers. I made up my own set just for the occasion. First is the receiving end.




Folks get by jury rigging various pullers, the use what ya got theory. Another method for removal is to support the spindle (off the truck) with an appropriate piece of pipe. It needs an inner diameter "just" larger than the bottom end of the joint (pipe cap in first pic above). The pipe needs to be sitting on something good and solid like an anvil, preferably steel and massive. Now you can pound on the threaded end of the joint (after removing the snap ring). Smacked with enough authority one of 2 things will happen. Best case, the whole joint comes out into the pipe. Worst case the ball/stud portion forces the bottom cover off and pops thru leaving the carcass of the joint still in the spindle. The carcass can then be driven out with hammer blows. The upper end where the blows will land is a smaller diameter then the "press fit" portion so deformation from the hammer blows is no prob. Of course if you can scrounge up a piece of pipe that fits over the stud and against the housing/carcass, hammer blows can be applied to that.
The "press fit" portion of the joint is only a band about a 1/4" wide.
This one was removed with the destructOman, take no prisoners method.


Installation is with the press or a hammer (carefully) driving against an appropriate adapter/piece of pipe that fits the outer bottom rim of the joint, don't traumatize the sheet metal cover seen in the left of the upper pic.
Once the press fit area of the spindle is good and clean, with scotch brite or equivalent a smear of grease will allow the new joint to go in with much less effort than getting it out. Take care to drive/press the new one straight in.

 

Only minutes after I got back from where all the old farts hang out (the machine shop), they called to tell me my spindle was ready to pick up. The guy even re-bolted my dust cover, greased the upper ball joint, and polished the hub. So far, I can't say anything bad about those guys

 

Here is a short video of my lower ball joint.

 

We're stumped trying to evaluate the lower ball joint's stiffness. Debating whether to go ahead and reassemble everything and do this:

The FSM shows the technique for checking the lower BJ. They forget to mention that the bushings in the upper control arm put tension on the lower joint when the suspension is fully extended. This can mask play in the joint. It's best to use a pry bar between the LBJ and the very end of the lower control arm to check for play. The weight of a wheel/tire may or may not "squeeze" the joint together enough (against the resistance of the UCA bushings) with the suspension hanging down. I support the frame on stands, remove the wheel, jack up the lower arm to near ride height and then check for play. It's a fine line between good and bad, .020" max play or about the thickness of a match book cover. If you can eyeball any play it's time to replace.

 

That looks like it has "some" resistance. Here is the deal, that's just not a good conclusive test. When these fellows wear, play develops in an up and down direction, hence the method described in the FSM.
Here is a shot of whats going on inside a 1st gen joint. The ball and socket is the wear area. Mostly the liner around the stud end of the ball. The ball is encased in a plasticish liner under pressure at the time of manufacture. This causes the drag you (should) feel as you move the joint. With out the force of the pry bar (FSM) you likely will not see the critical "up and down" play unless it's about to fall apart.

 

I can tell from the vid, the ball joint in question is an OEM joint. Maybe not original but OEM non the less. Think back on what you know of the trucks history. If you think it likely the joint has anything near 100k I say replace it or at least do the proper test.

 

Does this look like the correct article?

 

DP, would you then go ahead and definitely do the LBJ on the passenger side as well (if doing driver's side)?

 

OK, he's putting things back together to do the test to evaluate the LBJ per FSM.

Honestly, both have 130K on them, but the dealer wants $135 each for them, and my impression is that it's best to do both if doing one, so that adds up quick. And this was the part that we'd definitely want the OEM from the dealer on, right?

EDIT: Should read, "both have 130K, up to 200K miles on them" - meaning could be original to the Taco, which has 200K now.