Lower ball joints?!?

Yeah, he said the parts were pretty expensive.

Mike I promise I didn't mean to take over your thread

 

It's all good man. Jack it all you want. Lolol



No pun intended. But really, this is good information.

 

Oem only when it comes to these

 

Please, Please do not let them bend you over at the dealership. You can easily do this yourself. The only special tool you'll require is a puller and you can rent those for free at many auto parts stores. A torque wrench would be nice to have but that's not necessary if you know how to tighten bolts and nuts without breaking or stripping them.

Here's a video tutorial you can follow to get this job done. You can get the lower ball joints through Camelback Toyota for around $225. You'll save yourself $300 if you do the job yourself.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bfLvtEnX9qk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

I don't see the bolts on that parts diagram. Also, why replace the bolts?

 

The bolts will weaken and lose their structural integrity after tightened down the first time. Considering the bolts literally hold all of your front suspension together, it's a good idea to spend the $4 to get new bolts.

 

Your don't even need a puller just a large hammer and some arm strength

http://www.mustangsplus.com/tech/shockandfall/shockfall1.htm

 

Thanks for (re)posting that link. I watched it and have to agree.

 

I can get behind that. Are you buying the bolts from the dealer, as well? That's why I mentioned not seeing them on the parts diagram.

 

It has lately become apparent that the later year OE LBJs that have the rubber "protector" skirt do not come with the hardware pack and as a result are cheaper than the non protector joints. The joints themselves are the same.
The joints with the skirt take a conventional (high strength) bolt/washer while the no skirt takes a flange head bolt with no separate washer. Likely the washer/bolt is to minimize twisting/distorting the skirt.

 

Of course you can pound the shit out of the lower control arm and knuckle of the balljoint to break them free but I guess I'd rather use a puller and not mash the shit out of the things. If you're replacing the balljoint, I guess no harm to pounding the shit out of the knuckle to break the outer tie rod free. But, if you're disconnecting the tie rod for other things, why mash things when you can break it free with a puller and do no damage? I bought a puller set from OTC via Amazon and I use it all the time. But, like I said, if you don't want to buy your own tools, just rent them for free from an auto parts store.

 

The hammer works faster and easier than any puller.

 

You guys have inspired me. I think I'll use my 20% off coupon for Harbor Freight and get these.. I do have a big hammer. Had to use that when I replaced the outer tie rods a couple of years ago. That's one thing I'm going to have to be careful about is not damaging the rubber boot on the tie rods.



What are your thoughts on this? I wish I would have had this when I replaced the bushings in my rack.

 

The press is good for the uppers when replacing them. The pickle fork is for gm cats not toyota. Grab a 5 pound baby sledge give the knuckle 2-3 whacks and the joint will fall free

 

I replaced mine a couple of months ago. I whacked on that LCA with a hammer forever. Never budged. Maybe if my truck was up on a lift and I was standing underneath it with all kinds of room to take a full arm swing at it it would have worked. Don't know. Didn't have a lot of time to screw around with it. Went down to Autozone and rented a Pitman arm puller, came apart in seconds. Worked great for pulling the tie rod ends out too.

I found this video to be the most helpful:

 

Ahh, the old hammer vs puller debate.
The only absolute here is that the hammer will work every time, right up to the point when it doesn't.

 

I'm not sure I understand this, are you saying there are (were?) 2 different parts available from Toyota? Should I get the bolts from Toyota too to be sure I get the right ones? Thanks

 

i have brand new oem bolts for LBJs that I bought, and will need to sell. PM if you want them at cost

 

I've got the following in my cart at the ToyotaPartsDeal.com website. This is for the passenger side Lwr Ball Joint. I you guys see something I'm missing please let me know.
ToyotaPartsDeal requires a VIN#, so the part #'s should be correct for my '03 PreRunner.

 

Thanks for the offer.

I'm still trying to clarify (in my own mind) if there are 2 different OEM ball joints. And which bolts I will need, depending on what I buy.